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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  Love it - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Nice Ride - February 25 - 7:00 pm

  Went from a Toyota Camry XLS to the MDX since we have a toddler and another on the way. Drives like a car, very smooth. Comes standard with sunroof, heated seats, third row. Has alot to offer.

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  Awesome - 2005 Acura TL
  By william - February 25 - 1:46 pm

  This is the fifth Acura I have owned and by far the best vehicle I have ever owned or driven and I have driven many millions of miles over the last 50 years. At one time I drove over 50,000 miles per year, I now drive about 12,000/yr.

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  Luxury in a Smaller and Wide Footprint - 2005 Acura MDX
  By jpinches - February 25 - 8:43 am

  Having driven a BMW 528 for the last three years, performance, handling and amenities were important in a SUV. I have driven many rental SUVs and had a reference base to other SUVs to compare the MDX to. The MXD won hands down! The 265 hp is just right for vehicles of this weight and braking is very responsive. The MXD resists body-roll in corners very well. The power lumbar support helps keep the driver in place in the seat. The voice command Nav and Bluetooth phone link is great. The Bose system is a 8 out ot of 10 in audio quality. Could offer more midrange control in audio setup. The MDX has already proven to me to be the best choice for my needs after only several hundred miles

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  Gadget Guy loves the TL - 2005 Acura TL
  By MHRamsey - February 24 - 8:40 pm

  Before buying I researched the TL, G35 and BMW 3 series. I chose the TL for the styling and tech features. Plus, everything came included for a very reasonable price. Sacrifice was in power and handling, but barely. Im no racecar driver, so for me, the TL has plenty of power to get out of a sticky situation. I am still very impressed with my TLs interior design. I love how even the dash is made of quality material, not molded plastic. The brushed steel and black carbon fiber style trim really makes for an impressive look. The back seats are plush and comfortable, but a tad tight for large people. The trunk is a bit small, but a fair trade-off for the body design.

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  The Best Car Ive Owned Yet!!! - 1992 Acura Legend
  By mmkgz-1 - February 24 - 4:28 pm

  Everything about the car is great. Ive always wanted one. And I am happy with the purchase. Even in 2006 this car is superb. Its a classic that Im constantly complemented on and given offers to buy. Havent had any REAL problems since I bought it. The only minor prob was changing a boot. But other than that nothing. The styling is like none other. I also had an 87 coupe that I have no comlaints about. This is a car Acura should never have stopped making.

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  First Impressions - 2003 Acura CL
  By Just John - February 24 - 2:00 am

  From BMW to Saab to Honda to an 03 Acura CL-S. Performance and fun to drive are tops. Exterior design is not unique but than again that doesnt matter to me. This is one great driving vehicle on the open road which is becoming as extinct or sitting on the expressway???? heading to downtown Chicago!!!!

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  This is it! - 2003 Acura TL
  By BHC - February 24 - 2:00 am

  Great Car. Solid, fast and no problems!

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  fun to drive - 2004 Acura TL
  By G.B. - February 23 - 3:45 pm

  The car is fun to drive. I bought the 6 speed manual and enjoy the ride

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  Head and Heart both Love It - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Beltway Driver - February 23 - 8:42 am

  I bought my RSX Type-S in September 2003 as a commuting car for a daily drive around the Washington beltway, and its helped me survive the areas brutal driving conditions in style. The car is a great value in purchase price, in gas mileage and in the low operating costs/perfect reliability. At the same time I still get a seat-of-the pants thrill every time I rev it up to merge onto the highway or whip around a curve. I looked at many other cars before buying none compared in style and driving pleasure in this price range. Road noise and stiff seats are a small tradeoff Im happy to make for this much sport-driving pleasure.

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  A Great Car - 2006 Acura TL
  By Dublin Acura Owner - February 21 - 7:23 pm

  This car is is solid, fast, classy. You just melt into the seats. We have only owned for 2 months, so cant comment on the long term reliability, but we are looking forward to driving for a long long time. We previously owned a 2001 Passat GLX---the Acura is nicer on almost all fronts.