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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  This is it! - 2003 Acura TL
  By BHC - February 24 - 2:00 am

  Great Car. Solid, fast and no problems!

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  ELECTRICAL - 2003 Acura TL
  By THOMAS (NY) - February 24 - 2:00 am

  Ive had this car since July and have had no transmission problems. However, stereo control on steering wheel has gone haywire. Speed is excellent. Dont get a flat, will set you back about $200.

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  fun to drive - 2004 Acura TL
  By G.B. - February 23 - 3:45 pm

  The car is fun to drive. I bought the 6 speed manual and enjoy the ride

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  Head and Heart both Love It - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Beltway Driver - February 23 - 8:42 am

  I bought my RSX Type-S in September 2003 as a commuting car for a daily drive around the Washington beltway, and its helped me survive the areas brutal driving conditions in style. The car is a great value in purchase price, in gas mileage and in the low operating costs/perfect reliability. At the same time I still get a seat-of-the pants thrill every time I rev it up to merge onto the highway or whip around a curve. I looked at many other cars before buying none compared in style and driving pleasure in this price range. Road noise and stiff seats are a small tradeoff Im happy to make for this much sport-driving pleasure.

• 

  A Great Car - 2006 Acura TL
  By Dublin Acura Owner - February 21 - 7:23 pm

  This car is is solid, fast, classy. You just melt into the seats. We have only owned for 2 months, so cant comment on the long term reliability, but we are looking forward to driving for a long long time. We previously owned a 2001 Passat GLX---the Acura is nicer on almost all fronts.

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  3rd Acura - 2nd MDX - 2006 Acura MDX
  By SLS - February 21 - 6:01 pm

  This is my third Acura. Have always found these cars a great value for the money. Had my first 2002 MDX for 4 years and was looking for a new SUV but no matter how much research and test drives I did I kept coming back to the MDX because the price to feature and luxury ration could not be beat.

• 

  The Zen Master - 2006 Acura RL
  By Rich D. - February 21 - 4:40 am

  Having owned about every brand of car on the market and currently owning a 2004 BMW 545i, which was $15,000 more than the Acura, I have to say this is the best car I have ever owned. If you are looking for exceptional balance in design, ergonomics, luxury, comfort, performance and, oh yeah, if you care about the environment and global warming (300 hp engine that is ultra low emissions) there is no better choice on the market. Bimmer is faster, but Acura has plenty of power and kills the Bimmer in every other measure of performance. Awesome car, built in Japan - truly the Zen Master!

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  After 8 months - 2005 Acura TL
  By Barry - February 20 - 11:56 pm

  After 8 months, I still very much enjoy this vehicle. The ride is much stiffer than the Accords I have owned but the handling is great. The tires are very soft to offset the stiffness and consequently will not last as long as one would like. Mileage is 21/29. Those who have a lead foot will get much less. Overall, a quality car and Im glad I made the move from Honda (owner for 28 years).

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  Very, very GOOD Acura... - 2005 Acura TSX
  By JGN - February 20 - 7:51 pm

  I used to drive a MAXIMA for 10 years. I really liked the car. However, the new model comes with a steep price tag so I decided for an up-scale model such as the TSX. Ive never looked back since. For only 25.855.00, Ive got a car that really loves to rev and the engine sounds so effortlessly in doing so...The TSX comes with all high-end features found in the entry luxury class...The performance in top notch and most important, ACURA is known for its reliability...If you want the prestige of german cars, it will cost you dearly. If you want performance, good quality and reliability for a reasonable price, go for the TSX. You wont regret it...!!!

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  Sad that had non fault accident - 1993 Acura Integra
  By DM - February 20 - 6:22 pm

  I bought my car new. Ive had no real problems w/my car. Its great to ride around in w/my three kids. It has great gas milage. I believe it had the nicest body style of all the integras. I am going to have it fixed even though its a older car, its worth it. Milage is only 142000 and running great with front damage. If I had a chance to buy another 1993 I will buy it immediatly.