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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  Best car Ive ever owned!!! - 1997 Acura TL
  By RyanMorrow - August 26 - 2:00 am

  Going on 21 months now, and have had no problems with the car yet. It had 69,000 mi (@ 3yrs) and in the last 7 months Ive piled on more than 15,000 mi. The brakes squeel once in a while because the disc brakes are exposed, you have to learn not to pump the gas because it floods a little and takes a couple seconds to regain power (ie, at a stop sign/light), and there is quite a bit of road noise. I keep the great stereo system cranked, so I dont notice the noise at all though. Given the amount of mileage I accrue, Im hoping this car will hold up another 100,000 miles. When I do have to get another car, I look forward to buying another Acura!

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  Happy Buyer! - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Allen - August 23 - 7:53 pm

  Luckily, my 12mpg Infiniti QX56 has been traded and this 2009 Acura TSX is the replacement! I just wish I bought one of these before. Great handling! Smooth and quiet! Exceptional automobile! A good size trunk will work for weekend getaways with my wife and 2 girls! The design is "slick and sassy"! Ive owned a 95 Lexus ES300 and a 2002 Volvo S80. The Acura TSX beats both, in every way, by a mile!

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  My Review - 2001 Acura MDX
  By Paul314159 - August 22 - 2:00 am

  Great car, but the windshield sometimes "sings" at high speeds.

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  Heartbreaker - 1997 Acura CL
  By Radiomom - August 20 - 2:00 am

  Ive loved this car from the moment we test drove it. Ive babied it & always used the terrific dealer service). After 5 years, I have just had my first major mechanical problem, and its a biggie -- transmission. Im making the investment ($3600 - Acura chipped in with $900 off and a free rental) to keep it going for at least a few more years. The sound system is unmatched in any car Ive been in. Little things, like the leather starting to give on the seams, and the door on my glasses box (under the CD player) busting a hinge are my only annoyances. sigh. And that the transmission should go bad...

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  GREAT CAR - 1992 Acura Integra
  By HUBERT - August 18 - 2:00 am

  BEST CAR WE EVER OWNED. FUN TO DRIVE GREAT FUEL ECONOMY SOLID RIDE

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  Excellent car - 2003 Acura TL
  By DRM1 - August 18 - 2:00 am

  Excellent ride, nice acceleration with good roadholding. Very impressed with level of luxury given the price (especially good as I got a good discount since they are clearing out 03s with the arrival of the 04s). Relative to my previous cars fit and finish have been a real high for me.

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  better than my a4 - 2003 Acura TL
  By kronedog - August 18 - 2:00 am

  i loved my a4 but had 120k on it and was time to get rid of it. Other than cornering and passing in traffic, i will take the acura hands down. it is smooth, very comfortable, better on gas, and with all the accessories, it is better priced than the a4

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  Acura TL 6MT - 2004 Acura TL
  By gvahe - August 18 - 2:00 am

  Although Ive only had the car for 4 days, I cant stop driving it!!(TL with Navigation and 6MT) Previously had a 2002 Audi A4 3.0 Quatro, and for the money, the acura has this beat hands down.

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  Keep The TL in Mind - 2004 Acura TL
  By DGAR - August 18 - 2:00 am

  I researched and drove just about every sedan in this class and the TL is the best by far. The Vtech engine is very powerful and quiet. The interior is as stylish as there is in this class. Everyone who has driven in my TL loves it. I have a friend who drives a 5 series and loves his car from april- december but dreads the winter months here in New England. I on the otherhand cant wait for the snow, the TL is up to the challange!! Another friend has the Infinity G 35 and was disappointed that she didnt come across the TL when she was shopping. She instantly fell in love with my car. The changes from last years TL are plenty, drive this car!!

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  Simply a Great Car!!! - 2004 Acura TL
  By Talon70 - August 18 - 2:00 am

  I have been driving this car about a month and still cant wait to go to work in the morning to drive it. This Japanese car borrows heavily from German influenced styling which gives it a great ground hugging capability with a beautiful interior. I considered a 04 Maxima and this car CRUSHES the Maxima for only a fraction more in price. The quality of this car made the Maxima seem cheap in quality!!!