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 all around performance, best value - 2006 Acura RSX
  By 06RSXTypeS - November 19 - 1:12 pm

  Read any 2005 or 2006 car comparison between the Type-S (or Civic Si) and its competitors and the editors place the Acura (or Honda) in first. Theyve got it right. The Type-S, like myself is a Gemini: its an excellent daily commuter when kept below 4,000 rpm or it can be a racer if pushed above 4,000 rpm. The suspension is a bit stiff making for a bumpy ride on anything but glass- smooth roads, but thats the price to pay for 0.88g cornering. Fit and finish are excellent. The heated sideview mirrors are an excellent touch and come in handy when coated with dew or frost. The 2nd/3rd gear grinding IS an issue but ONLY if the driver doesnt take care in ensuring the gear is fully engaged.

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  Simply Irresistible - 2003 Acura TL
  By MD2380 - November 19 - 10:00 am

  This car is absolutely fantastic! Fun to drive, great performance, very easy on the eyes... It has great build quality, have 15,000 miles and havent had any problems. Also considered Volvo S60, but performance couldnt compare. Simply a great value!

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  Serious bang for the buck - 2005 Acura TSX
  By HarleyTX - November 17 - 8:26 pm

  After driving and pricing several Euro competitors, Im extremely happy with my TSX. Even though its not the fast car out there, it has plenty of grunt in the higher rpms. The interior, like most Honda products, is above reproach and the list of standard features is what sold this car. Take this car to your favorite country road and its a blast.

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  Treat, no Tricks - 2005 Acura RL
  By bydand - November 17 - 12:52 pm

  Took delivery of Redondo Red Pearl RL on Halloween and have been in heaven for my commute ever since. Rock solid ride, quiet luxurious interior, PLENTY of power (looking forward to getting past initial break-in) and fantastic handling for such a heavy car. Nits being picked in some reviews should be taken as just that, everybody has an opinion. Im sure that after a few months I wont know how I survived without Navi & Voice Command in the past neat to find restaurants, ATMs, etc. Sound system is worthy of a large room 5.1 Surround Sound Audio disc free with purchase is a feast for the ears. Co-workers and neighbors all want to know what it is.

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  Awesome Car! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Billy - November 17 - 8:23 am

  This car is amazing. Not only are most all the feature voice command but everything is of easy reach. The stereo system is awesome. VSA works wonders, I use it all the time.

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  Electric Motors Accelerate Schmooooooth!!!! - 2016 Acura RLX
  By GaryN - November 17 - 2:37 am

  Overall very satisfied with this purchase. Currently at 3k miles. No major glitches. Controls are intuitive and easy to master. However, Playing XM stations are glitchy and very slow to load, for scrolling; as are obtaining music from your USB FlashDrive. Push Button shifting, especially reverse, is slow to engage (1 sec) on press of accelerator. Hybrid system is absolutely awesome, but comes with sacrifice of trunk space. Engine is very quiet when switching between electric motors and engine running; transfers between each completely unnoticed except for the RPM needle moving, ......this hybrid is much different than those gas saving German models which "die" at a stop sign, then restart. Very comfortable and rides well. Power distribution lives up to the "rides on rails" marketing motto. Would definitely buy again, and recommend.

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  An amazing purchase - 1998 Acura TL
  By tommsu - November 16 - 3:59 pm

  I am used to buying lemons but this is the first car I can truly say that I am pleased with, I have logged almost 35000 miles in the past year alone, including a trip to Key West. Car is in amazing shape and no problems to date, just normal upkeep has been needed.

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  King Dudleys WHITE NSX - 2005 Acura NSX
  By King Dudley - November 16 - 9:31 am

  The automobile is SUPERB. It is STILL what others are trying to evolve to. The handling and performance is incredible for Acura. Fun to drive and looks great, backed by Hondas reliability. An everyday exotic, which is still an "exclusive" exotic as well. KD 1

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  Very nice car - 2005 Acura RL
  By Doug in NYC - November 16 - 12:36 am

  This is a wonderful car. However, prior to accepting it, please ensure that the dealer handles all service bulletins, because otherwise several things may not work as well as you wish. Definitely sit in the drivers seat and try to get comfortable. I was never able to get completely comfortable, but close enough to be happy. After 1,000 miles, Im still happy.

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  Great SUV - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Nancy - November 15 - 9:04 pm

  I test drove the Volvo and Toyota Sequoia, and my husband has the Lexus 330. The MDX is superior to all of three. Great handling, relatively high off the ground, comfortable interior, easy to use navigation and dvd systems.