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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  Just plain AWESOME! - 2003 Acura RSX
  By Omi Oh My - June 5 - 10:00 am

  After drooling over the pictures in the brochure and staring at every other RSX on the road, I finally got my own beautiful Arctic Blue Pearl Type-S. This car is incredible. The interior is classy and refined, and the exterior a joy to look at. The ride and performance are excellent, made all the more enjoyable by the sound of the exhaust. For the money, there is no better alternative.

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  bang for the buck - 2003 Acura RSX
  By madjoe - June 5 - 10:00 am

  i am a master auto tech and this is by far the most fun car ive driven in 10 12 years of driving.the shifting is effortless and it handles like a M3 but half the price. all i have to say is 100 H.P. per liter naturally aspirated.unreal if everyone could do that the morning commute would be a pole position. go drive one and see for yourself. P.S. chicks are drawn to this one.

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  Acura TLX is a Fine Car - 2016 Acura TLX
  By Paul Grasewicz - June 4 - 11:06 am

  Test drove a Lexus ES-350, Mercedes C-300 and the Acura TLX V-6 Advance. The Acura was more spacious inside, it is wider and there is more headroom. Very quiet interior and the car seems to float over the road. No problems whatsoever with the 9 speed transmission. I understand it just took a software update. I was bothered by too much road noise in the Lexus and the height/head room is tight (plus no sunglass holder!). The Mercedes C-300 offers a high quality car. However I found it small inside, particularly the width. I really like the Acuras separate screen for the navigation and one for the sound system. The ELS 10 speaker system with surround is wonderful. I like to just sit in it and listen to my IPod. The car has very good acceleration and good gas mileage. There are more technology features than other similar luxury cars. Plus it is priced lower than the Lexus and Mercedes C-300. I highly recommend the Acura TLX, particularly the V-6 "Advance" (all the options). You get much more for the money. Test drive one, youll be convinced like me.

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  2 Dr GS-R Hatchback - 1999 Acura Integra
  By Jeff in TX - June 4 - 2:00 am

  Excellent car overall. Still could use a little more horsepower. Pretty fast (0-60 in about 7.2 sec, top speed over 120 mph), but not overwhelmingly so. Only fifty to seventy horsepower more would put it in the upper class of sports cars. VTEC engine lacks a bit in low-end torque, but does very well at higher rpm (over 3500). Redlines at 8000 and peaks in HP around 7200 - 7500 rpm. The engine is very happy pushed hard between 4000 and 7000 rpm. Overall the Integra GS-R is a solid, well built, and fun to drive car. The car has been very reliable. Only repair in over 65,000 miles is a power antenna that gave out. Pretty much bulletproof.

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  Fun, Practical Car - 1992 Acura Integra
  By Nitsud - June 4 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 1992 LS about two months ago and absolutely love it. It needs new brakes, the exhaust rattles at idle speeds, and only one speaker works, but it is fun to drive and it is practical. Despite being the smaller of two motors offered, it has great acceleration, great passing power, and great power for mountain passes. I can easily cruise at 100-115 on the interstate and hold 90 on the mountain passes. I love it!

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  Acura RL, excellent choice - 1996 Acura RL
  By jeffs3000 - June 4 - 2:00 am

  Just an excellent all-around car. My wife drives this car, and she totally loves it. Super smooth, powerful, and fun to drive.

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  1 fast 4 - 1994 Acura Integra
  By kidM0UA - June 3 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car with 70K miles on it and Ive put 15K on it since. I drag race my car all the time and its still holding up to all my abuse. I love it when I take out those V6 and a few v8s. I love the look on those drivers face when I tell them its only a 4cyl car. I love taken it past 6K rpm.

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  #1 Car Great and Reliable - 1999 Acura CL
  By KL - June 3 - 2:00 am

  I love my CL. I have owned several cars before her but she is the best. My CL has great pickup and in the three years that I have owned her I have not had any major problems. I change the oil and keep on going. It is a great car and I would highly recommend it!!

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  Acura owner for 12 years - 2000 Acura TL
  By annek07 - June 3 - 2:00 am

  I traded up from a 1990 Acura to the 2000 TL. Just when I was ready to jump to another manfacturer, I fell in love with the TL. Its got great pick up and is great fun to drive. My friends all think I spent $10 -12K more than I actually did.

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  Luxury and Value - 2002 Acura RL
  By bfisch - June 2 - 2:00 am

  This car is superb. I look forward to driving it because of the comfort, excellent ride, and sense of safety and reliability. On one slippery occasion the vehicle stability assist system kicked in and almost wrenched the steering wheel out of my hands while simultaneously taking control of the brakes to keep the car stable and going in the desired direction. Amazing! Everything works as designed. Like some other, I had low gas mileage but then adjusted tire pressure and am now getting 22-24 MPG on a regular basis. Not as many bells and whistles as Lexus or Audi, but less pricely.