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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  What a wonderful coupe! - 2003 Acura CL
  By TheDream21479 - April 9 - 2:00 am

  This is my first Acura vehicle in a long time (last one was a 1997 NSX which I still own) and though Ive not even had it a week, the car is wonderful! My other car is a 2001 BMW 330Ci so I can offer direct comparison to them. The Type-Ss sonorous, rev- happy V6 is AWSOME...the the 5spd auto is no manual, its not bad! The Acura blows the BMW away as far as standard features go. As far as driving, the Acura isnt as fun to drive nor is it as tossible as the BMW but overall is much more comfortable. The build quality is good, but the interior materials are nowhere near the quality or as appealing as the BMWs.

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  I love my CL. - 2003 Acura CL
  By danny25 - April 9 - 2:00 am

  The CL is fun to drive whether youre cruising the highway, or racing down the track. There are faster cars to buy, but the CL is a great combination of luxury and performance.

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  Most adventurous vehicle - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Albert Chamakala - April 8 - 10:43 pm

  This is the most funnest car to drive on and off road. It has good mileage but at the same time a real nice pick up time from 0-60. Its great for all my needs. The only thing that to my disliking is the shape of the front of the mdx. It has an angular front and Id like it to be more flat.

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  EXCELLENT CAR! - 1996 Acura Integra
  By Hilary - April 8 - 2:00 am

  My husband and I Rebuilt this acura (salvage front end colision) I was very sceptical that a 1.8 would have far more power than my civic 1.6 well when we finished the rebuild we raced them (both pretty much stock) this car (integra) took off and left my little civic choken in its dust (lol) I love this car its a 5-spd thats the only way to go if you want POWER I dont know why I was not in tune with an acura years ago. It is VERY simular to a Lexus in luxuary, mine is the special edition very much like the gsr with leather interior and POWER!

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  love my TSX - 2005 Acura TSX
  By t. locher - April 7 - 2:10 pm

  I love my TSX it rides great has a lot of power, looks sharp, nice and roomy and a big trunk , love the dash board lighting up white very classy, the radio sounds crisp and clear, handles nice and tight changing lanes, perfect size car, seats are soft and roomy best car I ever had , what a quiet ride

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  Work Horse - 1999 Acura TL
  By mjf1036 - April 7 - 2:00 am

  The Acura 3.2TL is a real work horse. Great interior comfort, great "options" that were all standard. Power and speed when you need it great cruising car. My car and I spent about 38,000 miles per year together. Never stranded, no roadside assistance needed. Sure there was the occasional maintenance issue but nothing I needed a bank loan for. For the most part...put in good gas, keep the oil & filters changed. On top of all this the car looks Sharp! Elegant, sporty, sexy, but still masculine. Would I purchase another? You bet I will.

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  CL Type S - 2003 Acura CL
  By RKeatF1 - April 7 - 2:00 am

  We have our CL 3 years this forth of July. Dead Ass reliable! Lots of power, comfort. No problems other than squeeking at the sunroof. Fixed by the dealer. Treated very weel at the Dealership. Style of the front end is a little dull.

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  pweeri - 2003 Acura RSX
  By perro - April 6 - 10:00 am

  this car is excelent

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  Outstanding Dollar Value - 2003 Acura TL
  By FloridaGuy - April 6 - 10:00 am

  I stepped down from a 2001 Q45 to the 2003 TL, because I thought the Q was too cumbersome and conservative. While the TL cannot match the comfort level and stereo system of the Q it is almost everything I had hoped for. I think the TL is an outstanding value for its price. I paid $26,450 for mine, and I think its worth every penny!

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  Most inexpensive car ever - 1992 Acura Integra
  By ccccc - April 5 - 2:00 am

  This is, by far, the cheapest car Ive ever owned. Aside from routine maintainence, only have needed brakes / battery / exhaust. Not bad for a 11 year old car! Still runs great!!!