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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  1 year followup RSX-S - 2003 Acura RSX
  By jtjwcol - January 6 - 2:00 am

  I have now owned the car for 1 year and driven over 16000 miles. I can still say that this is the finest vehicle I have ever owned. No rattles or squeaks, still looks new and it is still a blast to drive. I am 62" and have taken trips up to 200 miles none stop and have never been uncomfortable. I would recommend this car to anyone without reservation.

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  Better Than You Think - 2001 Acura CL
  By Bernies Acura - January 6 - 2:00 am

  I have thoroughly enjoyed my CL-S w/nav from the first day. It has performed outstandingly in all types of weather conditions. Car is used on trips between home and Boston and it just "flies" on the roads. Ride is smooth but there is some wind noise above 65 and on rough roads. Overall, the CL-S is the best car that I have owned. I have had Acuras since 1985 and began with the 1980 Honda Acord. All excellent vehicles

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  Acura is the acura-ate way to go! - 2009 Acura TL
  By Colleen - January 4 - 8:02 am

  I have had this car for a year in a half now and its been beautiful! I have put a total of 30000 miles on her with no complaints. I have owned a few less than satisfactory vehicles and was afraid to buy a vehicle that I didnt know anything about but this georgous car stole me with its beauty and new age ride. I love getting up and driving this car everyday! It is relyable and has style! The throtle is a force to be recond with, i am used to it now but any new drivers be ready for the punch!

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  ONE FUN RIDE! - 2003 Acura RSX
  By usnavydad - January 4 - 2:00 am

  Reliable, well designed, great mileage, and fun to drive. The interior is functional and simple and really gives off an aura of quality. Seats are well bolstered but not the most comfortable, but this is a sports car and the RSX will let you know that from the beginning. I bought mine from Inskip Acura in Providence, RI and the went out of their way to help me with the purchase of my first new car and I highly reccomend them.

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  Da BOMB - 2003 Acura TL
  By Nose - January 4 - 2:00 am

  We test drove the VW Passat and the Nissan Max. For the $$$ its no comparsion! What a car, the power,design and comfort makes this car a winner. Afforable with lots of fun stuff to play without compromising quality. If your thinking of purchasing one of theses babies, your search is over!

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  High Quality Ride - 2004 Acura TSX
  By brlwest - January 2 - 10:00 am

  The new Acura TSX is a classy well built small sedan. It looks expensive inside and out. The TSX doesnt let you down on the performance side either. The handling and general performance are very good. But not perfect-- it could use more low end torque ( from a small V6, maybe?). More pwerful brakes and a less jittery ride would be a help, too.

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  Acura RULES - 2004 Acura TL
  By Richard Zumbaugh - January 2 - 10:00 am

  Ive researched many cars, this car beat them all, hands down. It is fun to drive and looks awesome inside and out. The features it offers are unbelieveable - the DVD Audio Surround Sound stereo is the bomb as well as the XM radio feature. I cant say enough great things about this car.

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  2.3 CL - 1998 Acura CL
  By docmaller - January 2 - 2:00 am

  Wonderful combination of elegance, enjoyable driving, economy, and quality. Unbelievable for the money.

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  The Forgotten Acura - 1992 Acura Vigor
  By Texan_176 - January 1 - 2:00 am

  The vigor is a wonderfully designed BMW style car from Honda. See the lists of cons vs pros in this review for an objective review. If I wrote a text review it would be bias since I own the car and would tend to favor the pros.

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  Dependable - 1997 Acura RL
  By Harriet - January 1 - 2:00 am

  Purchased car with 30K on it. Now have 65K. Only problem was a transmission replaced under warranty and fair brakes. Excellent long distance cruiser with comforable ride, excellent seats amd Bose sound system.