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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  Day 2 - 2004 Acura TL
  By Category Killer - March 13 - 10:00 am

  Day 2 of 04 TL ownership (traded 03 Type-S bought 3/02). Total value-play with this car. Bang for the buck second to none. When you study the lines of the car, its an elegantly carved wedge with gentle curves in the hood and deck lid to soften the edges. I like the styling of the 04 a lot. Options? We dont need no stinkin options. I drove the 6-speed as well and its a totally different car (a TOTAL blast to drive), and if it werent for the fact that I commute metro DC and that no one had the 6- speed w/o the summer only tires, Id have bought the TL6M. Torque steer not as apparent w/6M. Interior road noise - open the windows if you want some.

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  Tough Decisions!? Let Me Help! - 2006 Acura TL
  By Crocodile - March 4 - 1:20 am

  When I was searching for a new car, I was between a Maxima (biggest), Infiniti G35 (sportiest),Ford Fusion (cheapest) and the new TL. I did a lot of research online and as a result did a lot of "virtual kicking of the tires." My suggestion is, once you have narrowed down the field, go to the dealership and test drive the cars. When I went and looked at the Fusion, I noticed how underpowered and how poorly built it was. The Maxima is like a giant bathtub inside, with the center console miles away. The G35 coupe is fast but small, very small, with little storage. The best compromise was the TL, which had everything I wanted. Speed, looks, storage space, safety and great STANDARD features!

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  Perfect vehice - 2003 Acura MDX
  By flip - February 28 - 10:00 am

  I live In the Seirra Foothills, the MDX Is just right In terms Of comfort, safty and well It does have the best looks vs BMW Toyota etc. I had a 2001 Navi, (It was totaled)I own a 03 now. we were hit head on and walk away without any Injuries, so safe. In short.... an OUTSTANGING SUV period. Saved our life ???

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  Best in its class - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Best in its class - February 23 - 8:50 pm

  I am tired of reading all these reviews about how the tsx should have more horsepower and more features. Everyone always wants more. For the price, you cant find a better car in its class with as much standard features. If you want more horsepower, buy a TL. Stop complaining and enjoy your new tsx. This car is very lavish, and fun to drive. It gets pretty good gas mileage, and the standard sound system and XM are great. Overall very satisfied with the tsx. Would buy another one.

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  Rpleaced our Explorer - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Karicher - February 22 - 10:00 am

  Safe and fun to drive. Purchased due to reliability, safety ratings, traction and stability control systems. Plenty of interior room while not looking as big from outside.

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  Like no other - 2005 Acura TSX
  By Teamunik - February 22 - 12:00 am

  This car has just about all you need in a vehicle. Youll turn heads everywhere you go with this one of a kind sport sedan. The best thing of all......Its a Honda....!!!

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  Outstanding Vehicle - 2009 Acura TL
  By Roger - February 21 - 4:10 am

  I love this car. Previous had a 04 TL and a 07 Type S TL. Must admit at first was not a fan of front design, but after a while I love it. It evokes emotion from everyone who sees it. It is a much better car than previous models. The navi is 100% improved from previous models. The AWD system is the best, I drove a Lexus AWD and this beats it hands down.

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  Get the stick! - 2006 Acura TL
  By Camjosh007 - February 19 - 5:03 am

  Just bought the 06 TL Manual with Nav over the 4th of July weekend and I LOVE IT! I swore I would never buy a brand new car but these hold their value so well, stupid to buy an 05 for $30,000 when you can spend another $3,000 and get the brand spanking new!

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  Simply awesome..... - 2004 Acura MDX
  By Rizwan Malik - February 16 - 2:00 am

  I bought MDX yesterday and it is simply awesome with tons of safety features, state of the art gadgets and a silky smooth engine. Plenty of room and an axcellent DVD and Navigation system. I feel this SUV is much better than the lexus GX470, BMW X5, VW Touareg and Mercedes ML, as I test drove all of them in one day and Acura was the winner...well done Acura!

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  Excellent Value - 2004 Acura TL
  By Slimdaddy - February 16 - 2:00 am

  For the short time we have owned this vehicle it has lived up to all reviews. The ride is tight but not rough. The steer is tight and accurate. The sounds system is something from the future with DVD/CD surround sound as a standard feature. The three month free XM radio isnt bad either.