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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  Acura RSX Tppe-S - 2004 Acura RSX
  By BMK - November 15 - 5:18 pm

  I use my RSX mostly for the urban commute to work, but I am able to take it out on rural winding road on the weekends. The car is great for both. It is both comfortable enough for daily driving, and fun enough to let loose on the weekends. The service at the dealership is yet to be desired. I had an Infiniti for four years before I bought this car and Acura dealers could take a lesson from their competitor.

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  Great All Around Car - 2007 Acura TL
  By SAW - November 15 - 10:43 am

  I have owned Honda/Acura products for over 10 years, so when it came time to replace my TSX, the TL was the logical choice. I looked at the 335i, G35, and IS 350. They are all great cars, but each one had a few annoying features. The TL Type-S has all the performance I need, with a great interior and proven Acura reliability. I have had the car for 2 weeks now, and I do not regret any part of my decision.

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  rmc review - 2004 Acura TL
  By rmcastelino - November 14 - 10:00 am

  excellent car, good handling. expect that reliability will be good. very good stero, and easy to use navigation system

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  Great Car...but too many rattles - 2004 Acura TL
  By rudy12 - November 14 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned the TL for about 6 months now and the car comes as advertised. Great performance, very comfortable and stylish cabin and tons of features. However, Ive had numerous rattling issues from the second I drove my car off the lot.

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  Another Great Car from Acura - 2007 Acura RDX
  By Emile - November 13 - 10:36 pm

  Ive had the RDX for over a month, it is fun to drive. It is very comfortable and comes with many standard otions. I had an 04 MDX and I like this model much better. It has good fit and finish and the quality is excellent. It is very quick and the gas mileage is good. It handles well on the open raod and is very responsive, like a sport model.

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  Most excellent car - 2004 Acura TSX
  By jrs001 - November 13 - 7:10 pm

  The usual tight Honda fit, finish and reliability. No problems at all. Heated seats are excellent for all driving and distribute heat to the back very nicely rather than just the butt. Runs smooth as silk even on regular unleaded. Excellent handling. Sound system is very good. My first automatic - hard to justify the manual at the same price and lower gas mileage - go figure! Still fun to drive and the Tiptronic lets you shift manual if you like although not the same feel with no clutch. A great car. Even my friend with the TL wishes he had waited for it!! No reservations at all. Even got the dealer to knock 15% off the sticker price.

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  TSX - 2004 Acura TSX
  By nikin78 - November 13 - 12:34 pm

  This is my first time driving a manual transmission car and it has been a great experience so far. Since this is a car in competition with the BMWs and Benzes I think the exterior could use a little sporting up. Give the car a more sportier look. Thanks

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  The Best Car Ive Ever Sat In or Driven - 2004 Acura TL
  By Kramer2004 - November 13 - 2:00 am

  This is the first Japanese car Ive ever owned and I can say the TL is the best car Ive ever driven. The list features are endless. I actually spent the first 3 hours happily setting up all the options. So much fun. Lets talk styling. "The sheet metal is to die for". There is nothing bland about this car. In my opinion the TLs exterior design is one of the best cars on the road. It is a factory GEM right off the truck. Interior is equally as impressive. With the Navi, voice rec, leather and titanium accents you just want to hop in and drive.

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  Jens TSX - 2004 Acura TSX
  By clearstream - November 13 - 1:03 am

  My wife fell in love at first site. The car handles great. We both enjoy driving the TSX any chance we get. After trading our Yukon, our fuel bill has come in under budget every month. We have received more compliments on this car than any other car we have owned. Great car, would highly recommend.

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  Awesome car - 2000 Acura TL
  By Joshwitmer - November 12 - 5:26 pm

  Ive had the car just over a few days now and I absolutely love it. I bought it with 77000 on the clock, and just rolled over 78000. I do a lot of commuting, this is a rock solid mid-size luxury car. Reliability of all the Honda/Acuras Ive owned has always been top notch and the TL is no different. Everything you would expect from Acura. Gas mileage is what you would expect from a 3.2l v6. Perfect car for any business man/woman.