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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  Booyah! - 1990 Acura Integra
  By TigerT - May 24 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car used 5 years ago when it had 80,000 miles. Other than routine fixes, this car is as reliable as they come. I now have 130,000 miles on it and I plan on having it for another 4 years.

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  TL 2.5 - 1997 Acura TL
  By Steve in Alabama - May 24 - 2:00 am

  Good reliable vehicle. Good looks and fair performance. Had problems with power windows not much else. Aucura nameplate still impressive and gets looks.

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  Acura RL Premium - 1997 Acura RL
  By magnusdalen - May 24 - 2:00 am

  Bought this new, expecting to put a lot of miles on it. Had a new 1991 Acura Legend LS that I put 300,000 miles on and it still looked and ran like new when I sold it. This has been a great car out on the road. Very comfortable on long drives. Always feels safe. Great power and handling--always feel in control. Paint stays glossy. Low maintenance--easy car to own. Very well designed & luxurious feel.

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  amazing - 2005 Acura TL
  By moe7 - May 23 - 1:50 pm

  Amazing Car for the Price!

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  2007 TL Type S Alabaster Silver Metallic - 2007 Acura TL
  By KBee - May 23 - 2:20 am

  1,500 miles and only one problem. Rear deck was vibrating from the subwoofer. They took out the back seat and sprayed some foam back there. Problem solved! I researched for seven months prior to purchasing. The Acura TL-S blows the doors off anything out there in its class: BMW, Audi, Infiniti, etc. The technology in it is amazing and not a la carte like all the other MFGs out there. Gas mileage is a bit disappointing - I am avg around 20 MPG. But blazing acceleration! 286 HP baby! Car is a real headturner! Quad exhaust really sets it apart with the deep exhaust tone. People stop me all the time to check it out. Not many on the road which is a plus!

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  4 dr gsr 94 - 1994 Acura Integra
  By jdt - May 23 - 2:00 am

  one of the best cars Ive owned, excellent design , great performance, top build quality,true sports car handling!

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  My car - 2002 Acura CL
  By suggie - May 23 - 2:00 am

  The car is good 2 drive but the interior and exterior design leave a lot 2 b desired

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  Very much a Legend - 1994 Acura Legend
  By ESP - May 22 - 2:00 am

  A great car all-around. Powerful, smooth, elegant-looking, luxuriant (even foe 2003, let alone for 1994), reliable, very well-made. A very satisying car to drive. The gas mileage (15-18 mpg in my experience of mixed driving) can be viewed as a necessary levy for the beautiful and pleasing ride offered.

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  Fantastic Car - 2005 Acura TL
  By Dennis - May 21 - 10:03 pm

  Without a doubt, the best car I have ever owned. Handling is fabulous and all I want to do is find a reason to drive this car. Ive owned many cars from Audis to VWs and there is no comparison...just a joy to drive. I love it.

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  Good Upscale Accord - 2006 Acura TSX
  By gary41 - May 21 - 7:26 pm

  Car is a good package for a sub-$30K sport sedan with tons of accessories. Nice not having to buy all the options you do with BMW, et al.