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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  2.5 tl - 1997 Acura TL
  By cms1027 - March 27 - 2:00 am

  car rides great. never had problems.

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  Keeps on Ticking - 1992 Acura Legend
  By KenfromGA - March 27 - 2:00 am

  Bought this new in 92. Now has 175,000 miles. Had every maintenance done on schedule and changed the oil at least every 4,000 miles. Runs and handles like a new car. Repairs: AC compressor at 150,000 - Radiator at 173,000. Other normal "wear and tear" as expected. This baby is still solid and rides like a dream. Hope to make at least 250k - 300k miles.

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  My Acura 3.2 TL - 1999 Acura TL
  By berstan - March 27 - 2:00 am

  Been a wonderful car. have had nothing but Hondas and Acuras since 1892 and this is the best of them all with the possible exception of my 1992 Acura Legend. It has been in the garage for service, other than oil changes, exactly once. This month the odometer display failed and was replaced under warranty by our local dealer

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  The best front driver - 2001 Acura Integra
  By mtlisi - March 26 - 2:00 am

  Absolutely the best of the field, Well honed machine with noe equivication of its intended purpose. A true street legal race car.

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  Great Car - 1990 Acura Integra
  By pwatson - March 25 - 2:00 am

  I have 160,000 miles on this car that I have had for ten years. I have only done routine service on it, and just replaced my alternator about a month ago. I have never had any problems with the clutch or transmission and have had no major engine trouble.

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  Great Car - 1992 Acura Legend
  By Qball - March 25 - 2:00 am

  I have 220,000 miles on this car. Bought it new and it has been terrific!! Original exhaust system still remains...unbelievable!!! On my 5th set of tires, have changed oil (synthetic) every 5,000 miles since new...this baby will run forever!!!

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  The Perfect Car - 1998 Acura CL
  By Isaiah - March 25 - 2:00 am

  This is my second Acura, and I am spoiled. In the four years that I have had the car, the only service has been an oil change. When I see the service problems and little things going wrong that people with GM and Ford and Chrysler cars put up with in the first couple years of ownership, I can only laugh at what they call "value" and reliability.

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  The MD-X Rules - 2001 Acura MDX
  By DonnyDjr - March 25 - 2:00 am

  The MD-X is by far the greatest SUV made when comparing performance, value, reliability, resale price, looks and quality. The wait is well worth it.

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  Awesome Car! - 2003 Acura RSX
  By RSX_Enthusiast - March 23 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car for anyone who is looking for a mix of luxury and sport for a reasonable price. I looked at $30K cars that I didnt like as much as the RSX Type-S!

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  Safety, Reliabity, Comfort, Fun - 2002 Acura TL
  By Duke Fans - March 23 - 2:00 am

  Weve had no problems. We love it! My wife drives all over the state and it has performed great.