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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  My RSeXy - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Rich 1 - September 20 - 2:00 am

  When I first saw the concept version I fell in love with the RSX. I was able to get 1 in december of 2002 and my driving experiences have been amazing. Every day its performance surprises me. I cant believe that this littl car and little engine can have that much power. In my area the RSX is very rare and everyone always asks me what it is. Its always a pleasure to tell them that a I drive an Acura RSX Type S.

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  The Most Fun Car for 20K - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Fredrickson bloomsey - September 20 - 2:00 am

  This car is great buy and an even better value. It performs well and is extremly fun to drive.

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  awesome! - 2004 Acura MDX
  By rizwan malik - September 20 - 2:00 am

  i bought it few weeks ago and this is an awesome SUV, much beter than the Lexus GX470,volvo XC90,BMW X5 or mercedes ML500. well built and an excelent ride quality. very smooth and powerful

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  nice SUV with bland style - 2004 Acura MDX
  By my - September 20 - 2:00 am

  very good SUV overall in terms of reliability, but style is bland and not exciting.

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  FLAWLESS - 2004 Acura TL
  By NewTLOwner - September 20 - 2:00 am

  This car is Flawless.

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  No Brainer - 2004 Acura TL
  By Tl Cruiser - September 20 - 2:00 am

  Its a no brainer! This car has more to offer with standard equipment that "others" try to charge you for. It is powerful, stylish, COMFORTABLE, and handles better than the others. Trust me, its a no brainer, PAY LESS GET MORE!!! Im so happy.......

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  Best Car I Ever Owned - 1997 Acura CL
  By KZone - September 19 - 2:39 pm

  I have had this car since new, and after 8 years and 267,000+ miles my CL still looks and drives great. Other than normal maintenance and wear and tear items, no major repairs ever made- I still have the original clutch on my 5 speed manual transmission and get 34 mpg highway, and average 30+ mpg overall.

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  Great Quality - 2002 Acura RL
  By Phx_RL - September 19 - 1:11 am

  Excellent car. We have had this car for a year now. Bought it as a certified vehicle. No issues to speak of. Smooth drive and comfort. Feels more solid and safe to drive vs a Lexus.

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  Acura MDX - 2005 Acura MDX
  By robert dinezza - September 18 - 1:13 pm

  Vehicle rides outstanding in all conditions. easy manuevering in city. Good gas mileage. Great in rain, snow or ice.

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  In love - 2003 Acura CL
  By cor4nkc - September 18 - 10:00 am

  Great engine, great value, super shifter. Really fun to drive in a very nice environment. I like the somwhat reserved styling as something that isnt a flash in the pan. Great front seats.