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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  Very satisfied - 2002 Acura TL
  By megadude - December 16 - 2:00 am

  I also test drove many other cars in the same general price range before buying this car. I thought it was the best car. I have had it for over 2 years. I still believe it is the best entry level luxury car. Period. Dont understand the comments about noisy air conditioning. Mine is whisper quiet ... even on the hottest, muggiest days of a Florida summer.

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  Mikes Acura MDX Review - 2002 Acura MDX
  By mikedhilljr - December 15 - 2:00 am

  We are very pleased to have purchased the 2002 Acura MDX. The outstanding exterior styling is matched with outstanding performance. Not the most powerful engine in the world, but more than sufficient for its purpose. This vehicle is highly recommended.

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  select observations - 2005 Acura TL
  By ccartini - December 14 - 6:46 pm

  slight vibration on the highway, to be checked next week; 6th acura over past 13 years, 4 of which were rls; wonderful and dependable autos; the new tl tops them all for driving performance and fun.

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  Techno-Driving in Style - 2006 Acura TL
  By AndyTous - December 13 - 12:50 pm

  This is a very comfortable vehicle with great variety of standard equipment. I love the included hands- free bluetooth setup with will even allow you to store speed dial numbers. The audio systems with DVD-A is brutal and sounds like youre inside a studio cabin. As far as driving performance, this car is athletic enough for the price, plus, you get tons of standard extras that other "German Rivals" will charge you a ton of money for adding.

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  Luxury Economy Car - 2004 Acura RSX
  By EddieRSX - December 13 - 10:00 am

  I have the Base RSX Automatic. I love the car! I have had the car about 2 weeks now, and I have had no problems driving it. I can take it through fast turns, and it stops on a dime. The A/C is automatic everything, so you name the temp. and it does the rest. Its got really cool mirror defoggers and its comfortable to ride in. I had the integra before, and this car really is better then ever.

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  No words to describe it - 2004 Acura TL
  By nooneimportant - December 13 - 10:00 am

  It was just unbelievable, the car ran corners without hesitation, you can feel the engine accelerating

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  only a week ..... but - 2004 Acura TL
  By fdsavoy - December 13 - 10:00 am

  ive only had it a week, but so far i just enjoy being in it. i had a 2000 tl which was the best car ive ever owned (pevious cars bmw 528, volvo 960)never had a single problem with 2000 tl in 45000 miles.the 2004 has a stiffer body more solid,vault like feel,better handling, and much quicker.sound system is scary good.the total package is just subperb.if i get the same reliability as my 2000 t.l. i could be an acura poster boy.

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  PITA - 1990 Acura Legend
  By Ralph Schwartz - December 13 - 2:00 am

  This car has always been a minor pain - 2 climate control sampler fans ($), light switch ($$), transmission control module ($$$), power antenna quit. Then all hell broke loose last year - transmission rebuild ($3.000!!) Didnt have another car ready, so had work done. Now its making a noise which might be a pinion bearing (would be major $ again), and the radio has stopped completely (no power to it at all). The leather is definitely sub- standard, and has worn poorly, for what this car cost me when new.

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  Outstanding Quality - 1999 Acura CL
  By cgrindahl - December 12 - 2:00 am

  I bought a pre-owned CL 2.3 two years after it first left the dealership. Ive been delighted in every way by the experience of owning and driving this well designed and carefully crafted vehicle. Despite the four cylinder engine, my Acura has all the power I need both on the highway and negotiating the curving mountain roads near where I live. The interior is quiet and comfortable, with a sound system this audiophile appreciates greatly. And best of all, my only investment beyond the purchase price has been for gas and oil changes. I look forward to many more years of pleasure driving this fine automobile

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  Very good value - 2001 Acura MDX
  By flpaindoc - December 12 - 2:00 am

  almost 20,000 miles an no problems at all. I have enjoy this car.