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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  Transmission Problem - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Nagaraja Kini - May 9 - 7:30 am

  2016 Model, only 8200 miles has transmission problem. Dealer told me transmission to needs to be replaced. For a brand new vehicle we had small minor issues from the beginning. This one is big. Dealer has been very courteous.

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  Bumpy ride - 2009 Acura RDX
  By Jim - May 8 - 1:09 pm

  Gas mileage for 4 cylinder is poor and vehicle uses premium fuel. Ride is quite uncomfortable.

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  Money Talks - 2006 Acura TL
  By Rob - May 7 - 9:55 am

  Folks Ive owned just about every type of import on the market, and Im here to tell ya that there is no better value than the Acura TL. Im one of the few people left who still prefers a clutch pedal, and Acura is more than willing to cater to me! Buying the stick doesnt make the car less expensive, but Acura hooks you up with Brembo 4 Piston brakes up front with pretty black calipers that read "Acura." DOES NOT perform like a BMW, DOES NOT ride like a Lexus, interior IS NOT as nice as an Audi, but come on, I paid $31k for this thing! Really should be rear wheel drive, then I think it could take a 3 series. Torque steer isnt bad, you get a better diff and reprogrammed software with the 6M!

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  I love this car! - 1994 Acura Integra
  By Jackson - May 6 - 2:34 pm

  Absolutely wonderful car! I got mine with 112k miles on it and it feels like its just gotten broken in. Its a blast to drive with the 5 spd and the 8k rpm redline. The only complaints would be the cupholders and the radio antenna. The gears got stripped or something and it makes a grinding kind of noise. The Integra is an amazing car and if you can find one unmolested like I did, youll be in for many years of pure driving pleasure!

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  Comfy - 2003 Acura TL
  By jfbrown42 - May 6 - 11:44 am

  I was looking for a sporty family car, something better than the Mazda 626 ES my wife was driving - bigger, sportier, better gas mileage. We looked at a 2003 TL Type-S and the 2004 models. The 2004s were more edgy looking, had more horspower, and had more tech (bluetooth) but my wife didnt feel that they would go when she stepped on the gas pedal. Also, the 2004 felt smaller on the inside and had a smaller trunk. The trunk is important because we have two little kids. Wed like to be able to go on vacation and not have to rent an SUV for the luggage. I dont really push this car, but it performs well enough and is quite comfortable.

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  Rattle and Whine - 2004 Acura TL
  By Motoracer - May 5 - 10:00 am

  This could be a great car, but the poor quality of the interior construction has been a constant source of irritation for me. The chief problem has been squeeking and popping noises from both front-side window trim pieces. I think this is a design/build problem and not something the dealer can repair unless new components are developed. If it wasnt for this problem, I would be very happy with the car. The off- center steering feel isnt great but otherwise the car handles very well at any reasonable street pace. The torque steer isnt intrusive and Im happy giving up some RWD handing characteristics to have FWD for New England winter.

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  Awesome TL - 2006 Acura TL
  By Chip - May 4 - 11:24 pm

  Ive had my TL for a little over a year now. I love this car. Ive only owned Acuras, so Im a little biased. My last car was a Legend, so Im used to Acuras quality. Love the sound system, navigation, and HID headlights. I also got the A Spec package (best decision Ive made), I get looks all the time at the 18 inch rims. Was thinking about Nissan Maxima, Infiniti G35, and Mercedes C350. Decided on Acura which was the best decision. Plus the reliability has been outstanding. Never in the shop except for one service at 12000 miles (I use synthetic oil).

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  Acura is da bomb - 1996 Acura Integra
  By ann - May 4 - 9:20 am

  I love my Integra. She has not let me down yet! Highly recommended. The only downfall is it is one of the top stolen cars. Other than that, its a great and fun car to have.

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  love the car - 2005 Acura RL
  By john smith - May 3 - 5:43 pm

  Comfort on the road is outstanding. Visuals as far as instrument panel are perfect. Room in back seat is outstanding. Also love the gps and the voice activation system. Also the best sound system ive heard, better than my 430 mzb.

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  Good Vehicle - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Trailman - May 3 - 12:03 pm

  Very happy with it so far. My gas mileage has not been as bad as some others report: 17 mpg.