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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  Mileage no hassle - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Baldegl - February 19 - 6:12 pm

  Averaging almost 20 mpg on first tank including urban Chicago driving and expressways. Handling very much on par with an X-3 and feels a little quicker and certainly more opulently finished interior. The 4 cylinder is surprisingly responsive. Feels faster on than the 2005 RL we traded even though comparable weights.

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  Cant wait to get rid of it! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By skico - February 18 - 11:01 pm

  I realize my car is 2 yo, but I feel obligated to tell people of my exp w/ Acura and my TSX. I drive a lot for my job, so need a good, safe, comfortable, reliable car. Id heard Acura was that car. Never in my life have I been so disappointed in a car. This car has left me stranded, things were breaking in the car 3-4 months after I got it no pickup, awful in snow. I dont feel safe in car, and dont trust that it will get me where I need to be safel - in fact, everytime I drive long distances, I get very nervous that the car will strand me somewhere b/c it has in the past. I cant wait to get rid of it, and I doubt I will ever buy an Acura again.

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  What a machine - 2005 Acura TL
  By Great Car - February 18 - 5:10 pm

  I do enjoy my TL. The six speed manual trans is great, however when the temperature is below 60 degrees the shifting is tight until the car gets hot. The sound system and navigation are great features. Overall a real head turner.

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  Very good car! - 2005 Acura TL
  By tlong - February 17 - 11:33 pm

  Car has been great! Truly a fabulous value. No problems to date, no rattles. First time back to the dealer was for first service, car arrived with NOTHING wrong!

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  The Best Car Out There!!!! - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Kristin - February 17 - 10:00 am

  I just got my Acura RSX and it was the best investment i ever made! After a lot of research, i found this car to be, by far, the best! Its sporty and economical. i would recommend this car to anybody!

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  Great car, great value - 2006 Acura TL
  By TomSim - February 17 - 5:06 am

  Overall probably best car Ive ever had, and Ive had many, incl G35 Coupe (still have) and Sedan, and 06 BMW 3- series (didnt like). Does it handle like them or have the power of the Infiniti? No, but it has more power and torque than BMW and its still plenty fun to drive. Very comfortable, great features for the money, excellent ergonomics and, I think, looks great, too. Also, the fact that its FWD does not mean that its not a sport sedan. Its not a Bimmer or Audi, but its still very much a sport sedan. And you get a lot more car for the money than the German cars.

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  Great Car, Bad Transmission - 2002 Acura TL
  By Steve - February 16 - 9:43 pm

  I have owned my car for almost two years and purchased it pre-certified. I have never had a problem until a few days ago, when without warning the transmission went out. My car is now waiting to be repaired at the dealer. Other then this major setback, the car has been outstanding, and I love it.

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  Great Buy and Ride - 2007 Acura TSX
  By Tom - February 16 - 12:48 pm

  Has all the features you want: memory seats, leather, blue tooth, sat. radio, peppy motor and trans, comfortable seats, sunroof, all standard.

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  NEARLY A PERFECT CAR - 2006 Acura TL
  By Lee Chappell - February 16 - 11:43 am

  I purchased a 2006 White Diamond Pearl, 6SP NAV. with Parchment interior. In addition to this I added a wood grain steering wheel, both front and rear wood consoles and full ground effects with rear wing spoiler. My OTD price was 35028 and I couldnt be more pleased with this purchase!!! What and incredible car!! A decision (2)years in the making. I researched and test drove a Audi A4 2.0, BMW 330I, Acura TSX and Subaru Legacy GT Limited and just kept coming back to the TL. My only concern was the torque steer issue which always seemed to come out of every review I read up until this year! Of what I now experience this has been addressed is non-existant. Terrific Car and has it all.

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  Great Value - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Lee - February 16 - 7:53 am

  I have always driven BMWs and the last car was the GX 470 Lexus. The new 2008 Acura is an excellent value for the money. It is about 12K less than the X5 for the same amenities. Very happy with the purchase. I have not had it serviced yet so cannot give an opinion on that yet.