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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  Great performance & style - 1992 Acura Legend
  By Rhart - March 3 - 12:56 pm

  I am the second owner and have a great experience with this car. I bought it with a 147,000 miles on it and have put an additional 40,000 on it. Still rides great. It is starting to show its age but for 18 years old still looks remarkably well.

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  My 2nd Acura - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Markus - March 2 - 10:27 pm

  Ive had my TSX for a little over a month now. This is my 2nd Acura (04 MDX ,bought new and still own). Im very pleased with the power of the 4cly and the gas mileage has been 27-28mpg combined city/hwy. The car has a nice balance of sporty versus comfort, not to little of either. The blue tooth and stereo system work excellent. If this car gives us the same service as the MDX has then I will be an Acura customer for life.

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  Cool Car! - 2010 Acura TL
  By Ranjan - March 1 - 4:28 pm

  Fantastic car at reasonable price. Good built, sturdy, I miss my roads because Im enjoying driving it! Dont know what the hallabolla is about the front design, actually it is a very handsome, stand apart kind of design which turns heads! A very futuristic simple design, congratulations! to the design team.

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  Great used car purchase - 2006 Acura TL
  By AMDE - March 1 - 11:50 am

  The TL is a great car for its price. This car made the transition from driving a sports car to a sport sedan easy. And the excellent crash test ratings make it even better.

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  Best Sports Sedan Value - 2010 Acura TL
  By JM SH-AWD - March 1 - 10:57 am

  I purchased the car after cross- shopping G37 and the German cars, and Im glad I did. Fantastic performance and comfort. Solid, quiet ride. Corners like its on rails. Shifting is crisp and positive. World class audio system. Beautiful interior. The SH-AWD has to be experienced to be fully appreciated - its a technological wonder. Ive never received so many compliments on a new car. This is easily the best value in an upscale sports sedan. The only way to beat it (maybe) would be to spend at least $20K more. Add in Acura reliability and service and the TL SH- AWD is a no-brainer. I love this car!

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  Lets get real about the reviews.... - 2010 Acura TSX
  By Schmullis - February 27 - 5:11 pm

  So, I read a ton of reviews before leasing this car. Net: This is a very good car for the money. Contrary to what some have said: 1 - This is a quiet car on the highway. Very minor road noise. People can speak at a normal volume and hold a conversation easily at 70 mph. 2 - Very comfortable. Not a mushy "Camry / Buick" ride, but firm, yet quite comfortable. 3 - Handling - very competent. 0.85g on the skid pad, better than most cars. 4 - Acceleration - quite good for a 4 cylinder. 5 - Gas mileage. Avg. 25 mixed and easily tops 30 on the Highway. Sports sedan? If you want one of these, better to buy a rear driver, like a BMW. It "Sporty" Sedan? Absolutely. Great commuter

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  Long Hauler - 1995 Acura Integra
  By AZboy - February 27 - 1:35 pm

  Have had this car for 15 years. Driven long trips at 80+ 31-34 mpg on road. No unscheduled repairs. Changed oil every 3000. Did replace front seats with soft leather about $500. People always say it looks much newer because paint and interior are in such good shape. Not great in snow or ice but mainly due to using performance tires. Fun to drive and handles great. V-TEC engine does run well. Have driven at 130+ for 2 hours straight and felt like I was going about 70. Has always run cool even in desert at 110+ degrees. Car is very versatile. Go to HD/Lowes and put 8 boards/pipe in car with back seat folded down. My mechanic friend says car should go another 150K before its done!

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  Awesome with V6 - 2010 Acura TSX
  By wch966 - February 26 - 11:25 pm

  I used to own a 2006 Acura TL. However, once the lease was up on that I decided to try the new TSX V6. Great car, especially with the V6 and the Technology Package. The V6 has tons of power and is very quick off the line. Silky smooth engine and transmission...will get away from you on the interstates if not watching it closely. Got the Crystal Black Pearl with Ebony interior. Had many complements on style, color and all the tech gadgets. Night and day difference in the navigation from my old TL. This one is MUCH better!

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  nicest car weve ever owned - 2003 Acura CL
  By coopinde - February 26 - 9:12 am

  Our daughters were off to college so we didnt need our 1993 Roadmaster Estate Wagon with 240k mi it earned a rest. Found and purchased a one owner used Acura CL with 68k mi for $9500. Transmission mis shifted 94K mi. Honda replaced with new 5 speed auto - free of charge. Turns out that first owner had transmission serviced but not with Honda Z1 ATF, Car gets almost 26 MPG on regular gas. Excellent power and stable handling predictable steering. GM has miles to go to get close to this car. I will buy Acuras from now on. I most highly recommend this car.

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  nice car - 2009 Acura TL
  By galil71 - February 26 - 12:08 am

  I love this car. For a FWD vehicle, wheels torque is minimal. One of the reason I choose this car is that most features are standard. The steering is not fast, but in normal driving I dont even realize it. The TL doesnt offer sport package, however standard tires give sporty feel and keep the car very stable.