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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  Awesome SUV - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Carole Matter - December 6 - 10:33 am

  This is the best vehicle Ive ever owned! There is not a single thing I wish it had that it doesnt have. Its the perfect vehicle--comfortable for lots of passengers when the extended family visits, or plenty of space to do major hauls of office supplies, etc. It does everything you could want with perfection. It handles like a dream--powerful, responsive, hugs the road, great visibility all the way around, and luxurious. Comfortable for long trips, and no more need to figure out your route to a place youve never been before--the navigation system will find your way and tell you every turn of he way. Its absolutely awesome ine very way! I LOVE my MDX!

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  awesome car!!!!!!! - 1997 Acura Integra
  By m3boarder57 - December 6 - 2:00 am

  incredible car to own

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  Great Value Luxury Car - 1997 Acura RL
  By ssiew - December 6 - 2:00 am

  This is a great value for a luxury car. Smooth ride and reasonably powerful V6 engine are quiet and efficient. It is a subtle car that does everything right. It is very reliable and feels very secure. Suspension is a bit soft in 1997 model but made stiffer in subsequent years. Depreciation makes it a great used car buy.

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  Killer Kaiser! - 1999 Acura NSX
  By k12dad - December 6 - 2:00 am

  The clutch is too difficult but otherwise, my Kaiser Silver NSX-T is just stunning! It is the same experience as a race car with the civility and dependability of a Honda!

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  This is one of the most underrated cars! - 2000 Acura RL
  By btan - December 6 - 2:00 am

  I have had this car for a little over 3 years now with 60,000 miles on the clock, and I am definitely purchasing the car when the lease expires in a months time. This car is supremely comfortable with a well designed interior and exterior. It has a very high standard of finish, has good safety features, the ride is excellent, the steering feel is great, and the engine is very reliable and never lets you down.

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  My first Acura, not my last - 2001 Acura TL
  By pware2226 - December 6 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my Acura for a little over two years and I still love it. A GREAT car, especially when you consider the cost compared to similarly equipped cars. Many nice features!

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  LS sdn-Is this the same car? - 1991 Acura Legend
  By bartmanSF - December 5 - 2:00 am

  I bought my acura after selling a 91 bmw 535i (still my favorite) My acura came from a smooth talking texan w/a clean carfax report and spray painted leather seats(to cover the cracks)2of4 bose spkrs not working. In a wk needed batt,alternator,rotors,brakes and still leaking ps fluid about qt/wk. DLR said it needed new rack&pinion assb.(stop-leak for ps 3(x) worked) It had 115k so maintanence was expected-but that was just the beginning.Tran shifts rough and clunks when going into gear (needs new tran mount) hood shocks quit,the a/c comp quit on the hottest day of the year driving to LA on I-5.(est. 1- 2k)cont...

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  continued saga..same car:? - 1991 Acura Legend
  By BartmanSF - December 5 - 2:00 am

  CONT>>Now car is clicking whenever I take off or turn the wheel.(needs front axle shafts & cv boots a common problem on Honda/Acuras?) It now has 126k,the clear coat/paint is peeling off roof despite wax & a garage.Brake Lt warning always on but no malf. The seats have cracked worse underneath the "vinyl spray"(applied to simulate good lthr) I read the reviews B4 buying and my expectations for this lux car were much higher. The point Id like to make is not all acuras live up to the hype. A car is only as good as its maintanence. Two more things..I WOULD NEVER BUY A CAR FROM THESE GUYS ON EBAY & I WISH I HAD ONE OF YOURS-CAUSE THIS ONE SUCKS.

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  For the price, nothing better - 2002 Acura RL
  By RickC - December 5 - 2:00 am

  For a 6 cylinder, this car drives great. I always feel like a million dollars when I drive it. No way that anyone should buy a Lexus, Mercedes or Infiniti for thousands more. This car measures up nicely.

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  Good Enough - 2003 Acura RSX
  By AcuraFan4Life - December 5 - 2:00 am

  After driving a 1992 Integra GS for 10 years without any problems, I decided to make the big switch and I definitely made the right choice. I was thinking about the A4 or 3-Series but realized that the RSX-S gave you so much for $10K less. I realize the Bose isnt as powerful as it should be and the engine is a bit noisy and there isnt a middle armrest, etc. But for the money that you pay, you cant deny that this car not only offers a lot in terms of fun- factor and quality amenities, but also will last you for 10 years easily without any major problems.