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 Car Ive ever Owned or even driven - 1991 Acura Legend
  By Nitsua - June 10 - 2:00 am

  My personal favorite. The Legend of the early nineties was the best car ever produced by Acura. It fully lives up to its name. Ive put over 170 thousand miles on mine and I look forward to many more. This great looking sedan drives like a 2-door and shifts like a sports car with an engine to back it. If you want a luxury sports car, but need room for the kids, this is your car.

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  One of the best cars to lease - 2002 Acura CL
  By amresource - June 10 - 2:00 am

  This car is awesome!

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  Best Car On The Road For The Money - 2005 Acura TL
  By Ed H - June 9 - 10:36 am

  This car is so much fun to drive, I love the 6 speed transmission performs as well as european cars. I know my future cars will be Acuras. I especially like the hands free link ease of use. And to be able to open the roof and windows from the remote is great on those warm days. Also the climate control system is the best I have ever experienced in a car. And driving in the rain the car feels like glue on the road, and driving in the snow with the TSA is great gives you traction instantly. This a true drivers car with all the amenties you could ask for and for the money the best car you will ever own.

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  Well Built Luxury Car at a Great Price - 2004 Acura RL
  By lovethisrl - June 9 - 2:00 am

  Built in Japan, the RL has great build quality and is extremely reliable. Standard Onstar, XM satellite radio, navigation, heated seats, Bose, and all the stuff that other manufacturers cream you for as add-ons. A very reasonable price for all that you get.

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  Almost 110k miles, still running new. - 1999 Acura TL
  By Alex Sonne - June 9 - 2:00 am

  I have had 2 problems with this car in its 110k mile life so far. After 65k miles the transmission went. They told me that the tiptronic was causing the problem and not to use it all that often. At 89k miles the Traction control went. They fixed both under warranty for me even though it was over the mileage limit.

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  Fast Car and Lots of Fun - 2002 Acura RSX
  By thumper67 - June 9 - 2:00 am

  Good sports car for people who are tall. Plenty of room inside. Sleek and clean interior design.

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  Acura Hits A Homerun - 2004 Acura TL
  By Kennys Dream Car - June 8 - 10:00 am

  Acura put everything in one neat package and at an affordable price. I was looking for a 2 door car. I was not crazy about the look of the CL (too bland). I was hoping they made it more sporty looking for 2004, only to find out it was no longer being made. I noticed the 2004 TL on the internet and instantly fell for it. Not only did it look good and was loaded for the price, but it also came in a stick shift. I did my research, compared it to BMW, Infiniti, Lexus, etc, and decided I was getting the most for my money along with Acura reliability.

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  One of my dream car - 1994 Acura Legend
  By KA7 GS - June 8 - 2:00 am

  This is my 5th used car i owned 1st-3rd was accord 1990,1991,1992 4th car was prelude VTEC 1993 now I drive Legend GS 1994 I bought it use this year at has 126000 on the odo but since the previous owner take care that car like a baby, it run smoothly from IL to NY in 13 hours. and doesnt give me any problem till now.

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  still satisfied - 1991 Acura Legend
  By mcw - June 8 - 2:00 am

  My car is now greater than 12 years old and i was curious about the newer cars. Well after shopping around nothing out there is tempting me to trade my car in.I guess that is a testiment to the quality of the car

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  Classy and reliable - 1998 Acura RL
  By Billacura - June 8 - 2:00 am

  This car has that quiet luxery and quality that makes it easy to live with year after year. Performance is more than sufficient and the transmission is flawless in it smooth shifts up or down. I have the navigator GPS system and will get it again in my next acura, which will be an RL or MDX. Drivers seat is the most confortable Ive ever used. And the seating in the back seat is very confortable as well. The guys at work are always wanting to go to lunch in this car, and remarking on how good this car look after 4 years. Its reliable and maintence is reasonable for a luxery car. The paint is superior to anything Ive seen.