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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  The Best Car I have ever owned! - 2005 Acura RL
  By Special K - November 24 - 2:36 pm

  The new Acura RL is the best car I have owned in every facet of your imagination. It is a Lxy Sdn when you want it too be and with in a moments notice, it is a Spts Sdn on demand. Cornering with this car is phenomenal, I feels as though it corners even better with your foot heavily down on the accel peddle. This one of kind SH-AWD (Super handling AWD) sys gives you confidence that you can never imagine with out actually driving the RL. I have taken in on road trips and was very impressed with the 28 mpg I got on the hwy cruising along at 80 mph. The sound sys makes you think that you are actually in a music hall but in reality you are in your RL. The ease of use the bluetooth cntrl.....

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  Try to find better.... - 2001 Acura Integra
  By SouthFlorida-ITR - November 24 - 7:42 am

  This car is nothing less than INCREDIBLE! I have driven many cars, and I must say this is more fun than a BMW M3 and Porsche Boxster Sport. Its fast and furious, nimble, responsive and just down right FUN! **WARNING** this vehicle is HIGHLY ADDICTIVE!

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  Glad We Bought An MDX - 2003 Acura MDX
  By rabman - November 24 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I spent many months shopping (thank you Edmunds for being a great, reliable source of information). We narrowed it down to Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot and MDX. We decided on MDX based upon superior features, handling and horsepower. Both of us love driving this vehicle; it handles amazingly well for an SUV.

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  worth the wait - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Laura A. - November 24 - 2:00 am

  I spent 2 months researching midsize SUVs with the third seat, both on line and in dealerships. I was looking for a vehicle I would keep for over 5 years. I found the MDX to be by far the best in its field. The interior layout was very well thought out and had good use of space. The safety features were what I demand for transporting my children around. But, when I drove it I was sold. My parents just bought the new Volvo SUV, and being a huge Volvo fan I was curious about how it measured up to my Acura. (The Volvo SUV wasnt out when I was looking.)I liked the Volvo, but, I can honestly say I made the right choice.

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  Great Car - 2003 Acura TL
  By mark g - November 24 - 2:00 am

  This is an awsome car that is responsive and fun to drive.

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  Very dependable - 1998 Acura TL
  By Reggie - November 23 - 4:04 pm

  I purchases the car off lease after 2 years. Because I had a warranty I took advantage and ordered new seat. Seat did not match, removed and replaced with seat from trade-in (my greed, great service). Keep service maintenance not expensive. Replaced timing belt after 100,000 fuel sensor cleaned at over 120,000 Battery replaced after 7 years.

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  Luxury & stylish - 1998 Acura TL
  By Joshua Carroll - November 23 - 1:52 am

  Bought this car a couple years ago with almost 100,000 miles on it. Now it has almost 150,000 miles on it but still rides like a brand new Lexus. I love it, but it has had its problems like any other car. Right now Im having a problem with my transmission, but thatll be fixed soon. Runs really quiet and smooth when kept clean and maintained all the time. I do hate the position of the cruise control, fog lights, and seat heater buttons but every car has its minor annoyances. The road noise is a bit louder than what I prefer, but the smooth ride makes up for it. I do hate the fact that the backseat isnt big enough for tall people, but I guess the style of the car makes up for that.

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  Awesome car for the $$ - 2005 Acura TSX
  By TSX Lady - November 22 - 6:26 pm

  This car is awesome. Only a 4 cylinder but it has plenty of get up and go for in town and highway driving. Everything comes standard on the car except the navigation. It is gorgeous inside and out. I get at least 1 compliment a week on my TSX.

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  2005 Acura RL - 2005 Acura RL
  By Melvin DenWiddie - November 22 - 12:08 pm

  This car is just amazing!! The super handling is great and features like the keyless access, hands free use of the navigational system and cell phone are the greatest. The ride is extremely comfortable and cabin is very quite which allows complete enjoyment of the sound system.

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  First Acura - 2004 Acura TL
  By Chad - November 20 - 7:02 pm

  Very first acura purchase and I really like it, however trying to be smooth with the clutch has proved a challenge for me and my wife. Hit a small pot hole and bent a front wheel, seems more delicate than it should be. Only have 4500mi but have averaged about 23mpg in mixed driving. Also a lot of people complain about rattles and we have found it is the things in all the compartments, cd, keys, misc. that make all the noise. So far great car.