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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  The best overall near luxury car you buy - 2006 Acura TSX
  By tyluv - April 25 - 10:20 am

  I really wanted a 01-03 BMW 530i, but could not see me paying 30k-35k for a used car! I checked out the vw passat, gti, jetta, audi A3, bmw 3series, ford mustang gt, lexus is250, infiniti g35, nissan maxima, saab 9-3, and the volvo s40. nothing and I mean nothing in this price range will give you the value and features of the TSX!!! Bluetooth, navi w/ voice recognition, memory seats, xm radio (youll never listen to regular radio again), mood lighting, dual exhaust, hid headlights, power heated leather seats, heated mirrors, dual zone climate control, and above all else, Honda/Acura reliabilty. Try all the others, but if you want reliability, value, and standard premium features. Buy TSX!

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  Very agile, fun-to-drive car - 2002 Acura CL
  By bruce007 - April 25 - 2:00 am

  This Type-S model is a very agile, fast machine. Handles well on curvy roads. Definitely fun to drive. I cannot believe all the standard equipment, and very high-tech. It is a tremendous bargain in its market group. Excellent sound system. My only issues: I would like the exact car with a telescopic steering wheel and tilt headrests, 1 inch more head room in the front and rear. Please, Acura, come out with a higher-end version.

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  Solid ride - 2002 Acura RL
  By mikerob - April 25 - 2:00 am

  Newsflash....A CAR IS NOT AN INVESTMENT! This car is by far the best value for the money. Have driven S-type Jag, GS, A6 and Q45. Nice cars but I will be forever be a Acura owner because they include virtually all options(minus nav)in the price of the car. Very nice! I drive mostly in town so I have no need for a V8. Anyone with any common sense should see why this is a car worth looking at.

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  Simply The BEST - 1997 Acura CL
  By KenNJ - April 25 - 2:00 am

  Im no kid, Ive been driving for 32 years. Ive owned a 72 Datsun 240Z and 70 Dodge Charger SE, so Im no stranger to performance cars. Without a doubt, the CL is the most luxurious sport sedan Ive personally owned or driven. Reliability is fantastic and the fuel economy is great for the 6 cyl (better than my Toyota Avalons), which is no mean feat. The car is so well put together, ya can hardly tell when youre well over the speed limit

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  A Perfect 10 - 2003 Acura TL
  By ontheair - April 24 - 10:00 am

  This car has it all. The power, ride and comfort are excellent. This is a step up from the Honda Accord EX-V6. The best value within its class. I paid less than $500 over the invoice price. The nighthawk black sedan with parchment leather seats looks real sharp. I added gold lettering and a burlwood shift knob. The Bose audio system has superb sound quality.

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  Gods chariot - 1992 Acura Integra
  By Mugen13 - April 24 - 2:00 am

  Car shakes a lot causing body panels to rattle, but thats probably due to the 3 frontal accidents and the one rear end accident. We had to change the oil pump at 85k miles and the transmission is starting to slip. BUt this is due to lack of needed transmission fluid. OEM speakers sound pretty good.

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  love my 3.0 CL - 1997 Acura CL
  By nhl1 - April 24 - 2:00 am

  Very fast and Great fun to drive, outstanding and unmatched visibility, very comfortable and utterly reliable. Nice looking too. I think I wasted my money on an extended service contract since quality is so high. My second Acura over 13 years.

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  I wish this thing would die - 1992 Acura Vigor
  By pikapp22 - April 23 - 2:00 am

  This car is great. Ive had minor problems with it. It now has 166K miles on it. I wont die so I cant get a new car (wink-wink). Compares favorably to a 3-Series.

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  Great Car - 1996 Acura Integra
  By I love Imports - April 23 - 2:00 am

  Great Car, Fun To Drive, Quick, Agile, all a sports car should be!!

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  great car, fun drive - 1998 Acura TL
  By srb - April 23 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car after owning a 92 Legend for almost 7 years. Acura continues to produce amazing cars with great performance for the value. Amazing acceleration from this 3.2 litre V6. Highly recommended.