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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  Finely tuned machine - 2002 Acura RSX
  By jlball1727 - August 7 - 10:00 am

  This car is sweet...with sporty design and a sleek interior this car rocks!!! With tight gears and short throws the 6 speed moves...200 hp is a ton for this little pocket rocket...what a great machine...

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  Acura 3.2CL S Type Review - 2001 Acura CL
  By Edd Moss - August 7 - 10:00 am

  Car is fun to drive as it is agile and responsive with the bonus of good gas mileage. The car comes with what would be options in other cars and the value is the best in the industry, price to quality.

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  Sure beats my ML430! - 2002 Acura MDX
  By MarkinOlneyMD - August 7 - 10:00 am

  An amazing vehicle and purchase process. Very professional and well treated by dealership (unlike my former Mercedes dealer -- traded in a 2001 ML 430, which was a piece of junk). My wife learned all of the controls in no time - very logical and well laid out. The most versatile vehicles were ever owned in terms of flexibility. The salesperson noticed a rip in the leather passenger seat during the delivery process (probably from the mechanic who prepd the vehicle). Immediately ordered a new seat cover, which was no problem.

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  Keep this car in mind - 2005 Acura RL
  By CJL - August 7 - 12:29 am

  Acura may have been easily overlooked in the past for the over conservative styling and mediocre performance when it came to a luxury sedan - no more! This car is packed with everything you could need - and then some. It could be a generational thing, but Im 39 and found the technology smart, easy and fun to use. Well thought out and with so many ways to do things, you can pick your style - voice, direct or a combination of both. It really feels like a luxury sedan when you want it to be, but steps up to the plate for some fun, sporty driving when you need it to be. The technology, sound system (wow!), fit and finish will blow you away. Look out Lexus, Acura has come a knocking.

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  RL 2005 - 2005 Acura RL
  By donna graham elliott - August 6 - 12:09 pm

  I test drove it twice it is the second RL that I have purchased. That is because the first one was so reliable. I still have it. I have never owned two of the very same vehicle. I thought that did not make sense when people did that. Now I understand why.

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  Domestics? Who needs domestics? - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Mark - August 5 - 5:48 pm

  Initially, I was looking to stay under $25k with my new vehicle purchase. I commute 95 miles roundtrip daily and wanted something reliable and fun to drive. One look at the TSX and my price concerns suddenly didnt matter. Then, I got behind the wheel. The moment I sat in the TSX, I was sold. It just fit! The seats are well bolstered and very comfortable, the instrument panel is laid out well, and the six speed is just sweet! After a test drive, I knew that I wanted one. After some research, I decided to go ahead. I love this car! Im at 5,500 miles and love it more than the day I brought it home!

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  Great but not Perfect Car - 2005 Acura RL
  By wmhipps - August 5 - 1:08 am

  I have had my RL about 6 weeks. Love all the tech toys and no one seems to get ergonomics better. Usually too many bells and whistles is a bad sign of a thrown together product, but this car is great. I got the 18" chrome wheels with blue exterior and I get lots of compliments.

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  Acura Tops (AGAIN!) - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Goulet - August 3 - 7:47 pm

  I traded out of a 97 CL to the 04 MDX and couldnt be happier. Although it was a sad day, it was a happy day also. Recently drove to NC from MA for the US Open and it was a most pleasant drive. Navigation system helped us avoid all the DC traffic on our non-stop trip home. The auxillary hook ups in the rear allow for a iPod to be installed and played continuously for hours (miles). Love my MDX, just wish that there was a way to get a upgrade to get the bluetooth tecnology installed in the 04. Currently dont know of this being available, but other than that, its a GREAT CAR. Im an Acura man for LIFE!

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  Nice Type-S - 2007 Acura TL
  By JEY - August 3 - 7:46 pm

  Traded a 2002 Audi A6 for the Acura. Although not as luxurious as the A6, the Type-S is a whole lot more fun and rewarding to drive. The engine is one of the best and pulls strongly at any speed. I wanted a nice blend of sport and luxury and the front wheel drive Type-S does this very well.

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  Im lovin it - 2005 Acura RL
  By richard m - August 3 - 3:44 am

  I use my RL for my short commute to work, and taking the family around the town, its just terrific. It has every feature that I need, and a lot I will never use. The 6 cylinder engine puts out more than ample power. This is a great car and i would recommend it to anyone who can afford its steep price.