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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  Excellent Viehcle - 2003 Acura MDX
  By XDSHI - November 23 - 2:00 am

  Smooth Handling Fuel Efficiency Spacious Interior Standard 7 seaters

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  Close to perfect - 2003 Acura TL
  By lepeu - November 23 - 2:00 am

  We just bought the TL-S. This is our first non-family car since we had the kids. Back in the 80s we had an RX-7 and this car brings back all the fun of driving that one without any of the drawbacks. The car accelerates and handles like a charm, corners very flat, a real joy to drive. The car is comfortable and surprisingly roomy. A few VERY minor improvements would have rated a 10

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  Value for the Money - 2007 Acura TL
  By mantrika - November 22 - 6:16 am

  A great car indeed for the money. Performance is very good and overall a great car to drive.

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  Great car - 1994 Acura Integra
  By Jeremie - November 22 - 2:00 am

  This is a great worry free car made buy Acura. from good handling to a smooth ride this car is in the top 10. the only negative SMALL back seat.

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  Yes - 2003 Acura MDX
  By Bob Barker - November 22 - 2:00 am

  Its EXELLECENT

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  Right decision - 2004 Acura TL
  By Js - November 21 - 10:00 am

  We recently took our 2004 TL on a road trip from MD to St. Louis area. Mileage was great....28-29 mpg. Comfort was good/in fact everything about this car was great. The Navigation system is well worth the investment. Ive always had nice cars/this is definitely a fun car and well worth the investment.

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  Great Buying Decision - 2004 Acura TL
  By mnedrow - November 21 - 10:00 am

  If its performance and comfort you want, this is the car for you. If its the envy of your friends, this is also the car for you. This car draws stares while driving and draws comments when stopped. Its like driving a fighter jet. Youll become one with the car when you sit behind the wheel.

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  What a Car! - 2004 Acura TL
  By cherokeedriver - November 21 - 10:00 am

  Love the Acura TL. Drives like a dream. Torque steer is very manageable. Waiting to see how it does in the winter. The XM radio and sound quality is amazing. The pricing was surprisingly affordable for the options available.

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  The perfect car - 2004 Acura TL
  By CaB - November 21 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned many cars, the TL is the best Ive ever had. I can drive it in the wet at high speeds and cruise in comfort on a calm day. The dealership and service is spectacular,every single issue is addressed with a feeling of partnership.

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  Awesome Car - 1993 Acura Integra
  By jbragg - November 19 - 2:00 am

  This is the perfect first car. It is as reliable as they come and it is really fun to drive. The car is not perfect but for the price range there are no other cars that can compare. If you have around 3 grand to spend definitely buy this car.