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 Value Out There - 2002 Acura TL
  By tennisone - October 17 - 10:00 am

  Just drove home a new 3.2 TL. The engine is outstanding. Powerful and smooth. Interior detail is outstanding. Just wish it was a little quieter in the cabin, but the limited road noise gives it a sporty feel. Bose sound system is great. I love this car and will have it for a long time. Consumer Reports rates at recommended buy. Highest crash test ratings with IIHS. While there are better cars out there, there is no better value out there!

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  95integra - 1995 Acura Integra
  By honda-is-king - October 16 - 2:00 am

  bought my integra 2 years ago,and ive got to say its the best car ive ever owned. the hype about honda quality is true. wish my first car was a honda, would have saved me alot of grief that i got from other cars. replaced the timming belt and tires, and change oil. has 96k so i expect to own this car for many years.

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  Dream Come True - 1997 Acura TL
  By SBoogie - October 16 - 2:00 am

  I was looking into the TL for 2yrs before I finally purchased it. I looked at other vehicles but still kept coming back to the TL. The combination of luxury and price could not be beaten regardless of how much research I did. The only major problem Ive had is that Ive needed to change the muffler - thats only because the first one has lasted for 8 years! Talk about reliability! It just a beautiful car.

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  love my rsx type s - 2003 Acura RSX
  By porky - October 16 - 2:00 am

  great car..looked at several before pulling the triger. 20th ann. gti, pt cruiser, and celica. the acura is the best. i know, wrx has more ponies but the acura is muh more refined.

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  Great Integra - 1991 Acura Integra
  By Bob S. - October 15 - 2:00 am

  My 91 Integra LS 5 speed manual transmission with A/C has been a great car. Nothing really bad about it. Maintained well at dealership. Rear breaks changed at 53,000 & front breaks changed at 102,000 miles. Clutch & motor mounts being changed at 120,000. I like this model better than the new models. It seems to be more solid.

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  1998 Acura RL - 1998 Acura RL
  By tmcvickers - October 15 - 2:00 am

  Drive over 20,000 miles a year & this is a great road car. Except for an alternator & some routine brake work, never had any repairs except regular maintenance.

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  Best Car I Ever Had - 2001 Acura TL
  By Avidendon - October 15 - 2:00 am

  I really believed that this one is supposed to be a glorified Accord. I was wrong. The difference is like east to west

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  great choice - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Kmac - October 15 - 2:00 am

  Nearly 2 years later and I still love it.

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  On the road again........ - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Fabvsix - October 15 - 2:00 am

  Having come from an Acura CL Type S, I thought I was in a CL on steroids ! I can only speak on behalf of the 03s which I understand got alot of improvements ! Steering at higher speeds is superb. Acceleration is silky smooth, this vehicle has PLENTY of get up and go ! Braking is fine too ! The seats are as comfortable as the CLs ! I think the CL has the most comfortable seats in the Acura line up ! Yes that includes those NSX seats......As far as build quality, Acura needs to "beef it up", as they have dropped. Upon delivery, I had numerious fixes needed. Of course Acura took care of all. Since all is dandy. I would highly recommend this vehicle !

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  Great car - great value - 2004 Acura TL
  By slzmd - October 14 - 10:00 am

  Having just turned in my 2001 3.2 TL, I can say that Acura has outdone themselves with the new TL. More luxury, more power, better handling... and all at an outstanding price. The DVD Audio stereo is awesome and the included XM Satellite Radio means youll never have a problem finding a station. The build quality has been outstanding except for a little rattle. Despite criticism of the tires, I have had no problems. The car seems to stick to the road like glue regardless of the weather. A very enjoyable car!