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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  Great except for transmission - 2001 Acura TL
  By don denton - January 22 - 10:15 pm

  TL has proven an excellent auto with a quarter million miles plus over less than 6 years. Only gripe is the transmission. Acura replaced the first one at 92,000 miles at no charge, and I replaced the second one at 230,000 miles at an expensive charge. Other than this one negative, the auto has had only one small problem, which cost <$150. High-end Michelin tires last 120,000 miles. This auto has been a very high value buy.

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  Best car of the year - 2006 Acura RSX
  By art - January 22 - 7:30 pm

  I think that this car is excellent and can be driven even by the unexperienced drivers. This car accelerates and handles great. I love it.

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  LOVE the 2017 RDX - POWER HOUSE!!! - 2017 Acura RDX
  By RDX_2017_OWNER - January 22 - 7:35 am

  Excellent handling, powerful acceleration, Space, Speed!!!

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  best sports sedan value bar none - 2005 Acura TL
  By D in T-hill - January 22 - 6:43 am

  You have to spend 10 Gs more to get materially more car. The front has an appealing sneer with some attitude, theres enough interior bling and tech but not to excess, really planted handling, plenty of rev-happy power. Its a fine, quiet highway cruiser too. Average adults have decent rear legroom but if you travel with 4 aboard pack lightly--smallish trunk. I expect great reliability and resale. My previous was an 02 TL Type-S. It was so good for both that this is the first time Ive ever bought the same car twice. However the 05 shares only the terrific powertrain and TL name with the 02. Otherwise its so different that to all intents its a wholly different car.

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  New Owner - 2017 Acura MDX
  By William Moore - January 22 - 12:54 am

  Love the car, though it has only been a month. For price the fit and finish is fantastic and the active safety features are very good. Electronics are good, though some are tricky to learn.

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  Fantastic Car! - 2007 Acura TSX
  By Boise Girl - January 21 - 10:47 am

  This car is fantastic! Fun to drive, very comfortable, and gets up to speed fast! I drive 25 miles on the interstate every day and this car makes the drive enjoyable. Headlights are great, gas mileage is wonderful, and I am a very satisfied driver!!

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  Great car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Mark Gatley - January 21 - 8:36 am

  Weve only had the vehicle about 6 mos. now and we could not be happier, unless, of course the driving mileage was better. The car is a great driving machine, especially with the 6spd transmission. It is, without a question, the best car Ive owned, and Ive had a bunch!!!!

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  Closing the Gap - 2005 Acura TL
  By PACA - January 21 - 6:34 am

  My wife bought this car 6 weeks ago. We have been driving Acuras for 13 years. I currently own a 03 TL-S. We took the 05 on the road and wow! what a difference from my 03 Type-S. Tight gears, smooth clutch, and throaty exhaust. Torque steer is noticeable with the front drive however cornering is superb with the Limited Slip Differential.

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  Luxury does not need to cost more... - 2005 Acura RL
  By Gerry - January 21 - 12:25 am

  When you determine the price you wish to pay for a luxury sedan and compare features with peer groups the choice is a snap especially with the all the "ginger bread" tech features. Will drive this car for many years to come... and style its a beauty.

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  Excellent Buy! - 2005 Acura TL
  By Chris - January 20 - 10:00 pm

  Fell in love with the style and was sold on performance and fantastic options that came standard. Between the Bluetooth, the DVD Audio sound system and the XM satellite radio I was in technology heaven. As a sales rep, the comfort, layout, driving enjoyment and trunk space have NOT been a disappointment. WELL worth the price and boy, does the car get looks! 8 months into ownership and 12,000 miles on it, I have zero complaints and would only caution that the MPG is slightly lower than on the sticker. Tire wear has been brought to my attention by other owners, but no official concern from me yet. I would recommend this vehicle for those who appreciate performance, speed, reliability and sound