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 I ever owned - 2005 Acura TL
  By edmundsposter8 - August 6 - 3:40 pm

  Ive had this car since 2005 and have had zero issues with reliability. I still receive alot of positive accolades for the navigation and bluetooth phone considering this was back in 2005. If you take care of the car with regular intervals of maintenance there will be no issues. The best part is there are millions of local Honda/Acura repairs shops that are highly competitive which makes repair costs a fraction of what you pay at the Dealership

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  Shes A Beauty BUT Transmission Issues GALORE! - 2001 Acura CL
  By pr_diva2012 - August 3 - 5:11 pm

  I purchased this vehicle in 2005 certified pre-owned from an Acura dealership in NJ with less then 40K miles... she lasted me up until a couple days ago (currently 222k miles.) The car is a great ride and it went the distance but the only thing is that I had problems with the transmission... I had to replace the original transmission in 2008 (which was a doozy) and just a couple days ago, my maintenance required light came on... went to go check it out and ofcourse the trans is on its way out. This is my 2nd owned Acura... I am going to bid farewell to Acura and go to the Lexus side of the street.

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  2013 RDX - 2013 Acura RDX
  By johnmsc - August 2 - 11:00 pm

  We purchased the new RDX AWD with Tech in early July and have just driven from Minnesota to Arizona. The vehicle is most everything we hoped it would be. We compared and drove most every compact suv and picked the RDX because we felt it was the best value for a well equipped suv. While the RDX is not the most nimble handling in its segment it is IMO the most comfortable. We averaged 28.6 MPG on the trip, better than I hoped for. This car is a great road trip car, again comfortable, quiet w/ very little driver fatigue after hours behind the wheel. The smooth and plentiful power of the V6 was a joy in the mountains and passing. We like the car and would make the decision to buy [it again.

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  excellent car - 2012 Acura TL
  By Al2012 - August 2 - 9:59 am

  I owned 2008 TL-S and the new car is a substantial improvement over previous model. Could use a more adjustable positions for driver seat as an extra option(I would buy it) - 18 ways as Lexus. Steering wheel adjustments should be automated and should be part of the driver memory positions. Also, the leather on the steering wheel is horrible - it feels dry and does not offer comfortable grip - I think it is even dangerous, especially if your hands are dry. I had to get wood grain option. I missed having two front compartments from my old TL-S. Otherwise it is an excellent car and a joy to drive. Good job Acura engineers - very competitive car.

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  Best car Ive owned yet. - 1991 Acura Legend
  By sledder - July 30 - 8:45 pm

  I bought this car a few months ago and after replacing a few parts such as the main relay (seems to be a problem on a lot of Hondas and Acuras), the speed sensor and a couple other small parts. The car is awesome. Its been my daily driver pretty much since I bought it and I love every minute of it. The handling is unbelievable, handles better than any other affordable car Ive driven. The performance is great, especially on the highway. The interior is showing some wear (dash has cracks, leather seats are cracking). It still rides great. I recommend this car to anyone that is looking at buying a cheap, reliable car. You may have to spend some $ to get it in top shape, but itll be worth it.

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  Love This Car - 2012 Acura TSX
  By thumper16 - July 30 - 12:20 pm

  Ive probably have had 20 new cars and that many used in my life but cant say Ive liked any more than this. Love the size, the quality in and out, sound system, handling, gas mileage 25-35. Have had it about 6 months and 6,000 miles-no issues.

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  Best all around SUV - 2012 Acura MDX
  By thomatl - July 28 - 11:03 pm

  We shopped Audi Q5, BMW X3, Volvo XC60, and Infiniti FX35. MDX was an afterthought after a disappointing drive in an RDX (not a bad vehicle but lacks features and feels like a CR-V with lipstick). We preferred the European vehicles driving feel, but the MDX Advance offered more of the features we wanted, especially the safety features such as collision mitigation. Our prior experience with Acura (CL, TL, TSX) sealed the deal.

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  Driving this car to work everyday.... - 2013 Acura ILX
  By hleong - July 26 - 7:00 pm

  This is the second month I am driving this car to work, everyday for 70 miles. Certainly dont feel like driving a Civic. Indeed, I owned a 2 doors Accord for 9 years and ILX is way more luxury than Accord, hence I dont know why people said it is just an upscale Civic?! Drive before you judge.... Compare to Lexus CT200h and CT200h is not even close to ILX, in luxury and design. ILX designers/engineers are really serious in doing the job and they do it very well.

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  Go fast with looks - 2013 Acura ILX
  By central25thst - July 22 - 3:33 pm

  Grown up with a 6 speed. Smooth shifting tranny. Soft touches allover. Smart phone integration is incredible.

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  This anybodys dream car - 1995 Acura Legend
  By david286 - July 18 - 12:10 pm

  I bought this same car 4 years ago. I have not been the best owner to it because I have neglected it however, this is the best car Ive owned in my life (Ive had many). Its the mixture of luxury and reliability. My family and I love it because it has never given me a major problem. Ive changed the radiator on it but thats about it. Its a beautiful and powerful piece of machinery. Buying is one decision that I will never regret!