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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  A sensible choice for a luxury crossover - 2016 Acura MDX
  By bonofca - March 3 - 7:09 am

  Purchased my MDX16 (SH-AWD Adv/ Ent.) 3 months ago. So far so good. Great handling, smooth riding SUV. Quiet and comfortable on the road. Very responsive in sports mode. The infotainment system was not simple to use at first, but when I learned how to use it, I really like it because of its cool advance tech. features. Great sound system. Excellent Rear entertainment system with wide screen that produces a surround sound quality similar to a high end home theater system. Safety features are probably one of the best in its class. The adaptive cruise control/ lane keep assist are great feature on long drives.

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  my dream car - 2004 Acura TSX
  By dina - March 3 - 1:11 am

  I love this car. Ever since I road tested it until now Im still in love with it. I love the way it looks and the way it drives and most of all I love the way that it turns heads.

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  I Love My MDX - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Shelley N - March 2 - 12:53 pm

  I have been driving an SUV for 16 years and this is by far my favorite of the lot! I bought my 1st MDX 4 years ago when they first hit the market and I now have my 2nd. I love the look and the ride is comfortable and car like. It is totally reliable and the size is perfect for a sports Mom with 3 growing boys. I cant imagine a better SUV available in this price range! Drive one and you will be hooked

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  Usual Honda Quality Missing - 2004 Acura TL
  By Sundance - February 28 - 11:10 pm

  We are long time Honda Accord owners, maybe as many as 10 dating to the first Ohio built Accord in 1982 and this is our first Acura. We are just not used to poor quality from Honda and the Acura needs their full attention. Dealer has it now to fix rattling windows on both sides. The Bridgestone tires are poor in the rain and the 2005 NAV cars now have Michelins. The Acura Customer Service people are poor and offensive to their customers. Honda really needs to take a look at the entire picture at Acura.

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  2500 miles - 2016 Acura TLX
  By rick d - February 28 - 3:19 pm

  This is a really good car. Very solid and enjoy driving. Best value for my dollar. I do think Acura should step up to the plate and turbo the engine on the 2.4 to compete with Lexus and Germans.

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  Great Total Package - 2005 Acura TL
  By Dan - February 28 - 6:23 am

  I have owned Saabs and Volvos for many years and decided to look for an all around performer for road trips, city driving, snow, ice and hot weather driving. I looked at all the competitors to the TL and found the TL to be tops in the "total package"; the well integrated controls of the excellent sound system, navigation system, the blue tooth cell phone technology, the power and handling. There are definitely improvements that can be made but no other car puts it all together like Acura did with the TL at under $35K. A bit surprised about the poor milage the TL has shown me in the one year Ive had it - only averaging 17MPG mixed. Nice job Acura and its also built and designed in the US.

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  Sharp, fast, Fun to Drive - 2005 Acura TL
  By Todd N - February 28 - 2:50 am

  Im 49---needed something sporty without spending a ton. Got it! Chose Black color--looks GREAT when clean! but you should plan on washing it every week with this color. I have had ZERO problems, now have 7000 miles on it! I really recommend this car to anyone. Navigational system great...would NEVER buy another car without it...

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  Choose TL over Accord - 2005 Acura TL
  By nicktheschtick - February 27 - 9:36 pm

  Looked at TL and Accord. Dealers are giving away the Accord right now. I would have paid under invoice for the Accord, with TL you are lucky to pay $1000 over invoice. Accord was a great value, but did not have the pizazz of the TL. I was still willing to pay the extra $$. Would recommend getting Navigation, integration is extremely functional. Took advantage of Acura 2.9% financing.

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  RSX fun - 2005 Acura RSX
  By jose quintero - February 26 - 5:05 am

  Purchasing my RSX is the best decision Ive ever made. Driving it is as fun as riding a roller coaster only the car has a fantastic stereo system. NO regret whatsoever. This is definately THE IMPORT KING!

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  I love this car! - 1997 Acura TL
  By bw - February 25 - 10:37 pm

  I have owned 3 Acuras and this is by far my favorite. I bought this new in 1997, have put over 200,000 miles on it and have only done basic scheduled maintenance on the car. Reliability and quality are exceptional. The look is timeless and my mechanic says I could put another 150,000 miles on the car without a worry. Rides like a dream. Buy this car and youll never buy another brand again.