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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  solid no comments. - 2005 Acura RSX
  By myung12 - February 14 - 10:00 am

  For the price, Its well worth it. very nice solid design,and quality inside and out is almost perfect. but it could be little nice if it was power setting and heating with fog light is not a option to buy. about 3 to 4 hour driving is little uncomfortible. This is very nice performence car with out no fog light, come on !

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  Surprisingly Refreshing!!! - 2010 Acura TL
  By Jeff Bradshaw - February 14 - 4:36 am

  I just came off lease of 2005 RL. I loved that car. The TL is actually more fun to drive. People are always commenting on the car now. I have the diamond white awd. The telematics are perfect. Acura built up from the RLs systems. Magnificent acceleration. Best Buy vs BMW and the Merc. About a 20k difference.

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  TYPE S - 2002 Acura CL
  By JAMES THURSTON - February 13 - 2:00 am

  GREAT ALL-AROUND CAR.VERY RELIABLE,THE ONE FEATURE THAT IS A BOTHER IS THE FRONT SEAT BELT SYSTEM WHICH DO NOT ALLWAYS RETRACT AND GET CAUGHT IN THE DOOR WHEN THE DOOR IS CLOSED.

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  Acura Fun - 2005 Acura TL
  By John Minton - February 12 - 12:50 am

  Sporty and really fun to drive. Acceleration is surprising. 0 to 60 in nothing flat. Very powerful little car. Gives you a great feel for the road.

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  can it be too much fun to drive ? - 2000 Acura Integra
  By NJL - February 11 - 2:00 am

  the car practically begs you to drive it faster. every trip to work or the store feels like a short grand prix. the power is a nice match to the suspension. sure the cupholders are annoying and the top gear should have a higher ratio, but otherwise it is as exact expression of a small street racer as any nsx or exotic. plus 100k miles to the first tuneup and an engine that feels like a motorcycle makes me want to keep this one for a long time.

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  Ready anytime! - 2002 Acura MDX
  By dboe - February 9 - 2:00 am

  This is a great utility vehicle, while having nice style, and good comfort. Acceleration is brisk, and handling is above average for any vehicle in its class. It is very stable on the road, at speed and/or under windy conditions. Space utilization is great. While it easy to load it up, the towing capacity is on the small side. Mileage is not bad for the weight of vehicle. Brakes are just adequate. They should be better, this is not an easy vehicle to snub down from speed quickly. Interior materials are on the cheap side. But so far everything seems to be holding up just fine.

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  fast,fast,fffast - 2006 Acura TL
  By dkhorse5 - February 8 - 11:03 pm

  rides like a preformance car.Not soft but moves in all gears.Gets out of its own way.

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  What a money pit!!!!!!!! - 1992 Acura Legend
  By jtttma - February 8 - 2:00 am

  I bought a 1992 Legend with $48k miles in 2000. I thought it would be a reliable car that would last me at least 8 more years. In the four years that I have owned it, I have poured thousands of dollars into it. A new A/C ($1200), radiator, two front axles, replaced all motor mounts (come on, when was the last time you replace a motor mount in a car) and a load of other things. I estimate that I have spent at least $5000 in the four years I have owned it. The engine and transmission, they say, are great, but every thing else is garbage. I tell everyone who wants to by a used Legend to be prepared to pay thousands in repairs.

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  reality of nsx - 2004 Acura NSX
  By duke3333333333333 - February 8 - 2:00 am

  STUNNING, AND LESS THAN 200 PER YEAR ARE MFD, MAKING MY RIDE SPECIAL. MAJOR PROBLEMS ARE FACTORY TIRES ARE TOO SOFT, LIFETIME OF RUBBER IS APX 6000 MILES IN DAY TO DAY DRIVING.ACURA SHOULD USE GOODYEAR F1S.RIDE WOULD BE BETTER AND RUBBER LAST TWICE AS LONG. THE LAST TIME I BURNT A CLUTCH OUT ON A SPORTSCAR- WAS IN 82, ON A 74 TRIUMPH TR6. CLUTCH ON THE NSX WEAR INCREDIBLY FAST & ACURA CHARGES 3G+ TO REPLACE. REASON 1 PURCHASES EXOTIC FROM HONDA/ACURA WOULD BE RELIABILITY. HOPEFULLY THE NEXT NSX WILL BE DESIGNED WITH THAT IN MIND. HOWEVER, I LOVE MY NSX!

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  Acura RL Special Edition - 2002 Acura RL
  By mbfan7769 - February 7 - 2:00 am

  Far and away the best, most reliable vehicle I have ever owned, and the most enjoyable driving vehicle I have ever been in. For a car its size, it handles very well in local, surface road traffic and is very comfortable on long Interstate highway trips. Very easy for full size adults to enter and exit the cockpit. So smooth and quiet on the highway that you dont realize you are going as fast as you are.