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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  Drivers Car - 2004 Acura TL
  By billkasper - January 8 - 10:00 am

  A wonderful car to drive at eight or nine tenths.

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  Cant Go Wrong - 1993 Acura Integra
  By mojo2124 - January 8 - 2:00 am

  I Absolutely love my Integra. Wish They stayed with this design longer. Its quick, fun to drive and very reliable. Cant think of any negatives.

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  Retirement present to myself - 2001 Acura MDX
  By Michael F. Miller - January 8 - 2:00 am

  I did a lot of research before buying this vehicle. I have not been disappointed! It is fun to drive, nice to look at, and the resale value aint bad either. I am starting to look at another vehicle, a 04 MDX. I just have to have that back up camera! Do not doubt this one, buy it!

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  my second acura in five years - 2001 Acura CL
  By richard d. ross - January 8 - 2:00 am

  In 1995 I started looking at cars. I could afford cars such as the Audi A4, the Lexus ES300, and the BMW 300 series. In July 1998, I decided on the Camry XLE V6 but that month Acura released its new 1999 TL. After three test drives, on 9-29-98 I bought the TL, a superb car, comfortable and responsive. In 2001 I test drove the new Acura CL 3.2Type S with navigation system. It was so outstanding, I bought it on 6-26-01. I am definitely sold on Acura now. Unlike other manufacturers, Honda/Acura gives a car that is fully equiped so you arent forced to pay premium prices for equipment plus Acuras are so reliable and great to drive.

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  3.2 type S awsome piece of machine - 2001 Acura CL
  By srsergior - January 8 - 2:00 am

  very fun car to drive. I drove from coast to coast and back. The best trip of my life. very reliable and fun to drive. I wish the dealer will give you the option to add navagation if you change your mine. very nice car.

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  Solid midrange sedan - 2009 Acura TL
  By Tony - January 7 - 6:26 pm

  Decently fast, very fast in Sport mode. Solid reliability. Trust it to start everytime in any weather condition. Good snow traction. Quiet and nice ride, not too harsh like the 3 series or IS.

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  best car for the money on the planet - 1999 Acura TL
  By MTL - January 7 - 2:00 am

  This car is the best value in the market. If the 2004 model is better than this one then it is fantastic. You cant go wrong with Honda products.

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  Great car, great price - 2003 Acura RSX
  By sigmapiiu - January 7 - 2:00 am

  This car is amazing and is deserving of all the awards that it receives. The acceleration is there when you need it. The interior design is fabulous. Although the best part of the car is its superb handling.

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  I love my CL - 2001 Acura CL
  By CLgal - January 7 - 2:00 am

  Ive been driving my black on black CL for six months and am a true believer. It is an all-around solid car with so many great features. The creature comforts, postitioning of instruments, and overall look and feel are second to none. I highly recommend this car to anyone who wants a combination of luxury, style, and reliability.

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  Best car for its price - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Harry - January 6 - 3:10 am

  This is the best cau someone can buy for its price it has a vary good sound system, great preformance, sharp handling, and the shifting is smooth. Its and awesome 1st car if someone has the money for it