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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  BAD Vibrations at highway speeds... - 2016 Acura TLX
  By GTorres - December 26 - 8:47 pm

  This car should not be sold as is! Acura does not know what the cause of the problem is, and after many trip back to the dealer, and talking to Acura Client Relations, I am not sure that they are even interested in addressing it. They made it be known to me that they do not consider the issue a defect, but more of an anomaly that unfortunately is very uncomfortable while driving the car over 60 MPH. If you do not have to go over 50 MPH, then this is the car for you...

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  Value for money - 2002 Acura RSX
  By AVT - December 26 - 2:00 am

  Excellent value for money. Feels like an expensive car. Great car to have fun in.

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  Acura CL Premium 2001 - Fun Car - 2001 Acura CL
  By Firsttimeacuraowner - December 26 - 2:00 am

  Got my 01 CL Premium with 14K in 12/2000. As of 12/2002, I have 40K. Only problem Ive had is that the rotors had to be replaced. Steering, acceleration are fine, tranny shifts smoothly. I get 20/31 mpg. Seats are supportive. Visibility is good when checking over shoulder to change lanes. Main gripe: side-view mirrors are placed such that they obstruct your forward, side view when turning. Minor gripe: cup holders are poor - a medium iced- tea from the fast food shop can tip over if you have to make a mildly abrupt stop. Great car for the $ if you want something decent.

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  Our New MDX - 2016 Acura MDX
  By K-Meister - December 25 - 9:52 am

  Great ride, love the lane assist. Took it on a very long trip and it performed great. Surprisingly great mileage.Back seats do not recline which is a bummer for our kids. Navigation system is a bit clunky with the two screens.

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  love this car - 1994 Acura Integra
  By NYCDRIVER - December 24 - 2:00 am

  if you dont want to spend a lot of money on a car but yet want a reliable fun to drive car - this is it. costs a little more than the civic but performs way better. I have a little girl and the 4dr version is a great car for a young family (although the trunk is not huge).

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  RSX Type S - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Steve Hill - December 24 - 2:00 am

  excellent car for the $, and a performance car with useability and versatility

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  experience of an average consumer - 2004 Acura TL
  By Jim Christian - December 24 - 2:00 am

  I am an average consumer who looked at several cars in the $30-$45K range. I was totally unprepared for what I got with the 2004 TL. It drives like a dream. My advice is to go test drive several mid range luxury cars and then drive the 2004 TL- and you are likely to save yourself $10K - $15K. One day I had to go back to the dealer for a standard service and they gave me a 2003 TL for the day- the 2004 is a totally differnt car.

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  Acura quality is going down - 2003 Acura CL
  By mad cls owner - December 23 - 10:00 am

  First off, I love the engine, transmission, and the seats. The car accelerates well, and the ride is firm, but comfortable. The handling is pretty good for a car of this weight. What has diminished my enjoyment of the car are the various squeaks and rattles coming from the dash, passenger side seat, sunroof, and the rear of the car. This is not something I expected from an over $31,000 car. It only has 1860 miles on the odometer. Hopefully my dealer can fix these annoying problems. My Acura Integra GSR had no such problems early in its life. I will think twice before I buy another Acura.

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  Best Vehicle Ive Ever Owned!! - 1997 Acura TL
  By Buckeye64 - December 23 - 2:00 am

  Car handles excellent. Power is what youd expect from Acura - great. Weve had our TL for 3 years and put 70k miles on it. No mechanical or appearance problems. Will definitely buy another Acura.

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  Great Car, Good performance!! - 2001 Acura TL
  By GeorgeD - December 23 - 2:00 am

  I really love this car. The performance is really good and with everything standard you dont feel like your being takened.