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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  BEST IN CLASS - 2009 Acura TL
  By TK - January 19 - 10:36 am

  I owned a 1999 Acura TL with Navi and drove that for 120,000 miles. It was a very good car. 10 years later, Acura does it again. I had to get used to the front and rear end of the car, but after a couple of weeks I love the design changes. If you put any other car next to it, other cars just look dated. The standard wheels that come with the car are my biggest complaint. This car really deserves the upgraded wheels which cost me an extra 2500 dollars. I got the ones that are two tone. There are way too many advanced features that I wont list all of them. Go to your Acura dealership and check out the tech package. It simply blows away anything else out there. I am very happy.

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  Ok Car - 1998 Acura RL
  By DaBigDawg - January 18 - 2:36 pm

  This car serverd its purpose for me very well. I was looking for a reliable car, and it was just that. It also gave me much more for my money then any of the european counterparts. If desire or emoition was considered as much as reliabily was, i wouldve bought a bmw or audi. Its that simple, the car is a rock when considering relability, but can be very boring (cadillackish) on long and/or spirited roads.

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  An all in one package - 2005 Acura RL
  By Kim - January 18 - 3:27 am

  All the features youd want at an affordable price. This car has overexceeded my expectancies with the technology of today. I was in the market for an Infiniti G35 but fell in love with the RL as soon as I sat in it. Very impressive!

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  Acura RL 2005 Model - 2005 Acura RL
  By John Owings - January 17 - 6:23 pm

  The 05 RL is a fine automobile. The main complaint I have is on the transmission. The car does not downshift when slowing down to corner. As a result, the car will shudder at low speeds until you begin to accelerate and the transmission and the engine finally get back in sync. I have taken the car back to the dealer several times for the problem, they have installed the new software patch to solve the problem. But it does not work any better. I have called Acuras national service organization and had them review it and they say it is working per "specifications". It was a nice way to say they have blown it on the spec.

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  The Best Car Ever - 1991 Acura Legend
  By SM Acura Owner - January 16 - 11:39 am

  I cannot say enough. Everytime I go to buy a new car, I end up keeping ole reliable. 120,000 miles and still not a problem. Just installed new leather and floor mats. Just a nice now as it was years ago....15 years old and still purrs like a kitten....I look forward to keeping this car forever and driving it as long as shell keep going... This has to be the greatest car ever built..

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  Wow! - 2008 Acura TL
  By RoswellDad - January 16 - 8:20 am

  Where to begin? I cant believe that a $34K car can have so many features and such performance. Driving is fun again (and thats a challenge in Metro Atlanta traffic). The TL is a good-looking sports sedan that wants to go fast. The only drawbacks are that its rather sluggish at low speeds and the cost of premium fuel (but thats the price you pay to get a decent engine). Incredibly, Im 54, and this is my first Japanese car, but I dont think itll be my last.

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  06 Acura RL - 2006 Acura RL
  By Greg - January 15 - 6:47 pm

  We have owned our 06 RL for about 60 days. What a great car to drive. The driving experience is wonderful, great handling, cornering, performance. The technology continues to amaze me. Navigation system is probably the most extensive on the market. AWD system is great in the snow and rain. Very comfortable seats and ride quality. Only negatives are city fuel economy (highway economy is good) and backseat legroom is a little tight. All the magazines say it needs a V8, but for 90% of everyday driving the 300 HP V6 is plenty of power. Much more comfortable and more features for the money than BMW.

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  I love my Acura!!! - 1998 Acura TL
  By Dana Lucas - January 15 - 10:17 am

  By far, the best car purchase I have ever made! I have had this car since late 1997, and have only had to pay for basic maintenance until Dec 2005. In Dec, the heat system failed and I had to fix - only cost $800! Also, car rides like a dream - very smooth. I always get compliments on the look and feel of the car. I plan to buy another Acura when Im done with this one!

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  The interior - 2004 Acura TSX
  By dannyDowns - January 15 - 10:00 am

  When I first got in the car, I was taken beck by the outside- generic looking vehical. it speaks, takes and intializies everything you vcould ever want in a vehicle.

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  hot ride full with features but crappy.. - 2004 Acura TL
  By 04acuraTL - January 15 - 10:00 am

  fun to drive, navigation is awesome user friendly and well worth the 2k, trouble areas-bluetooth phone fuel injectors, LEATHER QUALITY IS HORRID, and some misc fit and finish pieces...not too bad but be warned the leather is not COMPARABLE to other cars in class (poor design and cheap grade), acura has the cheapest leather and it shows after 3 mnths trust me...Client relations is not thorugh and not professional, also they say 7500 miles for oil changes but after 5k mile sthe car ran poorly...got oil changed and then it was fine....vibrtaion at hwy speeds now...window tint is a big issue- it will get scratched from win guide- acura tells u to buzz off..even if