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 Far, Mostly Good - 2005 Acura TL
  By JG Lewis - February 11 - 3:10 pm

  My wife did the research on several cars in this class and decided this was the one. I had not even considered an Acura, and assumed she would select a BMW 325. The navigation system was a must have, and I admit it has been well worth the money. We traveled out of state weekend after we bought the car, typed in the location, and although it told us "we were no longer on a digitized road" (or something like that) directed us to our location. Performance is excellent. We have had trouble twice with electrical problems. The outside air temperature indication fails, followed buy "quirky" electrical issues. The dealer has resolved the issues. Look at an Acura, she already wants the SUV.

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  Better then the Avalon - 2006 Acura TL
  By Oleytwo - February 11 - 12:03 pm

  Drive 40K+ a year,drove them both, Avalon has a nice ride, Acura a little more firm, but more comfortable. Could not accept the Avalon interior and seats, like driving 1990 Buick. Acura is a notch above in quality and less $ then the Limited. Better value, lot more standard features and get 27- 28MPG.

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  Excellent value in its class - 2009 Acura TSX
  By Anh Nguyen - February 11 - 4:20 am

  Some ask why I just didnt buy an Accord.. it wouldve been cheaper. After 4000 miles now in my TSX, I can tell them the TSX is definitely worth the extra few grand over the Accord. The ride is better, the materials and fit and finish is a notch above that of the Accord. And the Accord is just a little bit too big for me. Looked at competing products from Lexus, Audi, BMW, etc. and the TSX cannot be beaten in terms of value. Load up the others with the same options as in the TSX and you can expect to pay much more.

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  2005 Acura RL - 2005 Acura RL
  By sfagel - February 10 - 9:23 pm

  Excellent handling, comfortable and reliable. The electronics and features are awesome. The only negative is that it passes everything on the highway but the gas station.

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  Value-for-money champ - 2003 Acura MDX
  By hermantam - February 10 - 10:00 am

  - Superior value over Lexus - Reliability over most European brands per JD Power (I traded-in my problematic ML for the MDX) - Sportier than the RX and GX: precise steering, great engine - Better looking than the FX

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  A Fun and Comfortable Ride - 2008 Acura TL
  By kkrtrek - February 9 - 8:26 pm

  Traded in our 10-month old Civic for the TL because the tall driver (me) could not get comfortable in the drivers seat. Otherwise, the Civic was the perfect car. The TL solved the comfort problem with very comfortable, adjustable seats. It is fun to drive, easy to handle, and just an all around "nice car." Was looking for a somewhat sporty sedan for the family of three. Neither the wife nor I wanted the soft ride of a Camry or a Lexus(?), nor the harsh ride of a true sports car. For us, the TL hit the sweet spot in the middle. Still getting used to the "luxury" aspects of owning this car.

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  Great car could use a bit more power - 2006 Acura TSX
  By STeveN - February 5 - 3:06 am

  This is a great car. The interior is beautiful and everything works great. I have yet to see a better navi system and all pasengers are very comfortable. As much as I love this car I must admit it is a bit underpowered and a V-6 or a V-4 with more horsepower and more importantly more torque would make this car perfect. It drives great and is always fun to drive. The exterior styling is conservative but works well. If your looking for a car that is fun to drive and a great value this is your car.

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  2005 MDX - tested better than the rest - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Texan - February 1 - 4:10 pm

  Early days, but extremely satisfied: soft ride, good acceleration, great nav & stereo, seats all roomy and comfortable, and sits high with good view of surrounding traffic. Road tested (over 2 month period) against Lx-330, Fx-35, M-Class, VW-T and the Pilot (just see if there was a difference since everyone said it was just a Pilot - Acura is a much tighter drive, not to mention the luxury items - it is different).

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  05 TL - Best in Class - 2005 Acura TL
  By Kareem - January 31 - 12:56 pm

  Had the 02 TL-Type S and loved it. This model is an improvement in every way from looks to performance to features. Quick acceleration with firm but comfortable ride. Surround sound is great but limited selection for DVD-As and theyre more $$ than CDs. Acuras reliability is among the best and Im looking forward to years of pure driving pleasure.

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  2017 Acura RDX Advanced Package - 2017 Acura RDX
  By Jim Andrews - January 30 - 12:20 am

  While cargo area appears large when empty, it quickly fills up with luggage and other trip items.