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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  Vibration at 1500 RPMs - 2015 Acura TLX
  By Randy Atkins - November 23 - 1:13 am

  Ive had the car for about 6 weeks now and bought it after being extremely pleased with my 2016 MDX Advance. It was a CPO loaner car with 4600 miles. After about 2 weeks I noticed when I was cruising along at 1500 RPMs it felt like I was riding on a rumble strip. At first I thought it was the road, but then it seemed to happen on any road I was on. I took it to the dealer and they said that it was due to the VCM system (variable cylinder management). When it reaches a cruising speed it drops back to 3 cylinders for optimal gas mileage and therefore causes a vibration. The dealer said there was no fix which lead me to call Acura customer care. After talking with them and them talking to the dealer, they told me that was how the car is supposed to operate, to which I told them no $40k luxury car is designed to rumble when you are at cruising speed. They were absolutely no help and offered no assistance to remedy the problem, just repeated that was the way it was supposed to operate. I took it to another dealer and they basically confirmed the findings of the first dealer. In addition, I started to have a vibration when braking. They looked at that issue and ended up having to replace the entire front brake system...not very comforting for a car with 7k miles. I will say the gas mileage is exceptional as I got 38 MPG straight interstate on a 300 mile trip; however, I bought it for the ride more than the MPG and would gladly take a lower MPG for a smooth ride. Probably wont keep it long.

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  Great Ride - 2004 Acura MDX
  By bri32974 - November 22 - 10:00 am

  Ive had the vehicle for about 3 weeks now. Love the ride. It just feels like your driving a nice vehicle when driving. All my family and friends love it. I did research for about 3 months. Test drove alot of different SUVs. The decision came down to either the MDX or Volkswagen Toureg. For the money, I thought the MDX beat it out. The history of reliability and resale is pretty good compared to some of the other competitors. Im averaging about 18 to 19 miles on the average. Definitely, get the side steps and luggage rack on the vehicle. That finishes off the look of the vehicle. It kind of looks naked without it.

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  Love it!! - 2004 Acura TL
  By Love my Acura - November 22 - 10:00 am

  Great car... What a home run! Awesome gas mileage.. getting 32 mpg hwy/23 city after 2500 miles. This is unreal mpg considering the power of this car! Love the look, inside and out. Quiet, high end feel. I researched cars for an entire year...this is a great value. Better buy one before Acura raises the price..they could easily get 2k more. I had to wait to get mine...folks are seeing the value.

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  The new TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By Hammad - November 22 - 10:00 am

  The new Acura TL really out did itself this time, beating all other componenets in its class. Its new vsleek body and refined 3.2 liter v6 engine gives it a smooth ride

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  Gorgeous inside and out, kills the G35 - 2004 Acura TL
  By eugene7 - November 22 - 10:00 am

  After test driving the G (coupe) and the TL, the only question in my mind was which color of the TL to get. Although the handling of the G was superb, the interior felt very cheap. The raised center panel made me feel very crammed in. The TLs design is incredible inside and out, and the value that you get in the TL is unmatched. The TL is very roomy and extremely comfortable for everyone (especially the driver). In terms of features, I loved the sound system with DVD Audio and Satelite Radio, Bluetooth, and dual climate control, all of which are standard. Oh yeah, I got it in black with a gray interior!

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  Could it be - 2004 Acura TL
  By X P Ditor - November 22 - 10:00 am

  I was expecting an excellent car from Acura. I spent first day detailing for 10 hours. I have yet to find a flaw or defect in anything, anywhere. It is a dream to drive, loaded with high- tech goodies. The 6 channel surround sound is superb. It is a true luxury/sport sedan with gobs of power and nimble handling. Forget what you thought you knew about FWD.

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  Beauty and Peace of Mind - 2000 Acura TL
  By Green Dragon - November 21 - 2:02 pm

  Bought her brand new and named her "Perfect". She is. No mechanical issues. Maneuvering capabilities are unsurpassed for the class. Enough horse power (225) for the local and highways. Sufficient acceleration power to merge traffic. Xenon lights are long lasting.

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  Quality - 2004 Acura TSX
  By bob hoare - November 21 - 7:40 am

  It is a fabulous car to drive. The handling is tight and precise and its biggest quality is the quality of interior materials used and the overall assembly of the car. I have had it for 2.5 years without putting a dime into the car. Only negative is the turning radius. A bus is easier to park.

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  Big Mistake - Beware - 2007 Acura TL
  By Mistake - November 20 - 11:00 pm

  Ive owned 3 TLs and this one is a rattling piece of junk. I cant believe Acuras quality has gone in the toilet. Transmission is extremely loud and engine is already ticking. The TL is a great value for the money but at what cost. The ride is very stiff. I would hate to see what the new S rides like. The rattling interior will drive you nuts. I mean virtually everything in the interior rattles due to cheap plastic parts. If you travel and you are in the car for many hours a day, THIS IS NOT THE CAR TO BUY!! BEWARE!!

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  Love my new MDX - 2007 Acura MDX
  By RJ - November 20 - 9:26 pm

  Just purchased an 07 MDX with Tech package. The more I drive it, the more I love it. Takes some time to get used to all the buttons, features, voice commands, and the GPS system, but the car rides awesome, nice pick-up, and everyone just loves the look of the car. AWESOME!