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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  Gimme More! - 2009 Acura TL
  By frankrizzo - June 14 - 11:30 pm

  What can I say, 4th Acura and it gets better every time. I didnt like the grille at 1st, but I had it painted to match the body color and its a lot better. Walks away from the competition in every aspect!

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  best car of the year! - 2006 Acura RSX
  By d - June 14 - 4:58 pm

  the car is great looks great. i am so happy with it and will keep for a long time

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  Nan - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Nan - June 13 - 11:31 am

  I love this car! Quick acceleration. Nice features. Easy to handle. I shopped around and this was the best value for the money. A small luxury car that is easy and fun to drive. No maintenance problems (yet). Not a lot of leg room in the back (but thats typical but Ive had adults sit back there comfortably. The only problem Ive had is the outdoor temperature sensor gauge runs about 4 degrees hot. Not a biggie!

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  2006 RSX-S - 2006 Acura RSX
  By jake c borunda - June 12 - 8:35 pm

  This has been one of the mast fun and exhilarating sporty car I have owned to date. Out of the GT Mustang, Z28 Camaro, SVT Focus, and C230 Mercedes this care has proven that not only can you have sports car performance, but you can also have luxuryous ride as well. It does well in every catagory, not only in performance. Acura could easly justify chargeing well above the manufactured sticker price, or even the dealers asking price. This car is a home run!

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  Great choice - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Deborah - June 12 - 9:53 am

  This is a great choice. The engine is seemless, you do not feel it shifting like some other luxury SUVs I test drove. Living near the mountains the power and engine is great, such a smooth ride. The size is great since I did not want a huge SUV. Love that it is ULEV2, which most SUVs are not.

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  first purchased car - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Shannon - June 11 - 10:20 pm

  I am so excitied. Normally I purchase used cars. This is my first new car. Its fast,I cant stop driving it. In 1 day I put 100 miles on my car. Its the color I was looking for, plus the interior color. It rides smooth, and takes fast turns smooth. The 5sp manual is fun to...I rate this the perfect car for anyone.

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  2008 MDX with Tech Package - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Salil - June 11 - 6:26 pm

  Just purchased the 2008 MDX with Tech Package. Its a great solid SUV with AWD std. This SUV is very good compared to other luxury SUV (the lexus RX350 is too small inside, the BMW 5 series is too expensive, the Cadillac SRX is too much of a station wagon, and the Escalade is too big). We love the backup camera and the navigation, worth every penny. I would say Acura has done a wonderful job outside and inside, although there are some cost cutting methods implemented like the door handles. I really wish the tech package had the automatic trunk (hatch) release where is opens up completely. You have to buy the Ent. Pack to get that. Overall its a great SUV at this price point.

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  Great ride w/ not so great audio control - 2007 Acura TL
  By Romer - June 11 - 3:10 am

  I have had this vehicle for about a week now. It came w/ the technology package. The ride is rather sporty and bumpy a bit (comparing it to my wifes Lexus ES 300) but enjoyable. In the looks department, it gets 2 thumbs up and since I havent yet broken it in, I can talk about performance just yet. Everything is voice controlled which makes a great conversation piece but voice control and command is too buggy. With the windows up, no fan running and no one else in the car, I can not get the bluetooth to record the numbers correctly. I have tried over and over and it seems as for certain numbers, time after time, throws some extra digits in.

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  Great Vehicle - 2005 Acura MDX
  By sklug - June 9 - 8:56 pm

  Great car after 18 months no complaints at all and no issues at all. Fuel Economy is much better than expected. 23.4 mpg on our last trip to OHIO running 75 mph. Gets 18.6 around town. Goes great in the snow on trips to the northwoods. entertainment system and is great. Nav is a little out of date. My wife will never drive a different suv.

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  Best SUV on the market - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Don - June 9 - 12:57 pm

  Great combination of power, handling, and comfort. Kids love the DVD system!