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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  Sooooooooooooooooooooooper! - 2002 Acura MDX
  By rrk - March 31 - 10:00 am

  I just love this vehicle. I just called around and got this vehicle in 2 days time. I test drove atleast 4 times on highways and local roads. I also tried Lexus RX300 and didnt like it. MDX matched all my requirements!!!!!!!!

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  Excellence - 2002 Acura MDX
  By BoosHound - March 31 - 10:00 am

  Acura has outdone themselves! The recent (and moderate) design changes clearly state that Acura has made a superior SUV with little room for improvement!

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  Acura 3.2 TL Type S - 2003 Acura TL
  By banksign - March 31 - 10:00 am

  Truly a fine automobile. Quiet, comfortable interior. It has power to spare; step on the accelerator and the engine jumps to life. Fun to drive, Bose music system is always a plus. Lots of standard features for a reasonable price.

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  Love our MDX - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Derbys - March 29 - 4:04 pm

  We live up an unpaved drive on the side of a mountain. The MDX handles it effortlessly in all kinds of conditions. Extremely comfortable, fun to drive, wonderful Bose audio system.

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  One of the Best - 1990 Acura Legend
  By Spectromen - March 28 - 7:22 pm

  I truly think this is still Acuras best car ever. I bought it at 120K in 2001 and have had to do plenty of maintenance, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Its true, dealer parts are expensive but they last, and theres usually alternate parts for the major systems too. As much as I love the TLs and RLs, I just cant bring myself to let go of this one until it dies, and even then, itll be a sad day.

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  Like my RSX - 2005 Acura RSX
  By Johnsogk - March 27 - 12:14 pm

  I get lots of compliments from people who see my car, which IS a lot of fun to drive. My only complaint is that I dont like the spoiler, which impedes my vision when backing up. I really like the fact that practically everything is standard, making it easier to buy and know the price.

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  Fun car to own and drive - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Kim - March 27 - 6:40 am

  The TSX is a very fun car to drive and very comfortable. I have owned SUVs for the last 13 years. The car has a lot of power for a four cylinder, and the handling is excellent. The interior styling is well designed and very user friendly. The exterior is design is very sleek- esp in black.

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  4 years and still great - 2001 Acura TL
  By AcuraDon - March 26 - 9:39 pm

  I have had this car for over 4 years. I have had warped brakes, a bad CD player and a bad blower fan. Other than that I have had no issues with this car at all. I have loved every minute of driving it. My lease expires in June (54 month lease. I would recommend this car to anyone. I am considering keeping it, but I will likely buy a new 2005 TL. It has been a great ownership experience. I have had other good reliable cars (Toyotas) but none were as fun as this TL.

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  Smooth - 2003 Acura TL
  By Mulligankid - March 26 - 2:00 am

  Very well built, smooth & highly refined auto. Smooth shifting transmission, peppy engine but could be more powerful like in the S type or the 04s.

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  2004 TL Rocks - 2004 Acura TL
  By Driver52 - March 26 - 2:00 am

  Acura is brankd that just keeps getting better. The new TL is powerful, fast, and handles just great. Interior comfort, and luxury appointments hit the mark. The XM- equipped sound system is a dream. The sedan is so much fun to drive, I even take it as a welcome change from my 2001 CL-Type S!