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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  Value,with Honda Reliability - 2003 Acura MDX
  By John Langstaff - November 1 - 2:00 am

  Anybody researching SUVs in this price range would be wise to consider the MDX. Great build quality, quiet and smooth with good acceleration. Entetainment system is a huge hit- a must for anyone with kids or who likes to travel. The BMW, VW, Lexus and Volvo are great SUVs, but with the expected Honda reliability, the MDX is the choice which provides the most value.

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  Great suv - 2006 Acura MDX
  By Julia Romm - October 31 - 12:06 pm

  Bought the car at start of 2007. Still is a great car over the past 11 years. Recommend this SUV for a luxury 7 passenger.

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  What a Luxury SUV... - 2004 Acura MDX
  By ejerdak - October 31 - 10:00 am

  I love the 2004 exterior and interior enhanced design and features - The MDX is an excellent luxury choice of mid sized SUVs - It is a solid vehicle. The exterior looks very attractive and the interior is roomy and impressive. Friends, neighbors and relatives are so impressed with the whole thing. A great SUV.

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  Smooth drivng SUV - 2004 Acura MDX
  By hzbbgl - October 31 - 10:00 am

  The Acura MDX is a fun to drive, it rides so smooth its like driving a smooth riding car. You dont feel like your driving a SUV becauses it low to the ground. The interior design is great, it even has a camera on the tail so when you are in reverse the screen were the navigator system is will show you what is behind. It has a voice activiated system for the navigator so you dont have to push any bottoms when you need driving directions. It has room for 7. Its worth the price.

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  but why........ - 1995 Acura Integra
  By freazer - October 31 - 2:00 am

  the car is very good, the Honda Technology is the best technology in engines, but wwhy ddon´t they putt a V- tech engine in all the models, dam it.....

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  rsx s - 2002 Acura RSX
  By ovaboosting - October 31 - 2:00 am

  Great car.. fun to drive.. for 20K or its a good deal for a 4 banger...

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  Awesome - 2001 Acura CL
  By msw - October 31 - 2:00 am

  very classy, powerful v6 type s motor, roomy, spacious trunk room

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  Remarkable. - 1990 Acura Integra
  By danblackracing - October 30 - 2:00 am

  This is one of the best cars I have tested and driven daily. I have over 167,000 miles on it. I put 15,000 on myself with no other problems than a few front suspenstion bushings and a timing belt. Beautiful car!!! www.danblackracing.netfirms.com

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  Judys Review - 1998 Acura CL
  By Judith Dinehart - October 30 - 2:00 am

  This has been a wonderful car. it is fun to drive and very comfortable. I have also had a good experience in working with an Acura Dealership.

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  2001 Acura TL - 2001 Acura TL
  By Paula Sanders - October 30 - 2:00 am

  This is a wonderful car. I have driven it for nearly three years and have no problems with the car. The service department is the best I have ever had, willing to have a loaner car available for repairs. It is a comfortable car with good gas mileage and no noticeable wind noise.