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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  Unbelievable price - 2004 Acura TL
  By Walker - October 2 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle may be the best car I have ever owned. I traded a 02 Audi A6 for the TL. This car beats the Europeans in performance and styling hands down. The 270 hp is amazing. All features normally offered as options on the others are standard here. Amazing for under 35K. im 6ft 3 and i have plenty of leg room.

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  New Car - 2004 Acura TL
  By C J - October 2 - 2:00 am

  Just bought it 2 weeks ago. Love it. Awesome sound system, great looks. I have been complimented daily on that car. Really happy with it. Oh yeah, it cooks.

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  New TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By DanBuz - October 2 - 2:00 am

  270hp selective shifting,unique dash design,neat flowing exterior design,look out Maxima and G35 here we come on your heels oops bye bye...

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  Great new car - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Robert Trotter - October 1 - 2:09 pm

  Its a one-owner car we bought it brand new. Wonderful in every sort of way. Cant say enough good about it. Would have bought another but they were too expensive.

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  RDX is the best! - 2007 Acura RDX
  By lrpba300 - September 30 - 8:23 pm

  This SUV/CUV is the best all around vehicle Ive ever owned! It has it all. It has a great interior, comfortable seats, great handling (like a sports car!), ride is firm, but nice, solid build, room to haul stuff, paddle shifters, great looks. Im very happy and have had many vehicles before due to leases for work, but I bought this one and couldnt be happier.

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  Great value - fun to drive - 2007 Acura TSX
  By S. Marcoux - September 28 - 3:10 pm

  Ive had this car for six months and I enjoy driving it every time I get in it. I have the 6-speed manual and it is an excellent gearbox. The shifts are silky smooth and accurate. The car is also an excellent value for the price. Standard luxury features include hands-free Bluetooth, satellite radio, heated seats, xenon headlamps, trip computer, etc., and Im getting a solid average 28 mpg in mixed driving. On a 500 mile trip, I got over 35 mpg. It may not be very sexy to look at, but Id buy another one in a heartbeat.

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  Review of 2007 Acura TL Base Model - 2007 Acura TL
  By Gordon - September 28 - 3:03 pm

  When I was looking for a new car, I compared the G35, IS 250, Toyota Avalon, and the TL with each other. The thing I really liked best was that the things I really wanted (multi-CD changer, moonroof, leather) all come standard with the TL. I have had the car now for 3 months and I am really enjoying driving it. Although not as much horsepower as the S-Type, it is the most powerful car I have owned. Im surprised I have not been pulled over yet. This is the first car I have owned that I have hit 100+ MPH with! I love the interior of the car with the black leather pretty much throughout. I like having the audio controls on the steering wheel.

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  3 Years Going Strong - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Carmine L - September 28 - 5:17 am

  We have owned this MDX for three years and it is still a great car. Dealership took care of a couple of glitches without fanfare. Giving this one to one of our kids and just ordered a 2008 MDX w/tech package.

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  Quick, Comfortable Ride, Great Value - 2007 Acura TSX
  By Tom - September 27 - 11:53 am

  Quick, not fast car. Comfortable ride. Nice interior. Many features such as Bluetooth, memory seats, XM radio.

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  this is the best damn car in the world!! - 2004 Acura RSX
  By shea.. - September 27 - 2:00 am

  i love this car!!!!!