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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  Quality but economic fun - 2000 Acura Integra
  By DSW - January 29 - 10:32 pm

  I bought this GS-R new in 2000 while I was still in college. Glad to say Ive had almost no problems whatsoever with the vehicle. This was truly a classic design from Acura, and it still gets a lot of interest when I pull into the gas station. Transmission is superb, but the engine tends to have a loud droning tendency when driving extended highway trips. Comfort for tall people is questionable as well. The car drives very well, and the gas mileage has been better than estimated on the sticker...as high as 34mpg. Overall a solid purchase. The only maintanence issue Ive experienced was a burned out trunk latch mechanism at 91000 miles...cheap fix at the dealership.

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  2005 Acura TL - 2005 Acura TL
  By James Barrett - January 29 - 2:33 am

  I bought a 04 TL in April 2004 and put 22k miles in 7 months. It started having a few minor issues. I traded on an 05 TL in Nov. 2004. So far I have put 10k miles with no trouble. This car seems to be tighter than the 04. Fewer rattles, etc.

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  Excellent SUV - 2002 Acura MDX
  By MDXOwner - January 29 - 2:00 am

  Great SUV w/ loads of room, great horsepower, and tons of options! Couldnt ask for a better SUV!

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  The best SUV - 2002 Acura MDX
  By thollerb - January 29 - 2:00 am

  I never thought I would love driving a sport ute. Fun to drive, 20 mpg gas milage, the best value for the money. If you are considering a sport ute, dont look past this one.

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  acura tl - 2003 Acura TL
  By kim0926 - January 29 - 2:00 am

  great car, i love it!

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  MDX = Value SUV - 2005 Acura MDX
  By DRTur - January 28 - 11:10 pm

  Incredible value - feature, performance vs. price. Acura reliability

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  05 RL is my pride and joy - 2005 Acura RL
  By Nancy McKinley - January 28 - 11:05 pm

  Every time I get in this car I think about how much I love it. The sound system, satellite radio, and interactive command system are great, and not having to dig for a key every time I get in the car is really nice. I have had 2 other Acuras and a Honda, and I have no complaints. But this RL is the best!

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  Under poweredbut great car - 2006 Acura RL
  By Jimsel - January 28 - 2:23 pm

  Other than a few flat spots in the acceleration this car is everything you could ever want in a vehicle. It rates number one in tech. , good looks without being flashy, interior layout is perfect and drivability and handling is close to perfect. Well worth the money. With a little more guts it would be the ultimate

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  Acura second to none - 2003 Acura TL
  By Spictacular - January 27 - 3:33 pm

  Purchased car used from a Honda dealer. Immaculate car. I was allowed to keep the car for the weekend. While in my possesion I took it to an Acura dealer where, went they went ahead and replaced or fixed everything before warranty expired (and I mean everything.)All of this was done prior to me actually siging to purchase the car.It drives and handles like a dream.

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  Integrity is a good description. - 1992 Acura Integra
  By xavierb - January 27 - 1:16 am

  Honda proves its reliability again. My last car was a 1984 Civic which I ran for approx. 20 yrs. before the timing belt broke and required major motor repair. Thought this would be a good upgrade. More than satisfied.