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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  Funtastic - 2004 Acura NSX
  By dldurst - September 28 - 2:00 am

  I leased a 2004 NSX this spring. This car is flawless. Ive had several Legends in the past and the NSX carries on that tradition. I now have 3000 miles on the car and it only gets better. It is definitely faster than when I first received it. It is the easiest manual transmission Ive ever driven--ratios are perfect, gates easy to hit, throw is short and silky, unfortunately, my wife loves it. The brakes are strong. The acceleration is very good, but my son says the Z-06 he has driven is much faster. The handling is superb though, and the steering is very precise. The fit and finish is better than my wifes Lexus and the paint is unbelievable.

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  The Best Acura Ive Owned - 2001 Acura CL
  By BernD - September 28 - 2:00 am

  I have owned Acura since the 1985 model. The 2001 CL is the best in terms of power, handling, agility and design. This car flies when needed with a slight touch of the peddle. No problem leading the pack between NY and Boston. Im in the market for the new TL and cant wait to get my hands on it.

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  Good looking workhorse - 2004 Acura MDX
  By flm - September 28 - 2:00 am

  Solid, ruggedly attractive, inspires confidence.

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  Excellent sport hatchback - 2004 Acura RSX
  By SShadow - September 27 - 2:00 am

  Needed a new car for college that would have a useable interior space for more than 2 passengers, and reasonable rear space. The hatchback design gives it a large portion more space and ease over a trunk in a sedan/coupe. Good price when compared to similar cars in this class. The low weight combined with a 4 cylinder engine allows it to have great gas mileage and impressive pickup. Very easy to learn clutch and excellent 6-speed transmission. Fun to drive and highly reliable, would recommend this car to anyone looking for more sport and utility in their daily driving.

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  2014 TSX - 2014 Acura TSX
  By Roland Long - September 27 - 12:30 am

  Am very satisfied and happy with this tsx. only two questions to Acura is. Whats was the deal with dull white Paint and the little bumps in the suspension. Overall the ride is great, but on turns like, interstate entrances there are little choppy bumps. I read the reviews and was aware of it before I made the purchase so it does overwhelm me. And like some others the white paint is a chore the keep clean. Every bug and tree dropping takes more work the normal to wash off. I still find the car a delight and pleasure to drive. it fits me perfectly. Still am not sure if the problem with paint is the pigment or the clear coat. It just seems to hold dirt and any color leaf stains like a magnet. It cleans off but not with out a bit of scrubbing. if I had the money I would definitely repaint with a premium white metallic pearl paint.

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  Still loving it after 12K miles! - 2004 Acura TL
  By aaargh - September 26 - 2:46 pm

  After 12,000 miles, I still love driving it every day! The handling and power are awesome. Friends rave about the interior and the stereo. I havent had the quality issues others have complained of. After reading the Edmunds forums, I believe while there are some quality issues, the majority of TLs are fine. Im getting 25 - 26 MPG in mixed driving (mostly highway).

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  Luxury, Power, and Economy - 2004 Acura TL
  By HappyChuck - September 26 - 10:00 am

  Drove the TL south through the WV mountains several thousand miles. With the cruise set at 75 mph, this 270 hp sports sedan returned 30 mpg even with all that hill climbing. Never had any worries about passing, handling a curve, or braking. Dual zone, dual mode climate control keeps both front passengers happy.

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  Cant get anything better for $35,000. - 2004 Acura TL
  By mraf2693 - September 26 - 10:00 am

  I purchased an 04 TL 6spd-Navi in May of 04. I cant say enough good things about the car. Not only does it come loaded with the newest technologies on the market, it was also thousands less than equally equipped high line cars. This car is worth a test drive. The navi unit is the best I have ever used and very user friendly.

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  Thank you Acura! - 2004 Acura TL
  By zzzdmd - September 26 - 10:00 am

  Just picked up my TL a few days ago, made a quick trip from Phx to Newport Beach, CA, AMAZING is the only word for it. Family members own late model BMWs and Infinity, and they all drool in the TL. No comparison when looking at money spent for what you get. Its a steal at 35K! Stayed in posh resort for meetings in Baloboa Beach, and all valet guys wanted to park the TL instead of the Mercs, Lex, Infin, Caddies, etc. that were all lined up. Acura nailed it with this one! The new RL is one to wait for if youre spending 50K on a car, otherwise let the TL swallow you up in refinement, surround sound, and performance.

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  Acura MDX Rules the Road - 2004 Acura MDX
  By simsix - September 25 - 2:00 am

  An absolute gem! A pleasure in every sense of the word. Dependable, very comfortable, fantastic in every way. We had a 32 inch blizzard..... it performed flawlessly. Never got stuck and I was out for hours just playing in the drifts and unplowed parking lots and roads. I have owned 3 full size American 4 wheel drives (Dodge Ramchargers, just like Chevy Blazer or Ford Bronco). This performed just about as well.