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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  Very happy with purchase - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Dave R - November 3 - 12:54 am

  I love the comfortable ride and performance. The 10 way power drivers seat combined with the telescoping steering wheel makes it easy to find a comfortable position. My wife and I both drive the vehicle so the custom seat, mirror, radio, and phone book settings linked to each key are great. The exterior styling is a real head turner, much better than the 2006 models. Visibility from the cockpit at night is great. Love the interior styling and dash appearance. Third row seating comes in handy on occasion. The navigation system is easy to use and convenient. Practically every feature comes standard. Back-up camera is a nice plus.

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  Acura TL is Excellent - 2005 Acura TL
  By Tim - November 2 - 11:36 pm

  The Acura TL is an excellent investment. It looks great (especially with the underbody spoilers), is very reliable, and gets good gas mileage. You can really feel the 270HP and its very fun to drive. I highly recommend.

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  My Follow Up Review - 2007 Acura TL
  By Gboss - November 2 - 7:58 pm

  11,890 miles into my TL Type-S Automatic. Interior rattles are driving me nuts!! They come out of nowhere! Interior does scratch very easily. Car squeaks. Suspension or something from underneath the car? Not sure but getting it checked out. I think its the suspension. Seat memory settings dont always work correctly. All station presets vanished on me a few times and came back the next day? Ghosts? Other than that the car is awesome! Compliments everywhere! Real rocketship! 286 HP!! Hwy I am getting 29 MPG. Overall AVG 23 MPG. I think thats pretty good!

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  After 2 months...Love this MDX! - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Ron - November 2 - 3:09 am

  I researched the the 2016 MDX for 9 months before buying. Im so glad I did. Ive owned two MDXs since purchasing my first MDX in year one of the MDX introduction in 2001. Im amazed at the transformation, Id been driving my MDX with 180K miles. Having also been an RL owner, I now feel I have the best of both vehicles in one. The slightly lowered height from the road is just perfect! The few lower reviews of the entertainment system has not been a problem for me. Theres a lot to digest with so many great features, I take each feature one at a time which for me has been an enjoyable easy process. I love the new touch gear shifting! I love the sportier drive for an SUV, it really does not feel like Im driving an SUV. The gas mileage increase is sweet, which is one reason I waited so long to buy a 2016. Love the seat air ventilation system that keeps me from back sweating during hot summer months. I can now seamlessly play music from my iPhone. The biggest surprise and enjoy is the warning system and lane keeping assist system. I feel like Im now protected from blind spots when changing lanes and drifting out of my lane. This is simply the best vehicle I have ever owned! A huge leap of comfort, safety and technology in the past 10 years! Ive never experienced this big of an upgrade in any vehicle I have ever purchased. Love this vehicle!!!

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  2003 acura tls - 2003 Acura TL
  By webman - November 1 - 10:00 am

  tremendous value no competition. extremely quick,dependable,fun to drive

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  Love it - 2006 Acura TSX
  By carbongreyTSX06 - November 1 - 1:01 am

  I have had my 06 TSX for over a year, it is my first car and it is simply amazing. This car is definitely the definition for "bang for the buck" without a doubt. I love the body style, the interior, and the performance everything is great. I seem to go through a lot of gas, but other than that, if the body doesnt get ugly in the over the next year or two, I am going to get a new TSX once my lease is over!!!

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  Best car I have ever owned. - 2006 Acura TL
  By Rick Angeli - October 31 - 5:26 pm

  I have owned a Nissan 300 ZX Twin turbo, a convertible Mustang Cobra, Several SUVs, and 3 Honda Preludes. This TL is the best car I have ever owned. I can get from Salt Lake CIty to Orange County CA in under 3 tanks. I have never owned a car that can do that. Its fast, gets good gas mileage, and all my friends and co workers always want to drive it. Ill take this car over a BMW, Audi, or Infinity ANYDAY!!!!!

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  2006 Acura TXS - 2006 Acura TSX
  By aeperez80 - October 31 - 1:01 pm

  I recently purchased this vehicle as a Acura Certified Pre-owned. The owner before me took exceptional care of the car and now I feel like Im driving a brand new car! I recently had a 2006 MINI Cooper S, which was fun and sporty, but did not have nearly as many bells and whistles as the TSX. When I unexpectedly found myself in the market for a new vehicle, I had no idea what I wanted. I test drove the Audi A4, the Volvo S40, the Mercedes C230, and were all nice to drive. But I wouldnt have been able to afford all of the features TSX already has. All of my research indicated this car was the most reliable, has the best resale value, and the best bang for the buck. Style and practical!

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  Black Touring Navi and Entertainment - 2006 Acura MDX
  By laxdad - October 31 - 9:38 am

  First off we do love this vehicle and except for a chronic rear door sticking issue, this SUV has been a great vehicle, drives more like a car than a truck, plenty of power and comfortable, family loves XM radio and navigation is huge help when traveling. We got the running boards, pinstripe and rear deflector which really helps dress the look up. Gas mileage is as usual disappointing but expected. We avg 15 around town and just over 20 on the road.

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  Depite what you hear - 2004 Acura TSX
  By blackhawk - October 29 - 10:00 am

  I researched cars for months before buying this time. I decided on the Tsx and finally bought mine in June. I love this car. I have absolutely no problems with it. Ive got a few thousand miles on it and no rattles(like ive read). I get great gas mileage. The car is very fast and I feel safe in it. It turns many heads on the freeway.