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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  True Sport-Lux Machine - 2003 Acura CL
  By JohnAllan - August 13 - 2:00 am

  A truly unique combination of sport and luxury motoring. This car is FAST and comfortable, and seems to ride on velvet rails. (Hard to imagine how Acura can build such a great handling, fast and yet SMOOTH ride.) It reminds me of the MB CL at 1/3 the price. It is a grown up car with lots of fun. Unique at its price point.

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  LOVE MY MDX - 2002 Acura MDX
  By MacGyver - August 13 - 2:00 am

  I was in the market for a SUV and had read positive reviews on the MDX from leading car magazines and it was name as a Best Buy in Consumer Reports Magazine as well. It drives like a car build has the room of an SUV and handles great in the snow! It also has comes very nicely equipped for a a base model so much so I didnt see the need to spend an extra $2500.00 on the touring package!

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  Best SUV Deal - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Peter C - August 12 - 8:23 pm

  I went from an Accord to the MDX wanting a vehicle for 4 wheel reliability & being quite pleased with Hondas workmanship. I also wanted a good deal which after studying all the other SUVs in the MDX price range, I feel I got it. It is a good looking vehicle, with good solid engine performance I am real pleased with my MDX.

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  Great Car - 1993 Acura Vigor
  By Miguel - August 12 - 2:00 am

  Purchase my Vigor back in 1999 . I have owned many cars before but now like this one . This car has been trouble free since the day I own it. I highly recomended it . I have been looking to buy a Bmw or a lexus and I notice my self looking back into buying another Acura .

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  All Around Excellent Performance - 2002 Acura TL
  By ScottBoulderCO - August 12 - 2:00 am

  The 3.2 TL (w/Navigation) has been an excellent vehicle. At almost two years old, our Acura has maintained a perfect repair record. While the interior design reflects that of its sister Honda (the Accord), the navigation system and sound deck differentiate it and blend in well with the dash. Despite only having the standard 3.2 Liter engine compared to the Type-S, our Acura will outperform many of the luxury vehicles owned by our neighbors. Acceleration, top speed (which is governed), and the smooth transmission make the Acura a best buy. For all consumers in the market for a luxury sports sedan, the TL is it!

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  Acura RL - Hidden Gem! - 2005 Acura RL
  By SoCalCarDude - August 11 - 6:10 am

  I think that the Acura RL is a hidden gem amongst the $50k luxury sedans and thats all right by me! I like the exclusivity of driving my RL in the "OC".....the land of MB, BMW, Lexus and Audis. I test drove the RL and the MB back-to-back and felt more at home with the RL. It had the right blend of luxury and sport, a solid reputation for quality, the highest ranking for safety, and a laundry list of techno- features to keep me entertained during my commute to work. As for the looks, it has a conservative, classy style which I have grown to appreciate, especially after upgrading the wheels to the 18in Acura chromes and adding the deck-lid spoiler...my RL is looking mighty fine now!

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  Acura CL Type S 6-speed - 2003 Acura CL
  By Nick-L - August 11 - 2:00 am

  Im a hard-core car nut and have owned 94 cars in my life. I can honestly say that the Acura CL Type S 6-speed is the best new car overall I have ever owned. I like it so much that this is the third new CL weve bought in the past 3 years (in 2001 we bought 2 CLs, a S for me and a Premeium for my wife. Recently we traded in her Premium for this new Type S 6-speed, and she inherited my previous Type S automatic). This car simply does everything well: comfortable, jewel-like construction quality, bullet-proof reliability, great value, and the perfect balance between sport and luxury. Theres nothing else like it on the market.

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  its a great car!!! - 2002 Acura RSX
  By bycar - August 9 - 3:40 pm

  the RSX typeS is a really fun car to drive. the interior design is great to look at and comfortable with all control & knob at easy access. The handle cant be beat. I driven sports car before like the BMW M3, even though you cant compare the two, but the RSX is just in a class of its own. Respond really well

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  Great Car - 2004 Acura RL
  By kleeco - August 9 - 2:00 am

  Car is excellent in all areas except head room! Im 63 and just cant get a comfortable seat adjustment that keeps my hair off the roof. My wife loves it, so I guess Ill just recline in the passenger seat and relax:) Otherwise, Great car and very "user friendly."

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  Great Car - 1998 Acura TL
  By jrratl - August 8 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car. I bought it pre- owned from an Acura dealership and love it. The ride is great, it is very reliable, the sound system is very good, the outside design is beautiful and the inside is ergonomically well designed.