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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  janets tl - 2004 Acura TL
  By ace h. - October 7 - 2:00 am

  car is fast. i own a 69 camaro with a 454 v8 & a 4 speed & 500 lb. ft. of torque. with the 6 speed manual tranny, this acura is no slouch.

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  Beats my 1999 BMW 528i - 2004 Acura TL
  By Butchmeone - October 7 - 2:00 am

  My new 2004 tl with nav gives a better ride, fuel miliage, and looks better than the new 2004 BMW 5. With 270 hp, getting up and going is effortless. The fit and finish is superb. The nav system is very user friendly and with 8 speakers in the cabin, the DVD audio and xm stereo makes you like to take the long way home or even getting stuck in traffic is no big deal! I highly recommend the new 2004 Acura tl

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  Beyond Expectations - 2004 Acura TL
  By Surfer Dude - October 7 - 2:00 am

  The Acura TL 2004 was not my first choice as a new car,but once I gave it a look and a test drive, all other cars took a back seat. The exterior is sporty, but not over the top. The interior is also very sporty, but stylish and comfortable. The TL has a good balance between elegance and sports car. If you are looking for a vehicle that will give you luxury and sportiness at the same time, I cant see how you can go wrong with this car. I paid MSRP and I feel I took advantage of the dealership!

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  My dream car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Steve - October 6 - 10:46 pm

  I wanted to buy this car four years ago and passed on it. Im glad I waited until the re-design. This is an outstanding car in every sense of the word. Not only that it is a real eye catcher when you are driving around town. It gets good gas mileage on the road but really takes off when you get on it. It is the perfect blend of sport and luxury as far as Im concerned. One of the best features is the surround sound stereo system. It is even better than my bose home system. Buy this car, you wont regret it.

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  Rides like drifting on a cloud - 2003 Acura TL
  By RaP - October 6 - 10:00 am

  Love to drive it! The ride is so smooth it feels like driving on a cloud. It is the best car for the price given all the standard features, which are options on other vehicles I looked at at the same level.

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  All I can say is WOW! - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Calladin - October 5 - 7:20 pm

  This car is an absolute joy to drive. It has a real nice zip to it, especially when you hit v-tec. It handles like a dream, and the 6-speed transmission (Type-S) shifts like butter. Ive had this car for 3 weeks, and so far I dont have anything negative to say about it. The dealership experience was great! I didnt have to haggle much on the price, and was in and out in less than 2 hours. It was by far the best car buying experience I have ever had.

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  Experience an Acura RL - 2002 Acura RL
  By kayakkim - October 5 - 2:00 am

  I have been driving the Acura RL for 36 months and have not experienced a single mechanical failure. Power and pick up are important to me and the 3.5RLs hp and driving performance have exceeded my expectations. The exterior body style lends itself to a touch of sporty as well as luxury likeness. The interior is layed out nicely, feature rich and very comfortable especially on long trips. This is the third Acura I have owned and would definately consider buying a fourth.

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  Ownerscomments on 2004 MDX uality - 2004 Acura MDX
  By M.D. Bloom - October 5 - 2:00 am

  I recently traded a 2003 Acura in for a 2004 Acura because I left a lease for a full purchase. Both of these vehicles are superb in handling and reliability. I traveled 17000 miles in the 2003 and never returned to the dealer except for routine maintenance. These cars surely represent Hondas reputation for quality.

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  MDX - 2004 Acura MDX
  By LV2LEND - October 5 - 2:00 am

  I love my MDX!! This is my 3rd Acura and I love everything about this car. before purchasing this model, my husband was pushing for the Lexus GX. This car has so many wonderful features, that the Lexus couldnt compete and the price was right!!

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  I love my car... - 1996 Acura Integra
  By Integra Fan - October 4 - 2:00 am

  I love my car so much I am having trouble parting with it. Am looking at minivans as have new additions to family. This car served me well. Only repairs were exhaust/brakes (normal maintenance). It has awesome acceleration, handling. So much fun to drive. Great fuel economy. Sterio is great. ALOT of car for the money. Exterior held up well in snow country.