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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  i love this car - 1995 Acura Integra
  By chris leiper - June 18 - 2:00 am

  this is the best car ive ever owned

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  Excellent - 2003 Acura RSX
  By nosajls - June 18 - 2:00 am

  Ever since I saw the rsx-s I wanted one and when I finally got one my expectations were not desived. This is one of the best cars I have ever driven and I love the sporty looks and it handles perfectly. I highly recomend driving one if you get the chance!!!

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  Pimpin car!!! - 2004 Acura RSX
  By JNH - June 18 - 2:00 am

  Great car all around. Cant beat its performance for the price. Also, its great for the import tuning industries.

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  No Regrets! - 2003 Acura MDX
  By wangbul1 - June 18 - 2:00 am

  Im first time SUV owner and test drove different makes including Jeep Grand and X5. MDX was by far the best! You get power, comfort, and necessary accessories as standard. Its the best for the money.

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  The BEST experience!!! - 2004 Acura MDX
  By The Donahue Family - June 18 - 2:00 am

  We just purchased our 04 MDX we love it!!! The best vehicle purchase EVER!! Thanks to Dave Miner and team at Elk Grove Acura in California for a hassle-free experience.

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  An amazing deal - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Schowtyme - June 17 - 2:00 am

  I got this car a little over a month ago and I am so impressed I will probably never stray from Acura in the future. Acura is owned by Honda, and my family owns 3 Civics between them with about 400,000 miles on the cars and none of them have had any major problems. So in purchasing the Acura I felt very comfortable about the quality, but after a month of driving this car I can honestly say it is underpriced. The handling is superb, everything in the interior is well made and it feels like a luxury car for under $20k. The only problem I have noticed so far is that the stereo is not the greatest and the rear seat is a little cramped for an adult.

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  #1 SUV on the road! - 2004 Acura MDX
  By A. Montano - June 17 - 2:00 am

  The MDX is the best SUV out on the market. I am a proud mom who went from a Honda (a great car) to the Acura MDX. Its not only reliable, nice looking but the best SUV on the road not only for moms but for anyone interested in an SUV. I have test driven other SUVs and the MDX is the perfect size. Its not too big and not too small. Plus it is considered one of the safest SUVs out there. It cant get any better than that.

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  Owner/Driver - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Marvin - June 17 - 2:00 am

  My biggest problem with the car is that I have to change the oil every 5,000 miles. My dealer could wear a Maytag uniform for all the business I give him.

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  Lux-ride - 2005 Acura RL
  By Merrit - June 16 - 11:53 pm

  I picked up the car and at once felt comfortable and secure. On the highway home was at 80 MPH and didnt feel a thing. Handles like a dream and on curves the SHAWD is GREAT. Learning the voice commands takes a little time but worht it . Best car in the market segment for the money.

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  My RSX - 2004 Acura RSX
  By f1lvr - June 16 - 2:00 am

  A great all-around driver. Good fuel economy and a lot of fun to drive to work. Drove a Focus before leasing my RSX, no contest. RSX is an awesome car!