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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  Would suggest to anyone. - 2005 Acura TSX
  By flathismyhero - March 1 - 6:33 pm

  Absolutely wonderful car. I use it as my fun car and drive a 92 cavalier to work. Great for long trips.

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  Love it all ... but the lights. - 2005 Acura RL
  By New Acura Owner - March 1 - 4:43 pm

  Overall an extremely attractive, well built, fun to drive automobile. Thoughtful in its design, seamless in its execution. Has almost every feature you would expect (and then some) for a car at this price point. Honda pedigree ensures car will be reliable for years to come. May not have the road panache of an MB (we had previously owned 2 E-Class MBs) but the features/technology beats MB (and BMW) hands down. Purchased the Lakeshore silver exterior...really sharp.

• 

  THE car to get!! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Sherb - March 1 - 7:43 am

  We looked at Accord/Altima and opted for the TSX. You simply cannot beat more standard options and a comfortable ride for the price. I put on 3K miles in a week just joy riding. Rides the same to this day. No maintenance problems. Residual value is good, too. We are everyday drivers and dont mind a 4-cyl but it cranks out 200 hp. It does great and were going to trade in our SUV for an 06 TSX. Definitely give this car a try!

• 

  Fantastic Car - 2004 Acura TL
  By Lin Red - February 27 - 10:41 pm

  I bought the 2004 Acura TL with manual transmission and summer tires. Im extremely satisfied with this car. The horsepower combined with the manual transmission make every trip a lot of fun. The DVD audio just adds to the pleasure. I especially like to take my friends out for a nice trip to the Jersey shore.

• 

  Very Happy - 2005 Acura RL
  By GL - February 27 - 2:34 pm

  Bought this car a year ago -- very pleased. Sound system is simply amazing. Front seats are comfortable and controls easy to reach. Smooth, solid ride. Im not a car enthusiast, but love driving this car. Traffic integrated into nav system is nice and Ive used the nav system more than I ever expected to. On the downside, keyless remote is not great for women (who dont always have pockets and have to find somplace to put it) and it is VERY easy not to turn the ignition off completely, resulting in a dead battery. Ride could be quieter at high speeds.

• 

  You must test drive this car - 2005 Acura TSX
  By tsand72 - February 27 - 2:50 am

  Ive spent the last 3 weeks reviewing and testing driving cars in the $24,000 - $34,000 range, including Accords, Outback 2.5i wagons, BMW 325is, Nissan Maximas, the Toyota RAV4, the Acrua TL, and the TSX. Our need was to have a car that could sub as a family sedan (ie, put a car seat in it if necessary), but provide suitable transportation for business travel and work commuting. My hope was to find a car with a sporty pretence but with a sedan functionality - the TSX fit the bill. The plethora of reviews killing the TL for rattles, squeaks, and harmonic vibrations scared us away from that car. The Accord would have been our second option if the negotiation on the TSX had fallen through.

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  Best buy we ever made in a used car - 2001 Acura CL
  By Myrtle Young - February 26 - 4:31 pm

  Bought this vehicle used from a private party using Edmunds guide. It was in impeccable shape and has held its value. Would recommend this vehicle to anyone although there has been one major expense to date, a power inverter for the headlights. It handles so well and has been a joy to own.

• 

  So Far So Good... - 2004 Acura TL
  By sizemic1 - February 26 - 10:00 am

  Just to reiterate what most people have said. You get a lot of bang for your buck!

• 

  Great Value - 2004 Acura TL
  By joedonnelly - February 26 - 10:00 am

  I was hoping to wait for the RL, but couldnt be without a car for the next few months. Ive been pleasantly surprised with this vehicle. The price was right - $1400 off MSRP. The warranty coverage is good - 4yr/50k miles. I compared this car to the Lexus ES330, but found it too soft for my taste.

• 

  high strung - 2005 Acura RSX
  By The Lombards - February 25 - 8:23 pm

  if you are in to downshifting and revs like a motorcycle, you will love it. balance through the turns and excellent power to weight ratio. by the way the leather is real comfy all seasons