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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  Love My TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By Love my TL - November 25 - 10:00 am

  I have had my TL since February and love it! It is fun to drive and I absolutely enjoy my XM radio! I traded my SUV Expedition for this and what a difference! Total recommend this car. I am also getting great gas mileage.

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  Best Bang for your Luxury Buck - 2006 Acura TL
  By Chris C. - November 25 - 6:30 am

  After 3 months of exhaustive internet and test driving research, I selected the Acura TL. Acuras all inclusive features approach allows them to integrate in ways that the majority of cars in its peer class cant experience. The voice recognition in the navigation allows you to control the heating and cooling, almost all radio functions and even place calls with your integrated Bluetooth phone. Today I asked my TL to find the nearest Chinese restaurant, pushed a button to make a hands free call to place my order, and one more to route me to their front door. As my first entry-luxury car, I am pleased to say my TL exceeds my expectations every time I get behind the wheel.

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  best car i have owned - 2004 Acura NSX
  By dan canter - November 25 - 2:00 am

  until you have the opportunity to drive this car every day, it is hard to give the car enough credit. everyone talks about the lack of horsepower for an exotic but if you know how to drive the car it is plenty!!! the build quality is superb and the handling is unbelievable. what a joy to get in every day!

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  Best SUV - 2002 Acura MDX
  By happysuver - November 24 - 11:03 am

  The MDX handles and drives so much better than any other 7 passenger+ suv its not even funny. Great convenience not having to remove the seats - we can still put 3 kids in the middle row - and fold down the rear row if need be.

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  Great Car for City and College - 1997 Acura Integra
  By DarkangelofBaltimore - November 24 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my Integra GS 2-door for three years now. NO PROBLEMS! Quite possibly THE most reliable car Ive ever owned! Quick, fuel efficient, parts are cheap, FUN to drive, strong engine for its size (buy a radar detector), and youd be surprised what you can fit in the trunk when the back seats are folded down! The backseats arent terribly comfortable for any trip longer than 2 hours. Seriously cramped. Front seats have lots of room, esp. head room. Im 62" and have PLENTY of headroom. I HIGHLY recommend the car for college students who need cheap reliable transport. EASY to parallel park and small.

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  Acura Legend - 1991 Acura Legend
  By Kalieb-Michael - November 24 - 2:00 am

  Ive had this car for a week so far and love it. Checked Carfax.com and it only had one previous owner. Original engine with only 60,386 miles! Had my mechanic check it out and said it was sound, tho the rear shocks were getting worn.Only one rust spot the size of a dime on the outside. Super fun to drive and looks great.

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  My Awesome GS-R! - 1998 Acura Integra
  By Soul Reaver - November 24 - 2:00 am

  The best thing about this car might possibly be the handling. It is superb on this car. Rack and pinion steering is excellent for this machine. 170 horsepower gets this car where you want it to fast. 4-wheel disc brakes and anti-lock add to the car quite a bit. Nice suspension, beautiful body, excellent reliability. This car is near perfect in my eyes.

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  A Great Car---A Great Bargin - 2000 Acura RL
  By nc_pilot - November 24 - 2:00 am

  I just purchased my 2000 RL certified pre-owned with 36000 miles on it. I already love the car. Performance is outstanding, handling and ride is incredibleÂ…I canÂ’t think of a negativeÂ… and all for the price of a new economy car. Mileage is not as good as I had hoped, about 19-20 overall, and I imagine my driving style (fast) impacts those numbers. I have read several reviews criticizing the drivability of the RLÂ…I canÂ’t understand thatÂ…I think the car performs great, even considering my previous car was a VW GTI VR6. The RL handles like a much smaller/sportier car...that just happens to be in a luxury car package.

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  I love this car! - 2002 Acura TL
  By Barry Landau - November 24 - 2:00 am

  Wifes car (but she cant keep me out of it). 37,000 miles and no major problems. We actually look forward to raod trips in this car. Still worry about transmission stories, but go to the NHTSA website and you will see this is still only about 3% of the total. If it was an "American Product" that would probably be considered par for the course. I would buy another Acura, absolutely!

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  The best sport coupe value out there - 2003 Acura CL
  By Nick-L - November 23 - 2:00 am

  The CL Type S 6 speed is simply the best sport coupe value available. It has it all: excellent performance, superb handling, luxurious, roomy and practical, FWD for the snow, absolutely reliable - all for less than $30k. This is the 3rd Acura CL weve bought. My wife and I bought a matching pair of 2001 CLs, and I loved them so much that I recently traded one in for a new 2003 Type S 6 speed. There was simply nothing else out there like it. The new Infiniti G35 Coupe was close - its a very nice car, but RWD doesnt go as well in the snow, it has less room, and is about $10k more. It was a no brainer choice.