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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  06 TL with Navigation - Outstanding - 2006 Acura TL
  By Del - January 19 - 6:50 pm

  I have had the 06 TL four weeks. Lots of improvements from my 02 3.2 TL. Love the exterior design and the interior, seats are excellent. Great pickup. The Navigation system is OUTSTANDING. Wish I had it on my 02. You got to really work on the verbal communications with the navigation system. Looked at the Toyota Avalon, Lexus ES- 330, Infinite GX-35, BMW-3, and the TL was the clear winner. Quality is excellent at this price point. The wife loves the car, too. I like the trip computer and the ease in changing the key fob settings. Much improved over the 02. The TL performance and driving experience is outstanding. Great automobile.

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  REALTOR praises his MDX - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Marcel - January 19 - 2:00 am

  Tremendous quality! Former Jeep Grand Cherokee owner. I will never go back. Great traction, superb handling, no noises, best gps out there. Value packed with style.

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  Happy Consumer - 1999 Acura RL
  By dback - January 18 - 2:00 am

  The ride is exceptional, the styling great. After 4 years the exterior paint job still is in great condition. The interior is still clean. This is a great car for the money. Everyone that says its great fails to mention its front wheel drive. Great feature over other cars in its class. I had planned to buy another one but I am having to much fum with this one to give it up.

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  2004 Acura TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By esahcmij - January 18 - 2:00 am

  So far, 835 miles of pure bliss. As a long time Honda fan (3 Civics, 1 Accord, 2 Odysseys, 1 Legend Coupe), I say this new TL is their premier product. Ride is great compromise between luxury and sports car. Quiet and smooth with great road feel. Fabulously fused accellerator and transmission. Way better than the ES330 and the I35. Awsome sound system. Big back seat... plenty of headroom.

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  2004 Acura TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By Bridges - January 18 - 2:00 am

  The handling and responsiveness are outstanding. A slight touch of the pedal brings out all of 270-hp in an instant. I am still playing around with all the features this machine has a standards, specially the DTS surround sound system.

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  What a Car - 2004 Acura TL
  By Irefire - January 18 - 2:00 am

  This car is unbelievable. Incredible handling, sound system, PERFORMANCE. I keep reading that the BMW 5s or 3s handle better. They may - at 120 mph - but who is going to drive that fast ? Its my wifes car (thank god) because I could get into serious trouble with this car. We got the 6 speed - Blue/ camel. Looks great, goes better.

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  Great Car! - 2003 Acura CL
  By mitchc2 - January 17 - 10:00 am

  Great Car! Awesome to drive! But what were they thinking by putting a cupholder right behind the manual shifter, stupid.

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  Awesome CL- Type S - 2001 Acura CL
  By Rlynch - January 17 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car as a certified pre- owned car. I looked at other car on the market with other car companies, but for the money and the features that this car has to offer, there is nothing on the market today.

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  The 1994 Acura Integra is an amazing car - 1994 Acura Integra
  By David L. Welch - January 15 - 2:00 am

  My experience with this car is an incredible one. Not only is it reliable, but this car is also in great shape after a decade of driving.

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  The Drive, Wow! - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Milborn Booze Jr - January 14 - 5:24 am