Overview & Reviews

Acura is an upscale automaker known for offering cars with impressive levels of luxury, features and performance. It's come a long way in a short time, however, as the history of Acura is relatively brief. Parent company Honda introduced the Acura brand to the U.S. market in 1986 in an effort to create a separate luxury division for its products. At first, it was just a two-car show: the Legend sedan, which was the first true Japanese luxury car sold in America, and the Integra sport coupe and sedan.

Though essentially a marketing creation for the North American market, the Acura brand was immediately successful. Consumers liked the features, performance and upscale image of Acura cars, along with the fact that Acuras were backed by Honda's reputation for reliability and low ownership costs. In 1991, Acura introduced its crown jewel: the all-aluminum NSX sports car, which offered performance close to that of other exotic cars while undercutting them in price.

As Acura's product line grew in the 1990s, however, the company struggled a bit. Some of its products were duds, and it risked alienating loyal customers when it replaced the Legend and Integra names with alphanumeric designations. The company jumped on the hot luxury SUV bandwagon in the mid-'90s with the SLX. Unfortunately, the SLX was just a rebadged version of an Isuzu SUV, and its quality did not match customers' expectations.

For the new millennium, Acura revamped its product range. An all-new SUV called the MDX debuted, sporting numerous family-friendly features, including a third-row seat. The Integra was replaced with the RSX sport coupe, and an all-new entry-level sport sedan called the TSX was introduced after that. A complete redesign of its most popular model, the midsize TL sedan, followed, as did a redesign of its flagship RL luxury sedan.

By mid-decade the NSX was gone, but Acura filled out its model lineup with the street-performance-oriented RDX compact crossover, the TSX wagon and the ZDX, a fastback-styled crossover that placed unique styling over practicality. Today Acura is still trying to find its ideal niche but there's no denying the quality of Acura's vehicles, nor their appealing mix of performance, technology and value.

User Reviews:

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  My 3rd Acura in a row!! - 2007 Acura TL
  By Kevin - January 14 - 6:34 pm

  If you like sporty and a cockpit like a jet you will love this car. This is my 3rd Acura and the best one yet. I added 18" wheels and I have the navigation system as well. I am still trying to figure out all that this car can do. You have to test drive this one.

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  4 Cylinder Thriller - 2005 Acura TSX
  By SWFloridadriver - January 14 - 3:23 pm

  Acura has sired a 4 cylinder to take on the BMW. Its 200 HP happily thrusts you ahead from the stop lights.Tightness of drive is superb. Fit and finish is at first class standards, though I would have liked to see the wood trim continue to the back seats. Trunk space is masterfully done. This to me is a drivers car with stick shift manumatic or full automatic, sunroof and navigation system which is simply fantastic.

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  my Acura - 2006 Acura TL
  By lewandjudy - January 14 - 1:00 pm

  i love the comfort and ride experience, as well as the way the car loks, both inside and out. the interior design is well thought out. however, the steering is not as responsive as it could be. the fuel economy needs improvement.

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  It Really Moves - 2008 Acura TSX
  By needanewcar4 - January 14 - 12:56 pm

  After tons of research, and lots of test drives, I chose the TSX because it met my criteria at a reasonable price. Car had to be fun to drive, peppy off the line, comfortable, have lots of gadgets (except navi), reasonable gas mileage, and be reliable. (Previous car was MB C220, which I loved, so it was hard to chose next car. Felt new C class too austere/unrefined on inside for the price.) Ive driven 2,000+ miles since November purchase and have found this to be a great car. It has plenty of power for surface and freeway driving, decent gas mileage (23 mpg), great handling, and super nice interior. No problems at all. This car loves the freeway... best ride and handling at high speed.

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  Great Car and value for money - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Sandeep Singh - January 14 - 7:01 am

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  great car - 2003 Acura RSX
  By 2002rsxtypes - January 14 - 2:00 am

  better than my 2001 integra GSR, but i like them both...........

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  Want to soup up a car, this is the one - 2003 Acura RSX
  By David Carlandos - January 14 - 2:00 am

  Hi!!! I bought my acura rsx last june and I am absolutely delighted. I have a black acura rsx type s with black leather interior. When I actually nailed the throttle, because they really dont allow you to go fast in the test car, this car had incredible response. I was shocked to see how fast the neddle raised on the speedo.has plenty of torque. Although burn outs are more fun in rear wheel drive cars, this car can easily rip the rubber of the wheels and leave a nice gust of smoke off the tires.

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  5 years later, still loving it - 2004 Acura TSX
  By jcg878 - January 13 - 10:29 am

  Ive had my TSX for 5 years now, and I still love driving it. The car handles as well as when I first bought it - actually better since I replaced the stock tires 10,000 miles ago. It is fun to drive with a comfortable and intuitive interior that hasnt shown much wear. According to Edmunds used car appraiser, it has held its value well also. With a new baby on the way, my wife and I are currently battling about which car to replace - her 2003 Passat, or my TSX. My only TSX-related complaint is that Acura/Honda doesnt make a wagon version. Well look at the RDX, but a TSX/TL/Accord wagon is really what wed prefer. Its been a good buy.

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  Great Car at a Great Price - 2005 Acura TL
  By Drew - January 12 - 9:43 pm

  This car has every imaginable toy on board for a fixed price...The decision to purchase the car was never easier, and the dealership was fantastic. I look forward to driving the car everytime I go out my front door. It is fast, fun and reliable. Sound system options are a real treat too.

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  Love this Car - 2005 Acura RL
  By Gary - January 11 - 9:19 pm

  I love my RL. It gets better with age. I put RonJon Legend 19" wheels on my car and get many compliments. Celestial Silver and Taupe. Love it!