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 Car- - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Margie - December 1 - 9:00 am

  I just returned my 05 Jeep Liberty and leased the 09 TSX about 2 days ago. So far I love it. Nice change from the SUV. Luxury without putting you in the poor house.

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  Great Car! - 1993 Acura Integra
  By ubnpast - November 30 - 11:28 pm

  Excellent car, Very reliable and takes alot of beatings. Never breaks down, and If it ever got stolen, I would look for another 2g teg (90-93)

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  Great Car - 2005 Acura RSX
  By theboy_20001 - November 30 - 2:40 am

  I am very impressed with the type - s After driving a regular RSX there is no comparison. The type-s is quick and responsive with smooth shifting. The interior is very comfortable and stylish. I added the aftermarket armrest from boomerang, it is a definite improvement I dont know why they dont include one from the factory. I am very impressed with the stereo system. The exterior is nice it is a good looking vehicle, the lights are much better looking and the standard skirts and wheels are also an added feature. The sunroof is a good feature. I would have preffered a regular exhaust over the oversized exhaust but it is still ok.

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  Satisfies all your wants - 1997 Acura CL
  By Nerdboy - November 29 - 11:41 pm

  I originally bought this car because itcost $4,000 less than a comparable usedAccord Coupe and much better drive thana Camry Solara. Now that Ive had thecar for a year, I know I made the rightchoice. This car is ultra-smooth on thehighway. In the city, its veryresponsive and has a stiff ride, but nottoo harsh. It has all the features Ineed and they all work well except forthe ac/heater which is a little slow. On the down side, this car is hard topark in tight spaces because of itslarge turning radius, but this helps itsstability. The auto is a bit jerky, butsmooth if you accelerate fast enough. The only thing Ive had to fix is thepower window motor so far.

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  fun to drive - 2016 Acura TLX
  By alan - November 29 - 7:32 pm

  love the ride and how quiet the cabin is. handling is great as well as acceleration.

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  Amazing car, great value - 2004 Acura TSX
  By divenow - November 29 - 6:03 pm

  I just love this car - 1000+ miles on it already and no real problems. The styling is crisp and clean, and fit/finish is for the most part outstanding (there is a dashboard rattle/creak which the dealer needs to look at). Seats are well padded, the sound system is beautiful. Steering is nice and taut. Low-end torque isnt that strong, but past 4k rpm starts to make itself felt. There is a bit more road noise than Id like. Love the 50- series low profile tires, but wish they had better stock tires than the Michelins. But the bottom line is that for the same options, a BMW 325i or an Audi A4 1.8T would cost ~$3k more. THATs what sold me.

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  2005 Acura RL - 2005 Acura RL
  By Ron Bowness - November 29 - 2:56 am

  I live in a very snow ridden area and this vehicle is amazing in the snow, my driveway is on a grade and I live on top of a big hill, no Problem.

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  Dont buy a 02...buy an 03 - 2002 Acura TL
  By TL - Tranny - November 28 - 11:09 am

  The Acura TL Type-S is a great sport sedan. Acura has had a hard time with the 02 transmissions. Its a specific range of VIN numbers and if your car falls with in...there is an expected chance of problems with your vehicle. Mine is one of them. Not only do I have one of these cars but 2 and they both exhibit the same qualities. To make the story short, Im on my 4th trasmission and its due for the next. You come to recognize the signs! The talk I have heard from my countless visits to my dealer is the 03 have had no problems. I will say the car has never left me stranded, but I have had to push it out of parking spots because of no "Reverse."

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  Lovely Car for the money - 2004 Acura RL
  By Gardiner Westbound - November 28 - 9:47 am

  Refined, responsive, and nicely appointed. Intelligently designed and well executed. On Consumer Reports Most Reliable list.

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  What I have been looking for! - 2005 Acura RSX
  By zorman71 - November 27 - 5:42 pm

  Been looking at many different cars for ~2months. Then I went to the Acura dealer, where my journey ended. This car is very fun to drive, environmently guit-free, and I enjoy the heck out of communting to work & short trips on the weekends. So far it seems I can comfortably double any speed sign an any exit ramp while riding alone. My 4 year old daughter loves hanging out in the back on weekend drives, plenty of room for the 3 of us (me, mom & her). Should also note I tested the Scion TC3 & the RSX towers.