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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  Acura RL 1996 - 1996 Acura RL
  By cf - February 6 - 2:09 am

  Bought new 1996. Minor problems ie: one headlamp out-not working. Both fixed under warranty 1966. Aside from regular unavoidable replacements ie: tires, timing belt, battery, etc. i have had NO problems. Best car i have ever owned.

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  I love my MDX! - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Nv - February 6 - 1:27 am

  I enjoy the smooth ride and the technology advanced features. I got all Navi and RES on my MDX because I didnt want buyers remorse. And, I must say its worth it. Ive had mine since Aug 05 and love it. Navi has been reliable when I input addresses, but not as reliable with directory assistance.

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  Great Car Great Value - 1998 Acura CL
  By easydental - February 5 - 11:55 pm

  Bought this car new and have had only one problem with it. The passenger-side windows attenuator went bad 2 times. One time it was covered under warranty. The 2nd time it cost $350 to replace at the dealer. This is a great car. Very reliable and dependable. Somewhat sporty and has great torque to blast you out of tight spots. Inexpensive to maintain (it really is a somewhat upgraded Accord Coupe).

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  Fun to drive - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Gregory Volkov - February 5 - 4:36 pm

  It is my second MDX. I love this car so does my family. For the price it is the roomiest and best SUV on the market. Fun to drive and easy to maintain.

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  I finally got one - 2009 Acura TSX
  By MB - February 5 - 12:36 pm

  I purchased my TSX this past weekend (Base Model Grigio/Ebony interior). I was going to get the Tech package but opted not too. The base model had everything that I wanted such as heated seats, iPod integration and XM radio. The ride is smooth and though it is not a V6, the 2.4 engine has lots of power. I have read many reviews that claim that the car is not exciting to drive and there is nothing that jumps out to them. The 2 days that I have had my TSX, people have been looking and asking me questions about the car.

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  This SUV rocks!!! - 2005 Acura MDX
  By DK - February 5 - 1:35 am

  I decided go for this MDX because it has 7 seats, better values and excellent ride quality. It is wider than RX330 and comes with all the standrad features. However, I got around 15-19 mile per gallon with premium gas, it is not cheap!!!

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  Acura 2003 3.2 CL - 2003 Acura CL
  By AnD - February 5 - 1:09 am

  Great car to own. great to drive. Comfortable interior and good looking outside. Fuel efficient and easy to maintain so far after 36000 miles.

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  Safety - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Bob - February 4 - 10:47 am

  We have owned this truck for about 6 months and have been about 95% happy with our purchase. Owned several S U vehicles and this one outdrives them all by a long shot. Often have 5 people in the vehicle and its very comfortable.

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  TomOs MDX - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Tom - February 4 - 2:41 am

  We have had this car since June 05. The fit and finish is perfect Other than the less than perfect gas mileage I wouldnt change a thing. We only have 2200 miles on the car.

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  Stuff youd like to know - 2004 Acura TL
  By Car-a-holic - February 3 - 11:29 pm

  The car is freakin awesome! It has ridiculous power and features that no German car would have at a reasonable price. Side mirrors tilt down when reversing, ambient blue light over gearbox for style, easy to use controls, impressive xenon/fog lights, DVD-audio is immersive, VSA grips the road like lion claws on its prey. I love it when you push the accelerator half-way and you get slammed back into cush leather seats until you let off the gas. Brake assist is handy on downhill off-ramps. The sport shift DOES lag but what do you expect in an automatic? Stay away from manual b/c you could drive the hell out of this car but itll cost you in the long run (tires, oil/fluids changes, mpg). The car is perfect, just go buy it and start enjoying it. Im glad I didnt buy the TSX..the TL is PERFECT. Starting up its "jet engine" is a true joy. VRRROOM!