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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  Perfect Car under $35k - 2004 Acura TL
  By JoganJani - January 12 - 10:00 am

  This is a kindda car I always wanted. With all options, with all toys, with a good performance, with good styling and still good price. The only car I could justify for the price. Best value for $$. Id compared G35, CTS, base 530i, ES300 and TL was not a difficult decision.

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  BMW Eater - 2004 Acura TL
  By Plapo - January 12 - 10:00 am

  The TL is a great sports sedan and an even better value. There is nothing like having BMW 3 and 5 series for lunch at stop lights, not to mention the superior finish, reliability, and value of the Acura. The design is fresh and not often seen on the road. The engine is excellent, a lot of torque with the reliability and engineering you expect from Acura. The suspension is tight, but not uncomfortably so. 0-60 performance/ highway driving excellent. The understeer from the front wheel drive is something to be aware of and the rear end is a tad light at high speed cornering. The growl of this car alone in the $50K+ like interior is worth it!

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  Awesome - 2008 Acura MDX
  By Ali Samara - January 12 - 7:53 am

  This is a great car. Ive had it for about three weeks and it is just so fun to drive. I added the 19" chrome wheels and it just looks great. The 300 hp engine is powerful and the nav system is the best on the market. Dont know how I ever lived without it. Best cross over suv on the market.

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  Funnest Car Ive ever driven! - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Barbie - January 11 - 2:06 pm

  I LOVE this car! At first I was nervous about spending $25K on a car, but man it was worth every penny. The type S has such a "rich" feeling about it and the driving experience is unbeatable. I love having so much speed and power. I recommend this car to everyone I know looking for a new car!

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  It is a great car - 2003 Acura TL
  By tony lee - January 9 - 2:00 am

  I like this car!

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  Love My RL - 2005 Acura RL
  By FredPhiPsi - January 8 - 11:06 am

  I am a car buff and an Audi junkie. My last 7 cars have been Audi A6s or its equivalent (i.e. 100, 5000). When I decided to buy the RL I was hoping I would not suffer Audi separation distress. No problem. The RL is a joy to drive. It is geared so well, I never use the auto stick which I used 100% of the time when driving the A6. The radio is the best I have ever heard in an automobile. The ride is a perfect blend between sporty responsiveness and comfort. Steering is awesome with good feedback from the road and great on-center control. Seating is extremely comfortable. I am a Realtor and the NAV system is the best I have ever used. The all wheel drive is the best out there.

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  Nice looking 2016 SUV! - 2016 Acura RDX
  By Tanya - January 7 - 12:27 pm

  I just bought mine in June. Love the look! Roomy and smooth ride! I just wish Acura still make V4 with turbo.

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  Best for the Bucks! - 2009 Acura TSX
  By P MAZE - January 5 - 9:56 pm

  I recently purchased 2 09 TSXs for my wife and son. I own an 07 MDX. Acura is smart in providing a great deal of similarity between all models. The 09 TSX now becomes the little brother to the TL as opposed to the being the big brother to the Civic. My wife had an 05 TSX which we added the ground effects package to to make it stand out. Nothing was really functional and the 09 has seemed to incorporate this in its styling while bearing strong similarities and function to my Tech MDX. Nice ride, excellent handling and eye catching styling. Reliability has always been great and so far gas mileage is as advertised. I have owned a lot of high end. This is the best for the bucks.

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  Out handle an S2000 with 3 kids - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Cale Jones - January 5 - 7:06 am

  My MDX elite in sport suspension mode will out handle my S2000. The way that the Super Handling AWD works with the magnetic suspension it is like you are on rails.

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  Its a Blessing - 2005 Acura TL
  By Daniel Argueta - January 4 - 11:46 pm

  A treat to have, all the features and comfort included in the car, versus having to dress it up. My family and I are very happy to have bought the car.