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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  All I wanted and More! - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Chizzy - May 15 - 10:00 am

  After reading every review for the TSX i could find, and considering other vehicles...BMW 3 infiniti G25 subaru legacy GT and Honda accord ex V6... this car has the best of all i tested with few comprimises. Ive driven this car on the freeways of phoenix and the twisty roads of northern arizona. This car has two personalities. Quiet and smooth on the commutes, loud and confident on the weekends. The interior is absolutely beautiful. If youre considering a V6 accord, DO NOT BUY IT until you test drive a TSX. There is a substantial difference in style and performance with similar prices. Honda could get away with selling the TSX for more.

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  ya ya - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Wilson420420 - May 15 - 10:00 am

  Awesome car and awesome to drive.....wish my mom got the manual. Its just not the same with that triptronics stuff

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  Overall - Very Nice - 2004 Acura TL
  By happy0506 - May 15 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my TL for almost 6 months now and overall it has been very good. Its got plenty of power and is very smooth in acceleration. The interior is very well laid out and has almost every feature you could ever want. The interior dash lights up like a cockpit and the navigation system is awesome. I cant believe more cars dont have a navigation system. The screen is very big and the touch screen controls are very convenient.

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  love it - 2004 Acura TL
  By gooo - May 15 - 10:00 am

  i love this car

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  Reliability/customer care could improve - 2004 Acura TL
  By beh_rooz - May 15 - 10:00 am

  Performance, tasteful interior, and slick exterior designs are the best features of this car. I chose the Acura TL over its German competitors because of reliability. However, I was let down when after two weeks the sound system started developing a severe static noise such that listening to anything in the car was unberable. I was further let down when the problem was not fixed after the car had been left with the dealer twice for several days. Going for the third time to see if they can figure the problem out. Not an enjoyable experience! So much for reliability and customer care :(

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  I miss my BMW - 2004 Acura TL
  By angelika - May 15 - 10:00 am

  This is a great car for a great price. Unfortunately, after driving only BMWs for the last 10 years, I miss my old car ! The ride is nowwhere as sooth and luxuries feeling than my old BMWs. It also needs a better armrest. My biggest complaint is the steering wheel columm. I am only 57, yet my knee always bumps on the steering wheel even though I have it on the highest setting. But, overall this is a great car for the price !

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  The True Flagship - 2004 Acura RL
  By Ozz - May 15 - 2:00 am

  Its the best built and reliable car!! Less maintenance then a bmw or benz!!

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  MY SECOND R L - 2004 Acura RL
  By DUFF - May 15 - 2:00 am

  FUN TO DRIVE. VERY FAVORABLE COMMENTS FROM PEOPLE WHO SEE AND RIDE IN IT. ADAQUATE TRUNK ROOM. THE SATALITE RADIO IS A PLUS. I HAVE USED THE MAP FEATURE AND LIKE IT

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  Satisfied owner of Acura - 2004 Acura RL
  By ydnic - May 15 - 2:00 am

  4th Acura that I have owned. I have been a satisfied Acura owner for over 15 years.

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  a great car for thr price - 2004 Acura RL
  By kal4 - May 15 - 2:00 am

  1 year after leasing a rl 3.5,i have all praise for this luxary car.i have leased lincoln.caddys,lexas.they dont compair to the acura.the 3.5 is comfortable,.easy to drive,super turning ratio.the on-star-xm radio-map guidance are all a joy to have.1 radio station from nj to florida....