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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  Would buy it again if not for transmission issues - 2003 Acura MDX
  By texan100 - June 15 - 4:05 pm

  I got CPO MDX after lot of research and consumerReports guide which rated MDX as the BEST suv. I did drive for 5 years and was very happy with my car. I never had major issues and never paid any money from my pocket as it was all under warranty. They did find problem with engine mounts, battery and some tubes that needed cleaning which was all taken care by Acura warranty. I did regular maintenance. Dealer did charge me 600 or so for 60k mile service. Last year I did find that car was not going smooth. It was driving rough sometimes and smooth other times. I also read about transmission issues when it hits 100k. Since mine hit 92k I sold it.

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  Better then most - 2010 Acura RL
  By jrtala - June 8 - 7:11 am

  Though the RL is my wifes car I have driven it many times. In the past 20 years I have had several Mercede Benzs & BMWs (eleven total). At present we have a 2010 corvette & 2010 RL. The RL beats all my other cars in build quality, comfort, reliability and great value. I feel I am in a much better position to make an evaluation on the best cars then most critics. For the money, the Acura RL is one of the best luxory cars on the market. Better then most cars and we finally found reliability the way it should be.

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  This is a sedan??? - 2011 Acura TL
  By becca00 - May 26 - 1:21 pm

  Ok, Im posting this VERY late (had TL for a year, but just bought an MDX in Nov.). I wish I could have both, but not enough garage space. Ive had several sedans in the past. This sedan doesnt feel like a sedan, its a LUXURY SPORTS CAR!!! Handling is fantastic (and I didnt even get the SHAWD). Acceleration is wonderful. All of the tech stuff (nav, ipod hookup, stereo, bluetooth) are perfect. Gas mileage is good. The interior design is far superior to all other sedans I looked at and test drove. I have to say, the exterior is SO nice! Ive had more compliments on the look of this car than any other Ive had. The exterior look is actually what made me want it in the first place.

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  Great car! - 2003 Acura MDX
  By gardner3 - May 22 - 12:00 pm

  This car overall is great! Its roomy, comfortable, smooth to drive, has power and looks good. The sound system is nice, heated seats work well, seats fold, and I generally had no problems in long drives.

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  Abyss Blue Pearl 6 Speed Manual TL - 2005 Acura TL
  By blacsteel1 - May 19 - 1:09 pm

  I purchased my 05 TL used in 2007 w/just over 24K miles. The car looked sharp, had a nice ride and was loaded w/everything (Navi, Hands Free Phone, Voice activation, moonroof etc.) The transmission operated smoothly and the car had great performance and handling esp. considering its a front wheel drive vehicle. One thing I did notice after a few months was that under brisk acceleration (not jack rabbit starts mind you) the car seemed to hesitate as if traction control had been activated. I ended up ditching the Michelin Pilot MXMV... and getting Bridgestone RE 960AS (stayed w/ 17") and the car has handled like a dream ever since.

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  WOW!!! - 2011 Acura MDX
  By becca00 - May 11 - 9:46 am

  This is my second Acura (first was a 2010 TL Tech). I fell in love with Acura after my first one, this one is even better. I came out of a 2007 Suburban into the TL. Great for me but my kids (boys, 16 & 12) didnt have as much room as they would have liked in the back seat. So.. traded it for the MDX. This is, by far, the BEST SUV in its class. I wake up everyday and cannot WAIT to drive it! Somewhere, anywhere, I dont care as long as Im driving. I live on a curvy, hilly road and this car handles like a sports car (I have a MINI S too, so I know). Handling, braking, steering, interior, exterior- all perfect. Only one thing... just a LITTLE too much road noise. Still the best!!!

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  Love my new TL - 2012 Acura TL
  By tcilover - May 5 - 6:21 am

  Ive had my new TL for about 3 weeks now and love it, traded a 2009 TSX and what a huge step up! More room, power and luxury. The interior is beautiful , lots of storage and comfy seats. The front end redesign helped in my decision .

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  Simply Awesome - 2011 Acura MDX
  By tolson37 - May 3 - 11:58 pm

  Very nice package - Ive had about 30 different new cars and trucks over the years and this is a package that has sport, utility, technology, comfort, reliability, and safety all wrapped into a single package. I have 2500 miles on my 2011 Tech with Entertainment system. Not one thing has gone wrong. Enjoy every ride / trip in it. Plenty of power and nice powerband with 6 speed transmission.

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  Love it!!!! - 2011 Acura MDX
  By urstruly83 - April 17 - 8:14 pm

  I have had this car for about 3weeks and I LOVE IT. Ive owned an Acura before so I knew what to expect. I traded my Infiniti G35 for this AWD. I Love EVERYTHING about the car except a few things like not having a push start, and the Gas Millage could be a lil bettter. Moving to Cleveland so will need an AWD cant wait to see how it does!!!!

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  TL-6MT vs S4 vs 335xi - 2012 Acura TL
  By fcarre2 - April 11 - 10:09 pm

  Had an opportunity to drive all three cars back to back for over an hour per vehicle. Although these vehicles are generally not cross shopped, there may be more reason to do so, especially since the TL redesign. The perfect vehicle would include the BMW exterior styling and suspension, the TL tranny and SHAWD and the Audi engine and interior. Unfortunately, I see deficits, albeit small, in all three vehicles. The TL SHAWD is impressive to say the least. Just hammer the it in a turn and it begs for more. The 6MT is as smooth as it gets. Interior is better than others review.