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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  heaven on earth - 2005 Acura TSX
  By steve - September 19 - 6:06 am

  I have never bought a foreign car before. I am 51 years old, and purchased this vehicle for my son, who forced me into the acura showroom. I was very resistent. I have purchased fords for 25 years , and must have had about 20 various vehicles. I must admit after driving this acura I am convinced that acura built cars are by far a better value than ford by far. I cant wait to trade my explorers, and marquis for the mdx and rl. signed; A true believer

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  Best 122k Mileage Car I Have Purchased - 1996 Acura RL
  By Gentle Ben - September 19 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this 1996 RL with 122K. Took it to McCall Acura to check it out before I purchased it and the car check out like it was new. I havent had one problem with it since I purchased it unlike my 2001 Infiniti Q45. If you are looking for a nice preowned luxury car then the Acura RL is the only ticket as far as I am concerned.

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  2001 Acura MDX - 2001 Acura MDX
  By MDX driver - September 19 - 2:00 am

  Has been an excellent vehicle. A faulty master cylinder had to be replaced under warranty but otherwise has been extremely reliable.

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  acura - 2003 Acura RSX
  By EC 1256 - September 19 - 2:00 am

  Bad delership service, baaad

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  Acura TL-S - 2002 Acura TL
  By L pelletier - September 19 - 2:00 am

  Have owned a multitude of cars. This is the best vehicle I have owned in 40 years.

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  Very satisfying - 2003 Acura MDX
  By TGrover - September 19 - 2:00 am

  Truly an all around pleasurable vehicle. It works well as an executive commuter, but surprisingly, comfortably holds six more people for family outings. Give it a curvey road and you can have a very good time, and not be punished by a stiff truck-like suspension. But when the roads get slippery, the grip is very confidence inspiring. Truly the best all around, good at everything vehicle I have ever driven.

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  best Suv we bought ever - 2003 Acura MDX
  By asmdpa - September 19 - 2:00 am

  we have only 3000 miles on our 2003 touring MDX and we already love it. This is our third SUV and we had best dealership experience so far. Mdx is powerful, reliable in bad weather and we give it a 10

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  Try it and You will buy it! - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Debi & Ira Weiss - September 19 - 2:00 am

  Previous to test driving this SUV my husband and I sat across from one at a red light and he said he did not like it, while test driving the BMW SUV (along with 8 other manufactures. The salesperson recommended this for our needs of our family, by that night my husband had a new love. Almost 1 year later and we feel that it was one of our best purchases. It has been a real pleasure.

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  Buy it for quality and relibilty - 1999 Acura RL
  By Acura J - September 18 - 2:00 am

  I purchased the RL after researching all luxury Japanesse brands. Reliable, fun to drive, comfortable, and the price was right at $22 K with only 20 K mileage.

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  Fits like a glove - 2003 Acura NSX
  By NSX man - September 18 - 2:00 am

  This care feels like it was custom built for me. It is the most comfortable,responsive, and powerful car I have ever owned. The ergonomics are excellent and the controls are intuitive and accessible. The 6-speed is a delight, the Bose stereo is excellent, and driving topless is the ultimate thrill. If you are between 5- 6" and 5-9" tall, there is no other better street legal race car available.