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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  Bang for the Buck - 2007 Acura TL
  By Acura TL - December 31 - 3:08 pm

  This car is great. I had a 2006 BMW 5 series and this car great compared to its rivals. The interior has a very specious more room . The music system and navi is top of the line and the seats are very comfortable. Belive me this car is very fun to drive.

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  A Fine Automobile All Around - 2005 Acura RL
  By San Diego Bruce - December 31 - 8:30 am

  Ive been driving my 05 RL just over a month now, and am totally pleased with everything about it. My family feels safe and secure in it, and its been the car to drive here in So. Cal. during our wet, rainy winter. It is by far the best car Ive ever driven at night, because of the excellent headlights and overall handling. Its very quick, so I really have to watch my speed to keep it legal. The interior is quiet,luxurious, and supremely comfortable, and the Bose audio is awesome. I would recommend it to anyone interested in a long-term relationship with a world class machine. If youre an enthusiast, this is your car. I cant wait to drive it again today.

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  For the price, it cant be matched - 2006 Acura TSX
  By gftgrill - December 30 - 3:49 pm

  The 6-speed manual is very smooth shifting. All of the controls are right where I expect them to be. I never have to reach far for anything. Bluetooth hands free connection built into the car. This is a great feature for anyone who drives a manual. I can now answer or make a phone call without ever having to remove my left hand from the steering wheel or my right hand from the shifter.

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  Amazing - 2007 Acura TSX
  By Dan - December 30 - 2:59 pm

  It has the right amount of luxury and sportiness. I dont know what it lacks - its even fuel efficient. It comes with a 205HP engine which provides enough power for anything one needs to do legally on the road.

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  This car ROCKS!!!!!! - 2006 Acura TL
  By GREAT CAR FOR THE PR - December 30 - 2:30 pm

  For the money, this car is outstanding, both in preformance and comfort. I am an outside salesman, and drive many miles. If I take a client out to lunch, they are amazed with all of the features this car has. As a kick, I usually let them drive it, telling them to push it to the limit. Some of these customers drive cars that cost MUCH MORE then what I paid, and they are VERY impressed. I think that I have swayed at least two of my customers into buying a TL. I have always owned Honda automobiles, my last one is still parked in my garage, a 1997 Honda Accord with over 300,000 miles on it. I still drive it, but it is not as fun as my new TL!!!!

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  Love It! - 2005 Acura TL
  By T - December 30 - 12:50 pm

  I was a little reluctant to start the car shopping process when my 10 year old car started to die on me. But once I drove the TL, I knew that I was in love. This car is so fun to drive and is it just a gorgeous automobile. I get compliments at the gas station or just in the mall parking lot. It handles well and the acceleration is powerful.

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  OK, but two major problems - 2004 Acura TL
  By conan - December 30 - 12:37 pm

  I have had this car for 60K miles. It has been OK in general, but these cars are supposed to be really reliable. It isnt. I have the manual six speed transmission. At around 32K miles the car would not go into reverse. I brought it in and they ultimately ended up replacing the entire transmission (under warranty). Now at 61K miles, the power steering pump has failed and needs to be replaced. This seems to be low mileage for this to be failing. I have had no other problems, but these two problems are major. I will not be buying another Acura.

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  First import - 2008 Acura TSX
  By Timd38 - December 30 - 9:01 am

  It does nothing really special, but does nothing poorly. The longer I have it, the more I like it. I bought it looking for cheap car that was also reliable with good resales. It does all that and more.

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  Great Bang for the Buck! - 2007 Acura TSX
  By Nogard13 - December 30 - 8:18 am

  I decided on the TSX after looking at the BMW 3 series, the Lexus IS 250, and the Infiniti G35 Sedan. Compared to the other three models, the TSX offered all the creature comforts I wanted for 6K less than the G35 and Lexus and 10K less than the 328i. Really easy choice to make, even after driving the other three cars twice each. While the TSX doesnt have the speed and pick-up of the BMW or the Infinity, the engine is more than adequate for my style of driving (mostly city with some road trips now and then). My MPGs are around 20 for the city driving and 32 for highway.

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  2005 Acura TL 6M - 2005 Acura TL
  By JIMBOS TL - December 30 - 8:00 am

  I just took delivery of the 05 TL last week. This is my 3rd tank fill-up so far and love it more and more. The 6M tranny with the short throw shifter shifts crisply and smoothly. I traded my 03 Type-S for this car. It rides and corners like a champ! Engine turns 2k at 80 mph. Good power at any speed, better fuel economy with the 6M than my previous 5AT. I dont know how the brembo brakes will last compare to the stock brakes on my previous TL. The stereo system is better than my last one. Im new to the navigational system, so I dont have any comment on that. This is my 3rd Acura and it wont be my last, you cant beat Hondas reliability (unless compared with the Lexus). Thats it.