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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  Excellent performance and reliability - 2004 Acura TL
  By Lubo Lubomirov - June 24 - 9:06 am

  I have about 10000 miles on my TL already and it has been one of the most exciting experiences that I ever had. Great performance and reliability - I never experienced any problems with the car. Front-wheel drive is still a disadvantage for the car - needs to change in future releases. I have the 6 speed MT and this car is very fast - no matter what theyre going to tell you how great other German rivals are, I have tested the speed of the TL against some of them already and I left the test with a smile.

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  love it - 1997 Acura CL
  By Max - June 23 - 4:19 pm

  owned this car from new, very reliable. 73k miles, done all maintenance...warranty replaced computer in first year after erratic cold idle. michelin tires dry rotted after 36k, same happened to next michelins. continental extreme contacts at almost half the price seem great after 7k miles. after tune-up at 7 years 57k the emission system needed warranty cleaning. driver window motor replaced a few years ago. everything else done was routine maintenance, never a problem, great car. prefer honda dealer for work over acura for all reasons. will need muffler soon, parts are expensive.

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  Mild mannered, got it where it counts - 2001 Acura CL
  By Meike - June 22 - 6:55 pm

  This car has been great. It always does what it should, and when I need it. Fun to drive, comfortable for long weekend driving. Style is clean and impressive, whenever someone gets in it they ask what is it?

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  Great car but a little bumpy - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Automatic - June 22 - 4:21 pm

  I purchased this vehicle because of its reputation. However, I felt a little disappointed with only two things City Gas mileage and the bumpy ride. The suspension is great but the shocks are bouncing you all over the place. Its a little nerve racking. Other than that I have to say the car is excellent. Enough storage space and the controls are within reach. Keep in mind this is not really a racing car its a sporty look and feel but its not going to take you from 0- 60 anytime quick, unless you step on it and suck all the gas out of your tank. Which bring me to the next point of gasoline. It doesnt have good gas mileage in the city but the highway its great.

• 

  Super Car - 1999 Acura CL
  By Kendall - June 22 - 2:15 am

  I have had my 3.0 for 3 years now and I love it! It has 125,000 miles now and is still running great. The A/C is stuck on though and wish it didnt have digital temperature controls because there is no way of turning it off. We have only had to replace the motor in the drivers window and the timing belt (normal maintenance though for a car with more than 100k). Great commuter car and fun to drive I wouldnt change a thing! Also great sound system and the leather seats are holding up great!

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  Wouldnt trade it in for the world - 2005 Acura TL
  By Jenn - June 22 - 1:40 am

  Had the car for 9 months now and Ive put 17K miles on it... now thats love. Fun to drive, comfy, and can never go without navigation again. Only design flaws are if you dont get the window visors (rain guards, whatever you call them) you cant even crack your windows when its raining because the water pours into your car and right into your power window switches. Also, heard a lot of complaints about noise in the dash while driving. I just invested some money to add additional speakers so I dont hear anything. I guess anyone who drives around with no radio will hear some kind of noise... so turn up your radio and enjoy the ride!!!!

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  Wins in standard features and on the road - 2016 Acura TLX
  By DW - June 21 - 6:49 am

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  awsome - 2004 Acura RSX
  By jthib - June 20 - 2:00 am

  love the car. cannot find anything to complain about

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  The Acura TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By fredna - June 20 - 2:00 am

  The best part of buying the Acura is the are no packages or extra to add on. The car comes fully loaded. It was great to deal with a knowledgable sales person wearing a suit and tie.

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  A Girls Next Best Friend! - 2002 Acura RSX
  By WeavQueen - June 19 - 10:00 am

  I love my new classy white Acura RSX!! I never would of known the car was even on the market if I didnt go to the Philly Car Show this year! I love it! I always catch people checkig out the car... especially when Im parked in the mall parking lots!! The RSX is definitely the talk of the town!!