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 for the price - 2006 Acura TL
  By Yaniv - October 6 - 9:51 pm

  For the price would not get any other car in its class. It has everything you need plus amazing extras. This is my second TL (1997 3.2tl).

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  Like the day I bought it! - 1998 Acura Integra
  By PghSkier - October 6 - 9:04 am

  I bought this car because a different car I ordered still wasnt here after 3 months. I was thinking Id sell it after a couple years. Now, 8 years later, I hope to keep it past 150,000 miles. Everything else these days seems so far off the ground and bloated, this car has everything you need to get where you want in a hurry with maximum stealth. I take it to the ski resort all season (with winter tires) blowing past all those idiots who think they need SUVs in the snow. The supple ride and sharp handling are amazing (the RSX is such as step backward!). Not a quiet car, but no rattles after 120k miles, average of 30 mpg, no slip in the original clutch, still thrives on high revs.

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  Fun to Drive - 2006 Acura RL
  By nobotako - October 6 - 1:12 am

  Just fun to drive. Accelarate on the curve the you will know what I mean. Stability is outstanding. Powerful and smooth drive is really. Voice activated navigation, handsfree phone is excellent and on star satellite service is really first notch. Quiet inside but when put on gas pedal, racing Honda sound awakes. Braking is superb. Inside is roomy with enough leg room for rear seat. Voice activated temperature and audio controls are handy. Auto cruise control will keep the distance with the car in front of you, and the seat belt will rattle when you get too close to the front car. Nice safety feature.

• 

  Great Car - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Bill - October 6 - 12:33 am

  Having driven Audi A8s for the last 9 years, I was a bit daunted by the thought of going to a smallish SUV. But I wanted something smaller and better suited to a less formal lifestyle, and the RDX fit the bill. It is one great car! Handling, performance, all are great. The Technology Package is fantastic - voice recognition commands make using the Nav system a piece of cake. And the sound system is the best I have ever heard in a car - it will blow you away, literally. The XM radio is also super - digital surround sound must be heard to be believed.

• 

  Best small suv for the money - 2018 Acura RDX
  By Pedro - October 5 - 11:12 pm

  Test drive all the competition. BMW, audi,Lexus etc. Saved thousands. Does everything very well.

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  What A Car - 1994 Acura Legend
  By Pete - October 5 - 9:20 am

  Came out of an 98 BMW 540i. Bought my Acura with only 65,000 on it in Sept of 06. Havent looked back yet. What a classic design and the interior looks better and feels better than my BMW. I wish I could have had this car years ago.

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  Smoooooooth - 2006 Acura TL
  By walterj - October 3 - 7:22 pm

  This is the smoothest Car Ive ever driven, Its got speed and power and class but what impresses me most is how smooth it drives and how many features it has.

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  Makes you want to drive - 2004 Acura TL
  By gpman - October 3 - 11:24 am

  I fell in love with this car when I saw it. It has great European looks. Then I got behind the wheel and found myself at home. It fits! The wheel adjusts telescopically as well as up and down, the seats electronically move in almost any direction. With these features you can get a perfect fit. The dash has the best looking instrument panel I have seen in a car it has a 3D feel to it. The acceleration is that of some of the true sports cars I have driven, it will put you back in the seat. The brakes bring you to a stop in a comfortable distance. I look forward to getting behind the wheel whether going down the street or out of town. I love it!

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  Cant believe what I drive everyday - 2008 Acura TL
  By amazed - October 3 - 6:23 am

  I got more than 2000 miles on my new TL and I cannot believe that I actually drive this car to work everyday. Take it from a dealership parking lot to downtown and watch reflections of yourself. When you open the door, it whispers (not screams) luxury! I love all the features: seat memory settings, hands-free link, navigation, dual climate, sound system. Driving is very smooth and comfortable and, if you want, very sporty as well. Perfect balance. You can drive your mother in law in a limo and your friends in a sports car all in the same vehicle. Driving in the heavy rain, passing 18-wheelers, up the hill in curvy road, all of it is pure driving passion. MPG is OK, 28/23 so far.

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  No service parts available - 2017 Acura MDX
  By Jagan - October 2 - 3:33 am

  My MDX top rear spoiler is damaged and when I went for a replacement, there is no spoiler available in entire USA and Acura wearhouse. They cant guarantee when it will be avialable. It might be 1 month , 2 months or a year. Such is the service of Acura. Its really frustrated my that they cant maintain parts inventory.