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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  bmw-audi competitor - 2004 Acura TL
  By jimchicken - February 23 - 2:00 am

  i test drove the audi a4,bmw 330 and then the acura tl.audi a4 quatrro is very sluggishwith loose steering. bmw had slightly better cornering ablilty than acura tl with less body lean.bmw engine and acuras were both impressive but bmw is 10k more.overall acura interior much better than bmw,audi. and a much better value this car will scare the hell out of the germans, i highly recommend it

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  A fun Car - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Jeff - February 22 - 6:43 am

  Have had car for two days. Traded in a Camry Hybrid for more than I paid for it 8 months ago w/9k miles on it and couldnt pass on the opportunity. The Camry Hybrid averaged 35 miles per gallon and was a bit uncomfortable, not fun to drive, and most of all I felt that the current hybrid hoopla will soon be looked upon like a fad as new technology is introduced. The 09 TSX gets "near" what I got with the Camry Hybrid, but is more fun and the intention is to drive it to 150k+ miles like I did with my 97 TL (my 03 MDX has 80k miles on it). Have two small kids and the backseat, of course, has slightly less room than the Camry - biggest con, but expected longevity and drive make up for it.

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  Need 4DR RSX - 2002 Acura RSX
  By WantRSX4DR - February 21 - 10:00 am

  I dont own a RSX, but I test drove it. It is nice. I wish Acura would offer a 4dr model.

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  Amazing SUV - 2002 Acura MDX
  By paul654 - February 21 - 10:00 am

  Excellent vehicle drives like a towncar lifted up in the air. Excellent power and excellent sound system. The Navagation is the most accurate and easy to use, 1 disk covers all 50 states. Plenty of room. Amazing gas mileage. Nothing bad to say its great, if you can get your hands on one. High demand and short supply.

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  The Perfect Car - 2003 Acura TL
  By johnthegator - February 21 - 10:00 am

  I just purchased my 3.2 TL with Navi. last week. I cant believe I was considering other cars. The Navi. is a great toy; I may never own a car without one (although I really dont NEED it). The performance is supurb, and the feel is fantastic. The value is impossible to beat. What other cars have the extras this one does for even 5K more? NONE! Im a very happy camper!

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  great car for the money - 1996 Acura TL
  By LA Denizen - February 19 - 10:40 pm

  My wife & I bought our TL used from a Honda dealer in suburban Seattle. For what we were spending (~$20k), it was the best deal in a 4-dr sport luxe sedan. Its extremely reliable (Honda!), very practical (Honda!), and quite upscale (Honda?!). For a long car, it handles well. Not BMW precise, and its too softly tuned, but good. The turning radius is astounding. Passengers love the interior for its simplicity yet elegance. I feel the same about the exterior styling, tho its conservative.

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  My Acura MDX 2004 - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Liza Cruz - February 18 - 10:00 am

  Having search for many months for a SUV, I decided on the MDX, the price was right, 1st and formost, the vehicle was what I wanted, the performance was great, the safety features where excellent, this SUV is great.

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  best one yet - 2004 Acura TL
  By HR ICON - February 18 - 10:00 am

  This silver Acura TL with a black leather interior brings a smile to my face every time I approach it. The smile lasts through the entire drive.

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  TL: great value but still a comprmise - 2004 Acura TL
  By InJune - February 18 - 10:00 am

  Bot TL instead of 330i. Saved money and got more features. TLs interior looks and feels quality vs the stark 330i interior. Camel leather matches great w/ black exterior. 6sp is butter- smooth. Severe flaw is torque steer, which in conjunction with vague clutch action, makes it mighty tough to launch smoothly. Net/net, great value package, but I already own MDX and Accord for utility and value and TL was the wrong choice for fun-driving in my time away from shuttling kids to soccer.

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  2004 TL w/NAV & Auto - 2004 Acura TL
  By ibplato - February 18 - 10:00 am

  Ive had it a week and it is a blast to drive. Perfect combination of performance & luxury when compared to its competition.