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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  So Fun to Drive - 2003 Acura TL
  By BOBBG - March 25 - 10:00 am

  This car was built without any flaws. A super car for freeway ride. Very quiet and comfortable, handles superbly in mountains and winding roads, with all of the comfort features to enjoy.

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  Hot ! Hot ! Hot ! - 2005 Acura TL
  By Bill - March 20 - 6:16 pm

  Just purchaed my new TL, after 6 years with my old TL and 105K miles. The new car smokes the old TL. Much sportier, with 17" wheels.The steering wheel is more responsive and the ride firmer. The only negative compared to the old TL is the ride is lower to the ground and not as soft especially in the front passenger seat.It would be nice to have all the same seat controls on this side as the driver side to raise the seat up. The Nav system with voice activation is great well as the bluetooth phone capability. Car comes with almost everything you would want as a base car. Cant beat the price and Value !

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  Performance - 2005 Acura RL
  By Kevin M. Kraft, Sr. - March 19 - 5:33 pm

  I think that BMW needs to change their slogan regarding the BMW being the Ultimate Driving Machine. Apparently they havent driven the new 2005 Acura RL. This is my 3rd Acura RL and this car is completely redesigned. The handling and ride of this car has far exceeded my past RLs.

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  Booya!!!!!!!MUCH LOVE FOR MY ACURA!!!!!! - 2003 Acura TL
  By bigdaddybeliever - March 18 - 10:00 am

  THE CARS BUTTERY SMOOTH V6 IS A MONSTER. RIGHT AFTER I TEST DROVE THIS CAR, I NEW THAT I HAD TO HAVE IT. IT HAS GREAT LOOKS WITH A ENGINE THAT WILL KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF. I TEST DROVE THE G-35, NISSAN ALTIMA, VW PASSAT, AND CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT FOR THE MONEY YOU CANT BEAT IT. THE FACT THAT EVERYTHING WAS STANDARD REALLY MADE IT APPEALING. THE CABIN AND TRUNK ARE VERY SPACIOUS. THE ENGINE REACTS VERY WELL. ILL BE DRIVING ALONG AND BEFORE I KNOW IT IM CRUISING AT 80MPH WITH LITTLE EFFORT. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS CAR TO ANYONE WHO IS IN THE MARKET FOR A SPORTS LUXURY SEDAN.

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  You gotta check this car out! - 2004 Acura TL
  By jazzblu - March 18 - 10:00 am

  We just bought the new tl 2 months ago and this car definetly made us smile. Body styling was awesome especially w/ underbody kit..you gotto see it to appreciate it. The interior? hard to believe its made by honda..excellent!! sound systems superb espcially when using a DVD-A. Everythings soft. I use to drive Tl Type S Everything is totaly diff. except the power. If you are planning to buy BMW 3 s or Lexus, Try the TL first!

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  What a car - 2004 Acura TL
  By TRSLBS - March 18 - 10:00 am

  Was the first one to purshase off the dealers lot a 2004 TL in October in Nighthawk Black Pearl with Nav. Never owned a black car and was a little hesitant about the color but wife convinced me that since the car had a extremely dark blue hue to it in direct sunlight it would be a nice change. This car is head and shoulders above previous 2001 TL which I owned and Acura is more than on the right track with this redesign. Car handling is outstanding and the car is quieter than previous models. This car is extremely solid and for the money deserves a very, very serious look in realtionship to other vehicles in its class.

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  Great Car - 2003 Acura TL
  By TLOwner - March 14 - 12:30 am

  You cant get a better car for the money. There is no need to add anything to the base product as all of the required features are standard. Ive owned this vehicle for 6 months and am extremely pleased with the performance.

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  Best car in the Pack! - 2004 Acura TL
  By kingpin2004 - March 12 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. It has everything you could possibly need or want and its fast! You cant beat the excellent value. I could have paid $15,000 more for the same thing if it had a little propeller on the hood with clouds in the background...lol. Good job Acura!! This time you really did it.

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  I love my TL!!!! - 2006 Acura TL
  By Belinda - March 11 - 4:03 pm

  I bought my TL after 10 years of driving the Denali. I thought it would take a while to get used to sitting down low but after driving for one week I knew Id made the right choice. It is so much fun to drive and the gas mileage is awesome. I get 34 on the highway. The luxury inside the car is awesome as well. The a/c dials down to 58 degrees and in this hot Texas weather it is awesome! I looked at a lot of cars and this car for the money couldnt be beaten. I got the 18" chrome wheels, wood trim inside and some extra body moldings outside and I get so many compliments! My girlfriend has a BMW 550 and she is just smitten with my TL.

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  Great car - 2007 Acura TL
  By Jon Ford - March 11 - 3:24 pm

  Uses premium gas. Otherwise, an ideal vehicle.