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 Legend ever made - 1995 Acura Legend
  By paganpink - June 7 - 2:00 am

  With the 230 horse motor and sports suspension this bulltproof reliable Acura will outrun and outhandle anything made in Europe in its price range and have reliability as well! It has everything from heated seats and moonroof, to 4 wheel ABS, but mainly it is just fun to drive. And if a 525 BMW wants to play...

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  Best of Class?? - 2004 Acura RSX
  By AZESS - June 7 - 2:00 am

  After driving a Corolla for 150K miles, it was time to buy something fun to drive. I test drove the GTS Celica, Tiberon V6, GTI 1.8T, Jetta 1.8T and 6, Mustang GT and the Eclipse V6. Needless to say, I chose the RSX Type S based on performance, comfort and that all important "Fun to Drive" category. After 1 year and 23000 miles, I have nothing but praise for this car. Sure it is not the fasted thing on 4 wheels but it offers tremendous performance and quality at a price that puts it in a league of its own.

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  Amazing Acura Monster - 2002 Acura RSX
  By kayurpatel10 - June 7 - 2:00 am

  I recently purchased a 2002 Acura RSX base model was let me tell you its the best car that Ive ever invested in. The car has an awsome exterior design, comfortable and sporty interior and an power train that is sure to satisfy even the harshest critics. This vehicle deffinately turns heads (esp w/the ladies) the 2 12" subs, and the Acura dealer installed Comptech Catback Exhaust system aid in that...I love this car and Ill be sure to have it for a long time to come.

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  Luxury SUV at a price - 2005 Acura MDX
  By dl - June 6 - 6:06 am

  Having driven the MDX for several months, Ive found it to be a wonderful experience. Ive already taken it up to Lake Tahoe several times with no problems. It has plenty of power up the mountain with 4 power & equipment and ample braking power. My friends are impressed with its roominess. Being my first SUV, I looked at both the Lexus & MDX. I chose the MDX for its 3rd row seating. Theres just so much more room on an MDX and not everything is an option. One thing to keep in mind, Acura recommends using premium gas for the MDX.

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  Luxury with sport - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Mark - June 6 - 4:00 am

  I have had the car 1 month, 2K miles and averaged 33.5 mpg. I cant imagine not having the tech package. The stereo cannot be matched - crisp, clean, strong and the nav is very easy to use. The 6 speed manual is the soul of the car, the steering did take some getting used to, and became more predictive over time. It is not a point and shoot car like the Mazda3 S that I had, but it handles quite nicely with a much more refined feel. The engine is very sweet in the upper RPM, I have not found that I wished for more power, especially at $4/gallon. The seats are extremely comfortable.

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  i love it - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Element915 - June 6 - 2:00 am

  this car is awesome, i just got it, and i cant stop driving it... whenever i get out of the car i think of excuses to get back in and go places...

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  After 2 Months & 2000 Miles - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Catman1953 - June 5 - 5:16 pm

  Test drove both the TL & TSX and the TSX is a lot more fun to drive so I bought it. Love the interior and overall exterior, unsure about the huge grill. Im just hoping that it isnt a rock magnet. Performance and mpg are fine for my taste. My complaints are minor ones: way too much glare from the navi window, no inside gas door release, I can see it freezing it up in the winter, and when using the bluetooth its annoying to say dial or call a number and then having to confirm what you want to dial. Great handling car in the city and definitely comfortable. Simply love the car.

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  cute and fun - 2004 Acura RSX
  By arlozoe - June 5 - 2:00 am

  I LOOOOOVE this car. I am a Mom who loves this fun little car. My 16 year old daighter also loves to drive it. Many people turn and look when we drive by. It handles great.

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  Love it - 2005 Acura RL
  By Grenouille - June 3 - 5:20 am

  Love everything, the car is not perfect - but it is very close. It is not super sporty - but then it is not meant to be. It is a well-rounded, safe, comfortable luxury sedan with an excellent stereo. (Not a kid’s boom box – instead high quality sound is stressed.) Love the AWD in the winter, can do amazing things with the VSA turned off, or ultra safe with it on.

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  1995 integra rs - 1995 Acura Integra
  By Rick Mikal - June 3 - 2:00 am

  Best car i ever had