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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  hot ride full with features but crappy.. - 2004 Acura TL
  By 04acuraTL - January 15 - 10:00 am

  fun to drive, navigation is awesome user friendly and well worth the 2k, trouble areas-bluetooth phone fuel injectors, LEATHER QUALITY IS HORRID, and some misc fit and finish pieces...not too bad but be warned the leather is not COMPARABLE to other cars in class (poor design and cheap grade), acura has the cheapest leather and it shows after 3 mnths trust me...Client relations is not thorugh and not professional, also they say 7500 miles for oil changes but after 5k mile sthe car ran poorly...got oil changed and then it was fine....vibrtaion at hwy speeds now...window tint is a big issue- it will get scratched from win guide- acura tells u to buzz off..even if

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  More for your money - 1997 Acura RL
  By Russ - January 15 - 6:46 am

  After comparing other vehicles in this class, I found I could get more amenities for my money. This car has remarkable power with the 3.5 liter 6 cylinder 210hp engine. I have driven this car up and down the state of California numerous times and fatique was minimal. This year my son recieved his drivers license and the 1997 Acura with 110000 miles on it. I trust it completely with his safety. It is truly a pleasure to drive! The only problem Ive had all these years has been the power window motor/linkage on all the windows have broke. They are very expensive to replace. Approximately $140.00 each w/o installation! If you want a fun, reliable, stylish, powerful, comfortable car this is it!

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  No Competition - 2006 Acura RL
  By Pawan - January 14 - 11:58 pm

  Awesome Vehicle, best value of ANY car out there. Gives the enthusiast what they need and also gives the family what it needs. NEver leaves anyone wanting for more

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  Repeat Acura buying - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Richard Roman - January 14 - 3:55 pm

  I find the MDX is fun and very comfortable driving, very responsive in accelerating when needed. I have had five of us riding in and the four said if they had the money, will go for MDX. This Acura is my third, 1987 Legend, 1998 4door Integra, and now 2006 MDX (no GPS touring).

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  Why Buy German for More? - 2010 Acura TL
  By Black Ac - January 14 - 3:53 am

  Ive had this car for 2 days and it is amazing. The 6 speed manual trans is a beast. It came down to this car and BMW 550xi and I got more for $24500 less. This car surprises me every time I drive it. Very comfortable, luxurious and super fast. I recommend this car 100%.

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  Awsome - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Paul - January 12 - 8:23 pm

  Ive driven over 10 vehicles for last 12 years and this MDX was the only one I purchased same one twice since 2001. Both were black exterior in 2001 & 2006. Strongly recommended for either wives or husbands.

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  Wow what an experience!!! - 2004 Acura TL
  By doadnshag - January 12 - 4:28 am

  I have only owned this vehicle for a short time but have driven it far more miles than usual because of the thrill of the experience. I have been told by others that I would really enjoy owning this car so I bought it! They could not have been any more right it is a sports, luxury, dream car all wrapped into one. The Nav system is fantastic and Im having a ball!!!

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  HOT TO TROT - 2005 Acura TL
  By Kevin - January 11 - 10:10 am

  This is a big improvement from the last body style. Everything that need tweaking to Acura did. Overall I am happy with this car since I traded in my Audi A4. Big difference. The TL is so quiet that I sometimes forget it is running or that i am on the highway. For the price you cant find anything better.

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  smooth enough for ladies, quick for guys - 2003 Acura RSX
  By ChronoSphere - January 11 - 2:00 am

  This car is simply great - the best bang for my buck. The interior and exterior styling is exemplary. This car has enough smoothness and sophistication to impress the ladies, yet enough oopmh and power to wow your guy buddies.

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  The Best car for ever - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Gino - January 11 - 2:00 am

  The best car !!