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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  I loved this car - 1993 Acura Integra
  By bct - September 30 - 2:00 am

  I am selling this car because I just had a child and 2 door cars dont work. I never had any problems with this car. I am selling it for $4,000 and only paid $16,000 new. (This car cost me about $1,000 a year to own. What a value!) I never had to put any money in this car except for routine mainance. The transmission and engine have never needed repair. I would recommed this car to any single person.

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  What a beautiful, outstanding car - 2004 Acura RSX
  By TheKater - September 30 - 2:00 am

  I love my RSX so much. Its very stylish, has good performance, and it makes my friends jealous! The automatic Sportshift thing is fun to play with, but not necessarily useful, at least to me.

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  2004 MDX - Love it - 2004 Acura MDX
  By MDX04 - September 30 - 2:00 am

  Only problem was noise from the nash after 100 miles. Dealer found problem and fixed it right away. Great ride, feels like a car. Fuel economy is less than with a car, but that is expected when purchasing an SUV.

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  Nothing better than this - 2004 Acura TL
  By BH - September 30 - 2:00 am

  Awesome, Best bang for the buck, Sporty, Elegant, Styling, Performance, Features, Good fuel economy, Quality. This is my defination of a CAR. This new model cant be beat...PERIOD

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  WOW , I LOVE THIS CAR - 2004 Acura TL
  By JLIVE - September 30 - 2:00 am

  FANTASTIC DRIVING EXPERIENCE , LOVE IT , A BLAST , SMOOTH ,FAST EXCELLENT POWER ,THRILLING , EASILY ACESSABLE CONTROLS , SOUND SYSTEM THE BEST IVE EVER HEARD , PERIOD ! A MUST FOR ALL WHO ARE LOOKING FOR BOTH ALUXURIOUS AND SPORTY VEHICLE , HAVE FUN , I SURE DO .

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  Happy owner - 2016 Acura RDX
  By Dr Pen - September 29 - 1:47 pm

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  I love this car! - 2003 Acura TL
  By tjc - September 29 - 10:00 am

  This is a great car for the money. Very fun to drive, comfortable seats, excellent Bose stereo system.

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  GREAT car! - 2006 Acura TL
  By SSant324 - September 29 - 4:20 am

  Bought my TL in November 2005. Was going to go with the BMW 325 or Lexus IS 250 because of AWD vs. FWD (snowy northeast). Wasnt an issue this year due to lack of snow, but even the few storms we had the car did just fine in the snow. For all of the luxury, power and great price, FWD vs. AWD should not be a issue for anyone with winter driving concerns! Had a few issues with scratches when I got the car - dealer took care of the problem right away. Heard a squeaking noise coming from the engine area a few weeks ago whenever I turned the wheels. Not sure what was going on but noise stopped. Service dept. checked it out right away and nothing found.

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  Excellent choice in the Northeast - 2006 Acura TSX
  By Helene Morris - September 28 - 10:13 pm

  I recently traded my 5 year old VW Passat 4 Motion Wagon for a 2006 TSX with Navigation. Considering the impetuous Connecticut winters, I was apprehensive about swapping all wheel drive for front wheel drive; no worries here. On New Years Eve we were off to a night of entertainment at Mohegan Sun with four inches of snow between us and the casino. The car managed the slippery conditions and just as we thought we were free and clear another sedan in front of us spun out and landed against the guard rail. The TSX VSA (Vehicle Stability Assist) performed as designed as we manuvered our way around the accident. We did not slide or lose traction once. I no longer worry.

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  Best money I have ever spent - 1994 Acura Integra
  By autoscott - September 28 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car with 84K miles on it three years ago. Now I have 120K miles and it still drives the same way it did back then. For the money, this car handles incredibly well, with adequate power. When you think of value, this has it all. I have put no money into it, other than routine maintenance, which I have performed myself. I enjoy driving this car everyday to work. It has become my second car (Primary car is now 2002 Lexus IS300), as I could not bear to part from it. Sure the Lexus is great, I love it, but there is something about the GS-R that is truly remarkable. This is a car with a soul.