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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  Outstanding machinery - 1999 Acura CL
  By ns97us - February 13 - 1:47 am

  So far I only added the gas and did the regular maintenance. Has the original Michelin tires (100k)! This baby helps me to take the lead on the fastest lane of the freeway in no time: its the cheetah of the roads.

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  Perfect Car... - 2002 Acura RSX
  By bri1042 - February 12 - 4:36 am

  Traded in a 95 Integra GS-R for the Type S. Its everything the GSR was and more. Drives well in traffic, comfy for long drives, goes fast when I need it to.

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  unbelievable daily commuter!! - 2004 Acura RSX
  By huichan - February 12 - 2:00 am

  I just purchased Rsx type-s. I am very happy that I got this car. I was almost going to buy the new mazda 3. But the horrible manners of people in Mazda dealer, I switched my mind and went to Acura to get this gorgeous looking vehicle. It looks sporty enough, has pretty quick response engine. Very fun to drive ,also, the audio system is decent. I wont regret that I got this car instead of the unstable Mazda cars

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  Excellent value - 2004 Acura TL
  By Rexorg - February 12 - 2:00 am

  Wanted navi, but none on lot at time of purchase. Dealer did give $1,500 off MSRP for buying non-navi. The 3.9% financing only sweetened the pot. This is the best car I have ever owned, and I have owned 31 others. I swore I would never buy a "foreign" car, but was won over immediately during the test drive. Did have a couple of defects that were adjusted promptly, but was was expecting none given Honda/Acura reputation for build quality. All in all, it seems Honda/Acura will be my vehicle of choice in the future.

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  A Very Tricked-Out Ride - 2005 Acura RSX
  By robert_s - February 11 - 11:28 am

  Ive been driving this car for about a week now and I love it. It feels very solid and well constructed. It is definitely a street racer, although I did not buy it for that reason. The suspension is very firm and the car handles very well in general as it is built low to the ground. But as much as I like it, everyone else around me seems to love it even more--neighbors, co-workers, etc., have all profusely complemented me on it. I had already placed an order for a Chevy Cobalt SS but it wasnt ready in time. This was about the same price and I think I did better with this--and it isnt a Toyota like everyone else has. Overall, I think its a lot of car for the money.

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  Sold on RLs - 2002 Acura RL
  By ajaye - February 8 - 6:58 pm

  This is my second RL after 25 years of BMWs (still own one, convertible). After seven years of the RL model I have replaced one (thats 1) brake light. Nothing else except regular maintenance. I still like the body style, but will test drive a 2005 later this week. The difference in dollars with the BMW is simply not worth it., in fact, I would take the RL over the 5 series at the same price.

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  Acura MDX - Best Choice for under $45K - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Monish - February 8 - 10:00 am

  I test drove the BMW X5, Volvo, RX 330 and Infiniti Fx 45. For the price, safety features and options that I wanted (esp. 3rd seat option), the Acura MDX 2004 was the Only choice. The Acura offers the best performance, comfort & convenience for the value and total cost of ownership in mind.

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  Great little sports car for little money - 2005 Acura RSX
  By Chris - February 5 - 9:34 pm

  I just bought my brand new 05 RSX, and I love it. I traded a 01 VW Jetta and I love the RSX so much more in its handling and styling. This little car handles great, has good build quality, and loves to be pushed with little fuss

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  exhilarating - 2008 Acura MDX
  By jb - February 5 - 4:20 pm

  fun to drive! great looks! high tech features! ample horsepower compared to its direct competitors with the same engine displacement! better fuel consumption for its horsepower!

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  Awesome 05 Acura TL - 2005 Acura TL
  By rich - February 4 - 9:36 am

  This is the first brand new car I have ever purchased, and I am thrilled! I bought the car I really wanted, and did not compromise. I test drove every $28-45K car on the market and always came back to the Acura TL. No other car could compare. It is beautiful to look at and the interior is unmatched. It drives and rides very smooth and fast. The exhaust has a great tone. The auto trans. is fantastic. I wanted a car that would lose as little $ as possible, and none is better. Everyone loves the GPS Navigation system and the incredible 5.1 DVD audio playing stereo, sounds like the muscians are in the car giving you a private concert!