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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  Love it! - 2004 Acura MDX
  By WhipNme - June 26 - 10:00 am

  Absolutely love driving the MDX. It has a very smooth drive for an SUV. Fun and very attractive. Lots of standards and options. Radio system is excellent. Best car that we have ever had! And the wife is picky!

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  Nice Whip - 1999 Acura Integra
  By simpleman - June 26 - 2:00 am

  Just bought a 99, and I have been impressed with its handling, from suspension to transmission. Michelin tires do definitely leave something to be desired. Car drives like new and looks great.

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  Why dont more people buy this car? - 1994 Acura Integra
  By Leak - June 25 - 2:00 am

  This car has been so reliable and so much fun to drive. The one car I have owned that has never left me stranded and still has as much power as the day I bought it. At 116,000 miles I have had to replace some leaky and noisy components but the engine still runs smooth and the ride even smoother. Initially I bought it for reliability and drive but the look of the car has also grown on me. I will miss it when I sell it many miles from now.

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  MY second Acura TL - 2005 Acura TL
  By MICHELLE CIARLELLI - June 24 - 8:53 am

  This is my second Acura TL. I previously had a 2000 TL, which I absolutely loved. I had a really nice Volvo, but I preferred the Acura to Volvo because it was a bit more "young". The 2000 TL was a more comfortable car than the 2004, which is very sporty and quick, has an awesome radio with XM and 6 discs. The hands free phone is great. I also appreciate the fact that the safety ratings are good. My husband recently had it at 110 mph, IÂ’m glad I wasnt in the car. It is truly an awesome vehicle and I am enjoying it.

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  Tates Review of the 00 GSR - 2000 Acura Integra
  By Biofreak70 - June 24 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car as my first manual and chose it because of the aftermarket available to it. I was quick to learn (but with such a great transmission, what can you expect), and I have already started to tinker with it to try to draw as much power as possible out of it.

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  awsome - 1995 Acura Integra
  By ill will - June 23 - 2:00 am

  this is the best car in the world

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  3rd TL and counting - 2006 Acura TL
  By Gary Horton - June 20 - 3:10 pm

  Had 2 Legend LS prior to 2000 TL and 2003 TL S type. Lease was up on S type and loved all previous Acuras...so this was a natural progression. All TLs had Navi...as a R/E agent it is very usefull because Phoenix AZ is growing like a weed. Still the best bang for your buck. Everything works like it is supposed to do. Special ceramic tint works like a charm in blocking out extra harsh PHX heat and damaging ultra violet rays. Will buy another when lease is up. Handles like a true sports sedan and cockpit is perfectly layed out. Passangers have said the back seats were most confortable and sound system is awsome.

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  My review - 1995 Acura Integra
  By Sendog - June 20 - 2:00 am

  Integras are the tightest cars, i love driving mine and adding new accessories to it... to make it faster of course:) I think its a great car

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  4 Dr GS Sedan - 1998 Acura Integra
  By Remella - June 20 - 2:00 am

  Really Great Car. I am drove many vehicles but nothing comes close to Acura.

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  Love it! - 2005 Acura TSX
  By roger t. - June 19 - 6:23 pm

  Love this car! perfect balance of comfort and performance. Im always thinking of excuses to drive it!