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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  More for your money - 1997 Acura RL
  By Russ - January 15 - 6:46 am

  After comparing other vehicles in this class, I found I could get more amenities for my money. This car has remarkable power with the 3.5 liter 6 cylinder 210hp engine. I have driven this car up and down the state of California numerous times and fatique was minimal. This year my son recieved his drivers license and the 1997 Acura with 110000 miles on it. I trust it completely with his safety. It is truly a pleasure to drive! The only problem Ive had all these years has been the power window motor/linkage on all the windows have broke. They are very expensive to replace. Approximately $140.00 each w/o installation! If you want a fun, reliable, stylish, powerful, comfortable car this is it!

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  Too Many Rattles - 2009 Acura TSX
  By DeAun - January 15 - 1:50 am

  I loved this car when I drove it off the lot 5 months ago. After 1 month I noticed a rattle in the trunk, as if something was loose. It was fixed but then a different noise appeared from the trunk. So far it has been in the shop twice for the trunk rattles. This the trunk rattles are back along with a weird noise coming from the steering column. So this will be the 3rd visit in 5 months to the dealership. I am not a very picky person, and have never taken any car in for noises!!!

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  No Competition - 2006 Acura RL
  By Pawan - January 14 - 11:58 pm

  Awesome Vehicle, best value of ANY car out there. Gives the enthusiast what they need and also gives the family what it needs. NEver leaves anyone wanting for more

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  Repeat Acura buying - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Richard Roman - January 14 - 3:55 pm

  I find the MDX is fun and very comfortable driving, very responsive in accelerating when needed. I have had five of us riding in and the four said if they had the money, will go for MDX. This Acura is my third, 1987 Legend, 1998 4door Integra, and now 2006 MDX (no GPS touring).

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  Beautiful But Hungry Car - 1994 Acura Legend
  By Kamrul - January 14 - 11:02 am

  I bought this car in the summer of 05. The milage was 10800 when I bought it. This car is just awesome. Sharp design and very smooth engine. I dont know of any car this old and still drives so smoothly. However, I had to put a lot of money in it. Soon after I bought it, I had to replace the water pump and master cylinder (for brake) after I experienced over heating of the engine plus seal the leak in the rear differential. I also had to replace the shocks/struts as they were worn out. Well, for now the car is giving very good service. Other than spending so much behind the car Im very with the car. I plan to keep this car until it completely breaks down.

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  Why Buy German for More? - 2010 Acura TL
  By Black Ac - January 14 - 3:53 am

  Ive had this car for 2 days and it is amazing. The 6 speed manual trans is a beast. It came down to this car and BMW 550xi and I got more for $24500 less. This car surprises me every time I drive it. Very comfortable, luxurious and super fast. I recommend this car 100%.

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  Honda makes great cars - 1998 Acura TL
  By Matt - January 13 - 1:17 am

  I like this car alot. Unfortunatly I bought one that had been recked. Despite this problem which I didnt discover untill later the car has been great. It is fun to drive with more than average power. My problems have been consistant with the other reviews. The seal on the driver side window is bad which makes for alot of road noise. The placement of the controls in the interior are the worst of any car. Although stylish all of the luxury features are invisable because of the placement. The last thing would be that repairs are VERY expensive. I spend alot of money at the dealership, who are the only people who know how to work on that car, even oil changes. Trust me.

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  Awsome - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Paul - January 12 - 8:23 pm

  Ive driven over 10 vehicles for last 12 years and this MDX was the only one I purchased same one twice since 2001. Both were black exterior in 2001 & 2006. Strongly recommended for either wives or husbands.

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  Wow what an experience!!! - 2004 Acura TL
  By doadnshag - January 12 - 4:28 am

  I have only owned this vehicle for a short time but have driven it far more miles than usual because of the thrill of the experience. I have been told by others that I would really enjoy owning this car so I bought it! They could not have been any more right it is a sports, luxury, dream car all wrapped into one. The Nav system is fantastic and Im having a ball!!!

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  Not your typical Honda product at all - 2005 Acura MDX
  By berto - January 12 - 4:13 am

  Exterior is much sportier than the older body style with the new head/tail lights and dual outlet exhaust but still looks somewhat minivan-ish. Interior build quality is outstanding, not extravagant and everything is logically placed. Very minimal body roll and understeer for what it is. Stereo sounds great especially for a base model. Sound deadening is better than any Honda/Acura Ive ever owned. Seats are comfortable--I had to drive 12 hours stopping only for gas and felt fine. Motor is exceptionally torquey for a Honda, but you pay for it at the pump. Acts like an Audi sometimes though--pulsing from rear when turning from a stop, and transmission shifting is somewhat sluggish.