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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  Great SUV - 2002 Acura MDX
  By MRH - November 14 - 2:00 am

  I have used this vehicle to haul large items long distances on the roof to carry home improvement items and landscaping materials and to carry the family 5000 miles on vacation. There isnt a better, more reliable vehicle on the market.

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  The Best Car for cheep - 1996 Acura Integra
  By Garet - November 13 - 2:00 am

  I just got my Integra GS-R and I love it. It is one of the best cars for a good price. It is so easy to fix-up for cheep.

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  Best Used Car Buy Ever - 1994 Acura Legend
  By DHC - November 13 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car used (or rather certified pre-owned) with 41,000 miles on it. It now has close to 150,000 and shows no sign of slowing down. I originally bought the car because I needed a nice front-wheel drive car for long-distance driving in upstate NY which can be serious snow country in the winter. The car never let me down and provided an excellent ride along the way. Most Acura/Honda folks still lament that the Legend was replaced with the RL. Reliability has been superb with only basic wear items needing to be replaced (timing belt, brake pad/rotors, belts).

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  Why I chose the Integra R - 2000 Acura Integra
  By Nvious R - November 12 - 2:00 am

  I picked up the car for a modest 25k. I have never had so much fun in a car before. It always makes me forget that its still a 1.8 four banger. I outgun Mustangs and after some minor mods to my R, i pull that thing past 157mph with the needle swingin towards 8,400 RPM. Will there be another car like it? Not likely. Will i keep the car for as long as i hold a valid drivers license? Heck Yeah!

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  Wow!!! - 2004 Acura TL
  By PShelbyC - November 12 - 2:00 am

  All I can say is, "WOW!!". I am throughly impressed. No package prices to worry about--it comes loaded. And the stereo--Oh My God !!

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  The Car Is Awesome - 2004 Acura TL
  By Ashton - November 12 - 2:00 am

  This car is a must have... The car is so fun to drive... I would highly recommend this car over any car on the market right now.

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  Acura 3.2 TL Premium - 1996 Acura TL
  By Tyler - November 11 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car in November and love it so far. I find myself wanting to drive every time me and my friends go out. The car feels solid and is extremely reliable. This is all you need in a vehicle.

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  TOTALLY EXCELLENT - 2006 Acura TL
  By Baldi62 - November 10 - 6:43 pm

  Style (Jet Fighter looks ... Black Exterior with Parchment Interior ... None of the other color options can compare with this Luxo selection) Performance (Gotta love the passing power) Navigation Unit (Finds most addresses,restaurants,hotels and other locations with ease) Voice activated controls (For when you are bored with your long commute in traffic...and she doesnt mind it !!!) Price (FAGETABOUTIT!!! None of the other manufacturers can compare - feature for feature - they were all many thousands more!!!) With all the features this car has to offer I am just hoping that not too many others buy it because I like seeing only one or two on the road during my commute each day

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  300000 and still going strong. - 1992 Acura Integra
  By Bandman - November 10 - 2:00 am

  My black GS was the first new car and quite posssibly the best car I will have ever owned. I drove this car in the heat of Texas summers and I drove it very hard. I put over 300,000 miles on it before I traded it in for a CL, should have kept the Integra. The only things I ever had to change, other than oil, was my timing belt at 115,000 and 215,000( original equip always) and a couple of clutches ( my first standard too) and finally the radiator and fans. Now if you ask any mechanic they will tell you that IS a very ipressive record. I recommend this car to anyone who likes reliablity and to drive.

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  Best Buy - 2003 Acura RL
  By Douglas E. - November 10 - 2:00 am

  You cannot but a better car for the money.