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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  3.5 does everything very well - 1999 Acura RL
  By Ben M - June 16 - 2:00 am

  This is a very good car that is in a difficult competetive bracket- iblcuding the Lexus LS400, Mercedes E Class, BMW 740, Infinity Q45. It doesnt beat these cars in any category but for its price, it cant be beat. After 39,000 miles, Ive notice some ride deteriation. Potholes are more noticeable than they were 2 years ago. Also, the paint quality is not that good. There are several specks where the paint is chipping up. Overall a very good car.

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  91 Legand Sedan - 1991 Acura Legend
  By TIPSTER - June 15 - 2:00 am

  Hmmm, just looked at how I rated the auto on 1-10 scale and may appear lower than my true feelings. Hard to rate gas mileage and exterior styling a 10 on this auto. I have owned the auto for 3 years. Was originally going to get a Volvo 850 (now v70) but was instantly seduced when drove this auto in comparision. Has held up very well -- very good build quality. It is a great way to get a nice performance oriented upscale sedan inexpensively...and it is much less expensive to maintain than Lexus, Volvo or Infiniti. You sit rather low in this vehicle vs. other cars you might compare it too...took some getting used to.

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  LUXURY, QUALITY, VALUE & FUN! - 1995 Acura Legend
  By chipito - June 15 - 2:00 am

  Traveling sales engineers car, covering the SE USAs varied terrain. It handles the straights, curves, mountain roads and in betweens with no labor. Those 200 horses and independent suspension let me run with cars 2 - 3 times the price. The interior has all the amenities of a luxury car of this vintage - still loving my Acura after three years running...

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  Best Car ever purchased - 2000 Acura RL
  By acb - June 15 - 2:00 am

  Couldnt decide on Lexus Gs, Es or other similar vehicles. Lexus is way over priced for what you get. This is a Lexus Ls400 for the price of a Lexus Gs300 , with a ton more space, better overall ride and a far better investment.

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  My MDX - 2001 Acura MDX
  By pgweiss - June 15 - 2:00 am

  I love my MDX. The interior is great and the ride is great. One of the best features ins the navigation system, and of course the way the car looks.

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  Best car Ive ever owned! - 2000 Acura TL
  By GoBeta - June 15 - 2:00 am

  Never had a problem with this vehicle - it is so comforting to know that you dont have to stress over this vehicle and worry about things breaking, not working, etc. This is a GREAT VALUE vehicle -- you get a wonderful car at a very reasonable price. In its car class, its probably best value. Very powerful, handles great, comfortable interior thats well laid out, plenty of trunk space, etc. This is my first Acura and Im a huge fan now. MDX is next on my list!

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  I LOVE THIS AUTOMOBILE - 2005 Acura RL
  By Jack Burke - June 14 - 10:36 pm

  I have only owned auto for two months and every day I become more impressed. To begin with, it is a real "Head Turner" and its luxurious white color with cashmere interior is truly striking. The technology package has to be the very best on the market, although I must admit it took some time to be able to put it all into effective use! But, it is time well spent. The Navigation, Boze Surround Sound, and Bluetooth systems are all outstanding. This is all topped off by the fantastic handling supplied by the All-Wheel Drive system. It is just a great automobile and a great price/performer, which I think far outdistances its competitors (and I tried them all!) Edmunds low rating is a surprise.

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  mid size sedan BEST BUY!! - 2004 Acura TL
  By EddieS - June 14 - 10:00 am

  if you are looking to buy a luxury, sporty, fast sedan, the TL is more than enough! I love my TL.

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  Excellent Sport Luxury Sedan - 2005 Acura TL
  By Swede in DC - June 14 - 10:00 am

  The 2005 Acura TL has exceeded my expectations. It has been defect free and gets reasonable gas mileage overall (26 mpg). The TL is really fun to drive even in the metro area I live in. I see no tire concerns cited by others (2004 model). Form and fit is outstanding. Easy access to internal controls on steering column and console. Sound system is first class and superior to other luxury sedans. Satellite radio is fabulous and strongly recommended. LED instrumentation outstanding day/night. The safety features were also a strong selling point. I have not wavered in my belief that this was the right car choice over the BMW 530i, Cadillac CTS, and Infiniti G35.

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  Acura 3.2TL - Best value for your $$$ - 2001 Acura TL
  By John in SC - June 14 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I love our Acura TL. All extras come included, and because we bought our car right before the refreshed 2002s came out, we got a very good deal. All the while getting almost 30 MPG on the highway. Weve had this car over a year now, and report zero defects or recalls. If I was shopping for a BMW 3 Series, or a Audi, VW Passat, etc., I would pass them all over for this vehicle. A $30,000 sticker, a transaction price of just over $26,000 and a current resale value of just over $25,000, the Acura 3.2TL might just be the steal of the century in the automotive marketplace.