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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  This Car has no limits - 2000 Acura Integra
  By James Stewart - September 18 - 2:00 am

  I bought my gsr over my old civic ex, which was tuned well, and qiuckly found the Gsr Dohc Vtec could get the job done. The stock suspension is good but can become great. Ive done about 10 small performance improvement and this car is cranking 219 aftermarket HP.

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  Great Car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Brandt - September 17 - 6:56 pm

  Overall this is a great car. Fun to drive, powerful, plenty of standard features and excellent design inside and out. I fell in love with this car the first time I passed one on the road. After lusting 1 1/2 years I finally made my purchase. A pleasure to drive.

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  Reliable-Plus - 2003 Acura RL
  By pawbear - September 17 - 2:00 am

  After spending too much time at the dealership with previous luxury sedans the reliability was the prime mover to the RL. Many people mistake it for a Benz. My first 4 months behind the wheel have been a pleasure..and problem free.

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  Reliability and value - 2009 Acura TL
  By Jose Maria Campos - September 16 - 3:49 pm

  You will always have fun in driving and owning this car.

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  TL Silences Tough Critic - 2005 Acura TL
  By Don Klein - September 15 - 5:00 pm

  After dozens of new car purchaces, my wife and I have finally found a car that we can totally agree on. She always bases her decision on looks and features, while mine is on the mechanical and reliability factors. Our new TL covers all bases on both sides. The looks and features alone sell the car, but the quality of the engineering on this vehicle is unsurpassed by any other vehicle at any price. The TL drives like a Vette, while being as comfortable as a luxury sedan. Fit and finish are impeccable. Three hour trips to the lake seem much shorter now. Performance is incredible, gas milage is good and we still get looks on the road. 20,000 miles. Great job, guys.

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  Integras Rule! - 1995 Acura Integra
  By Scotth84 - September 15 - 2:00 am

  to anyone looking for a new car an integra is your best bet with miles to gallon and reliabity i love mine and you will too.

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  We love this car. - 2010 Acura TL
  By Steve Davis - September 13 - 8:15 pm

  Great entry into luxury vehicles. True cost of ownership estimates are very reasonable and accurate so far. Would buy another one.

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  RL Rocks - 2004 Acura RL
  By LMcKevitt - September 13 - 2:00 am

  I had looked at just about every brand there is, but once I saw and drove the 2004 RL, it was no contest. The quietness of it, the features, and all at a reasonable price for what you are getting. Its a pleasure just getting into this car.

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  Fun in a descreete package - 2003 Acura CL
  By silvervtec96 - September 13 - 2:00 am

  This car has been a blast since the day i picked it up. It performs and handles well. I cant really think of anything I dont like about this car. I think that the seats are probably some of the most comfortable seat Ive ever been in. This car is full of features and is fun to dive.

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  my rsx - 2004 Acura RSX
  By kwik - September 13 - 2:00 am

  my rsx is so cool, i wish everyone had one. with its stylish seats and powerful engine, it is a great choice for the family man. i can race anybody out there and come out the winner.