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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  WOW! - 2004 Acura TL
  By Honda Man MI - May 7 - 2:00 am

  The new TL is nothing at all like the old TL. I owned a 2002 TL type "S". I bought this car without driving it in Chicago and had it delivered to my front door in MI. I currently have a BMW 330 Convertible with a Manual Trans, and this new TL will run circles around the BMW.I would definetly recommend this vehicle to anyone in the market for a reasonably priced luxury/performance sedan. Wait, NO I wont. I do not want everyone on the road to have this car.

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  Tops the competitors in all areas - 2004 Acura TL
  By hobster - May 7 - 2:00 am

  Incredible car for the price. We drove the BMW 3 series, Infiniti G35, etc. The TL beat each and every competitor for hp, build quality, interior materials, interior room, features, and handling. The only thing Acura lacks at this time is the brand image, but with the TL, new TSX, and recent MDX, Acura may be a full fledged competitor in the luxury car line now!

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  Better than Mercedes - 2001 Acura RL
  By scox - May 6 - 2:00 am

  There is no doubt that the RL is far superior to the E class Mercedes. It has much more power and has a smoother ride than the E Class.

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  Great Car! - 2001 Acura CL
  By FreddieG - May 6 - 2:00 am

  Great car all around. Smooth engine and transmission. Simply elegant styling. Great finish!

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  2001 CL Type S - The perfect car - 2001 Acura CL
  By CLTypeSmacura - May 5 - 2:00 am

  I owned a 98 Acura and was sure Id never buy another Acura. That was until I saw the totally redesigned CL (2001 model). As soon as I saw it, I knew Id have to buy it. After I drove it, there was no chance id pass on this car. It handles amazingly, its incredibly fast and the price was perfect. I got all the features my friends had to pay close to $50K for in their BMWs and Mercedes. Only I had enough money left over to be able to afford flooring my car to blow them away. I love my Acura. I cant part with it.

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  6 more ways to enjoy your car - 2003 Acura CL
  By elizabeth - May 4 - 2:00 am

  I purchased a 2002 Acura CLS in November and actually traded it in two weeks ago for the six speed! Not the smartest financial move but I love the 6 speed and have waited two years for something comparable to my previous Prelude. I have had six Preludes through the years and trying to find a replacement has been a challenge.

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  CL Type-S is a great car...realize it - 2003 Acura CL
  By rooktobishop - May 4 - 2:00 am

  Its been almost a year since I bought my red 03 CL-S. It replaced a 99 VW Passat GLS V6 that was simply poorly built and was simply a piece of junk. I try to own my cars for 7 years, but the VW had other ideas. I traded it in for the CL and this car is GREAT. I can own and drive this for 7 years-easy! Its quality all the way around and performs extremely well. I saw another review complain about mileage, for me the fuel economy is great, better than I expected: c19-20 and h32 in most cases...I try not to put my foot into the gas too often, which is easy to do because the car is so eager to get going. I highly recommend this car.

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  LovingIt2Pieces - 1992 Acura Vigor
  By CAR4TEEN - May 3 - 2:00 am

  Just recently purchased this car for our 16 yr old daughter with 134K. It looks good, rides great--couldnt ask for a new car to do any better, Changed out the radio for a more recent model to accomodate a cd changer. Had some mechanics to look it over and was told nothing to worry about especially for the price we bought it for (less than $3000).Now husband and older daughter want one just like it!

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  Quiet, Comfortable, yet Alert and Respon - 2001 Acura TL
  By Avigramke - May 3 - 2:00 am

  I loved it from the first second. It looks and feels like a quiet luxury car (say the Lexus ES300), yet drives like a sports car. I drove the Lexus and its not even close - The Acura is much more fun, quiet and more taut and responsive.

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  Fun Fun Fun - 2006 Acura TL
  By JAXFLUSA - May 1 - 2:13 pm

  I love it all. The best value for your money. The interior surpasses all others in its class and the drive is just plain fun. The Navi and handfree are easy to use and the XM is just icing on the cake. The Acura TL is in a class all its own.