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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  The Acura 3.0CL Premium -Simply the Best - 1998 Acura CL
  By Kevin T. - January 29 - 2:00 am

  This is a stunning car. It is my first car and driving it is actually fun and incredible. The performance and is outrageous because it incorporates the same basic engine form the NSX. The car is very solid and easily takes corners at high speeds. The interior is well-equipped with the premium package. Surprisingly the front and back seats offer a comfortable seating area for a small coupe. The Bose sound system is high quality and sounds great. There is an unbelievable amount of trunk space. This car is very well-built and high quality. It is definitely a good buy and very reliable with the Acura/Honda name. I love mine and will say it is the best in my school parking lot.

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  Extremely Pleased Acura Owner - 2000 Acura RL
  By Orig. Acura Driver - January 29 - 2:00 am

  We enjoyed our 1986 Acura Legend so much that when our son stole it (thats the only way we would let it go) to go off to college we immediately purchased the 2000 RL and have been even more pleased with its performance. The 5.6 Edmunds Editors Rating must be a typo, this RL Owner gives it a perfect 10.0 overall (& no, I dont work for Honda)!

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  Acura TSX 06 Review - 2006 Acura TSX
  By darkriftx - January 28 - 11:23 pm

  I just bought my TSX about a week ago. I have been very impressed with the internal and external build quality of the car. It has good acceleration, good handling, and is very fun to drive. The four cylinder is more than powerful enough for the size and has plenty of torque.

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  Ninas Review - 2003 Acura TL
  By Nina - January 28 - 10:23 pm

  Bought one 6 months ago 2002 TL type S. This car is not as smooth as other luxury sedans. The shocks in it not very great cuz you feel the bumps more in this car than in other competing luxury sedans. But the power in the engine is worth it! Love the way this little baby takes off! Have never had any problems with this car, rides very nice, engine is great! Very sexy little number! Perfect combination of sophistication and sassy-ness!

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  The best coupe in its class - 1994 Acura Integra
  By Sman - January 26 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car used with 92k miles, but the car run great. Replaced the clutch at 100k, other then that the car was really reliable, fast, and fun to drive! But the thieves love them too and mine got stolen. I would love to own another one!

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  1990 acura legend - 1990 Acura Integra
  By cartjen2 - January 26 - 2:00 am

  pleased with the vehicle overall

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  Love mine! - 1991 Acura Integra
  By Grace23 - January 25 - 2:00 am

  My Integra came to me last summer after being owned by my mother, then my grandfather, from the time it was six months old... We just cant seem to bear the idea of getting rid of this car, and for that, Im glad--I love it! Almost everything under the hoods been replaced within the last two years, so it should be good to go for a few more years. I spent a lot of time driving it on rural country roads this past summer, and it was a lot of fun to get it moving--it has some kick to it. Overall, Id recommend this brand to anyone interested in a reliable, fun car.

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  My Sexy Black CL - 1998 Acura CL
  By Jeremiah - January 25 - 2:00 am

  I got my CL in Nov. of 2002 from Minnesota and drove it back home to Seattle with my girlfriend. The car was great. Very comfortable over the two days, smooth and a total kick to drive through the twisty mountain roads near Mt. Rushmore. (Even though I got my first ticket ever after driving it only 2 hours...doh!) Overall, Ive been very pleased with my new car. The fuel economy is great, the 5-speed is smooth and notchy, and since upgrading the tires to 225/45 Yokohamas it handles even better. I love my car! My only gripes are that the side panels sometimes buzz due to the bass in some of my music and one of the chrome tips of the exhaust pipes came loose.

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  Great Car - 2001 Acura TL
  By jmccl67 - January 25 - 2:00 am

  The Acura TL 3.2 is the most car for the money. You will find all the features that you would want. It is so comfortable that you feel like you are riding in clouds. And it has the sport shift, that gives you an exhilerating ride. How could you ask for more?

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  Pretty Good!!! - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Heidy - January 24 - 11:26 am

  i just brought a Type S fully loaded, included spoler, full body kit, moonroof visor, titium look, wheel, starGuard system for $28,500 out the door, car runs hella fast!!!! 6th Gear hella good!!! Such a great car with only $28K