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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  Class and magnificent workmanship - 2003 Acura CL
  By resedaruss - July 2 - 2:00 am

  Ive got over 7000 miles on it and it has been pure pleasure the entire time. In my neighborhood there are quite a few fancy cars yet when I bump into neighbors at gatherings they identify me as the guy with the Acura in the driveway. Everywhere I go--work, parking lots, store, etc.--Im constantly paid complements by strangers on how "beautiful" my red CL is. (I was afraid the police would attack a red car, but theyve left me alone.) Its a rare car that can outrun me (corvettes, V8 Mustangs, etc.) but I hang embarrassingly close to even those cars (for them). There are no rattles, no problems, handles like its on rails--I love it.

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  The best car Ive owned - 2003 Acura RSX
  By MattsRSX - July 2 - 2:00 am

  I was in the market for a new car because my 98 Audi A4 1.8T was dying at 86,000 miles. Another A4 was tempting but too expensive and unreliable. I wanted something fast, fun and somewhat practical. I was flipping through a magazine when I came accross the RSX Type S. 200 hp 2.0 liter engine, 6 speed tranny, Car and Driver 10Best. Wait a sec...this car is only $23k! I picked up my Artic Blue Pearl RSX Type S on Friday, June 27th and I am in love. I can get 30 mpg and still smoke a V8 Mustang.

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  FAST AND FUN - 2001 Acura CL
  By FLYER0029 - July 2 - 2:00 am

  THIS CAR IS JUST PLAIN AMAZING. THE SOLID BUILD AND EXCELLENT ENGINEERING MAKE THIS A JOY TO DRIVE!!

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  Believe the HYPE!!! - 2003 Acura MDX
  By rvmat - July 1 - 10:00 am

  I choose the mdx after reviewing as many magazines and personaly test driving the mdx four times before I decided to purchase it. The only other vehicle that made me think twice was the Lexus GX470. I pick up the mdx two weeks ago and I have been completely satified with my choice. I have a sense of complete command of the road and when I push the vechicle it responds without hesitation. Overall,the MDX is in my opinion the top suv on the market. The firmness of the drive the electronics and the massive amounts of room makes the mdx hard to beat.

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  Impressed - 2005 Acura TL
  By John K. - July 1 - 7:30 am

  AWESOME, i love the car it is incredible! Wow, thats all i can say. Purchased the vehicle in march and it has been nothing but a delight to me. I have had no problems, and all of my coworkers are jealous. I could not have asked for more, and even at an incredible price.

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  1991 Integra LS - 1991 Acura Integra
  By JRBNH - July 1 - 2:00 am

  Its a great car. Amazingly reliable- now has over 260k miles. Still returns 30 mpg+. Very pleasing interior design and colors. Comfortable seats, the hatch design is versatile. No problem getting stuck in 7 New England winters. An all-around excellent car.

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  Perfect crossover SUV - 2001 Acura MDX
  By miklo714 - July 1 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my MDX for 2 years now. I was originally attracted to it because of the amazing price-feature ratio and the excellent test drive I had. You can turn this car completely around in less space than just about all sedans. The MDX accelerates and drives very smoothly - I am always out of stoplights way ahead of other cars and Im not trying to race or anything, its just natural to go up to 45 in a few seconds in this car.

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  Best still - 2001 Acura CL
  By BJWANG - July 1 - 2:00 am

  Nice Strong fast car...

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  Very satisfied owner - 1991 Acura Legend
  By Miquelle - June 28 - 2:00 am

  Ive had the 1991 Acura Legend for almost 3 years. It was 10 years old when I bought it, with only 32,500 miles. We sold our first Acura Legend after 12 years and 200,000 miles of excellent service, with very few problems. The 1991 is better looking with similar comfort and reliability.

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  Nice car/SUV - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Pete C - June 28 - 12:46 am

  Took the car from the dealer then drove 2000 miles over the past 3 weeks. Fuel average is 20.1. More quiet, comfortable & fun to drive than the 2004 I traded in. Great sound system. NAV has greatly improved. Really need to read the driving manual. Tried Lexus RX 350 and BMW X5 but preferred the MDX ride, features & price. Miss the automatic windshield wipers & hope I never need to replace the "blue" headlights. Highly recommend it.