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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  Love My 99 RL at 250K+ Miles! - 1999 Acura RL
  By samantha - November 2 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my RL for a little over three years. Currently, I have a little over 250k miles on it and have never had to replace anything major! Except for when my husband accidently put $20 worth of diesel in it and even then only had to have the fuel system cleaned out. I had an 04 Camry before I got the Acura and even though its 5 years older, I love the RL way more! I now have two toddlers the trunk is huge, but with a bulky double stroller theres not room for anything else. Im looking to buy a new car in about four months and am leaning toward the MDX. I have vowed to stay faithful to Acura, knowing that Ill have a reliable vehicle I can count on and will last me forever!

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  MDX is awesome! - 2011 Acura MDX
  By Chae - November 2 - 2:00 am

  MDX is my third time car. I got impressed by the new technology of this car. I could feel this car gives me a very comfortable and fast reactiong driving time while I am in the car. I cant believe this is SUV. Especially when I make turnings on curved roads, this car gives me real safe turnings well-balanced, smooth, and fast. And the navigation technology is so wonderful that I am not afraid of visiting anywhere I have never been to. Also, the sound system of this car is very very cool! I feel like I am in a theater while I watch a DVD. My Kids love watching DVD in this car sooo much. No doubt!

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  Awesome SUV - 2010 Acura MDX
  By JR - October 31 - 2:00 am

  The powertrain (engine and transmission) are unbelievable smooth. The six speed transmission is a significant improvement over the previous 5 speed one. Seat comfort is a perfect 10 as is the interior design. Handling is agile, especially for a vehicle this size. Outward visibility is excellent, the ELS stereo sounds fantastic along with its USB/IPOD integration and the ability to rip CDs right to the hard drive. The leather is soft and supple and the ride is extremely composed at all speeds. A sporty yet comfortable suspension is the way to go and this vehicle nails it. Gas mileage is as expected given this vehicles size & weight if no better than others for its size.

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  I Loved This Car - 1995 Acura Integra
  By eeee - October 30 - 2:00 am

  I wrote a review along time ago but I dont see it on here anymore. I think the poster below might have been talking about my old post. But this car was super reliable, got it up to 280,000 miles with no problems. Some basic stuff had to be replaced, new clutch (the original lasted over 120,000 miles.) A new starter solenoid which cost almost a grand to fix but again, the car had over 200,000 miles on it before it went out. Take care of this car with the basic maintenance and it will last forever. One day my dad borrowed it and got rear ended. The back bumper was folded down and insurance said it wasnt worth fixing. They gave me a grand for it.

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  2010 Acura TL w/Tech is cool - 2010 Acura TL
  By tedm - October 30 - 2:00 am

  Best luxury car value for the money. Hard to beat. If they can fix the styling (exterior) and add a few more color choices, it would have scored higher. Car rides better than most german cars (not too stiff). Handling, acceleration, braking is perfect. Get the tech package, it is worth the extra money, most noteable, the rear camera, upgraded stereo, keyless access. Bluetooth, USB interface and function is the best that I have seen. The NAV system is average and it really should have touch screen function vs. dial knob. Acura should make this car 6 speed transmission for better mileage

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  A Great Buy - 2011 Acura MDX
  By DILJIT KARAYIL - October 28 - 2:00 am

  Took me 4 months and a lot of comparison to nail it down to the MDX.Compared to BMW X5 and Audi Q7 Great stability and handling.Does the corners well. Good Pick Up and a host of convenient features.GPS w/ weather and traffic is great.3rd row is ideal for kids and slim adults but other than that it is spacious. Braking is smooth and the headlights are nice.

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  Excellent sport/luxury sedan. - 2010 Acura TL
  By J. Matheson - October 27 - 2:00 am

  This is my 9th TL since 1999 and this is without question the best performing model of all so far. The 3.7 motor is smooth and powerful and gas mileage is respectable when driven with some restraint. While I prefered the exterior styling of the 04 - 08 model, the interior design and materials are excellent and make for an extremely comfortable driving experience, and the sound system is icing on the cake. The SH-AWD works very well and should provide and extra level of confidence this coming winter.

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  LOVE MY CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - 1998 Acura TL
  By Erin - October 23 - 2:00 am

  I have had this car for 10 months and am so happy that i made the choice to buy it. The body is in great condition with no rust and is a very rugged car to drive. When i test drove it i was very impressed with how it hugged the road. When its time to get a newer car im sticking to the Acura TL.

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  Great car - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Ddsdriver - October 23 - 2:00 am

  First car I have ever owned that remained flawless for the entire first year and expect it to remain that way.

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  RDX Review - 2011 Acura RDX
  By JAMES - October 21 - 2:00 am

  This car looks small and drives like a small car but interior/cargo space is plenty. I am 62 and i have plenty of rooms to spare. Acceleration and handling is great and coming from Civic Si and evo IX, this car definately deserves the title of sportiest CUV in the market. I opted for AWD without the technology package and it has everythingy. I cannot justify the price of $3000 on navigation. Overall, excellent vehicle with great value.