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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  Get the stick! - 2006 Acura TL
  By Rich - May 24 - 5:20 am

  This car is awesome. Power, looks, 6spd transmission shifts like a dream. You cant go wrong with this ride.

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  This car is awesome! - 1995 Acura Integra
  By StealthGSR - May 24 - 2:00 am

  I got my 1995 Integra GS-R used with 106K on it, I have now put over 11K miles on it and have not had a single problem. Its fast, handles like a go cart, and never breaks down. Gotta love the gas milage too!!! -Andrew

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  Best combination! - 1998 Acura CL
  By PhillyGuy - May 24 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car 1 year old with 23,000 miles on it. The 2.3 liter engine with the 5 speed is the most fun combination of this CL/Accord coupe. Looks good, handles well, and has decent performance with the 5 speed. Have over 85,000 miles and only oil changes and brakes needed. Very reliable [as you would expect with a Honda]. Good looking and well laid out interior. Also great gas milage on regular fuel. Another plus is the limited production so you wont see the car on every corner. Very pleased!

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  Good Value - 1999 Acura CL
  By pgk - May 24 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this vehicle at point when Acura was discounting the car, probably due to forthcoming model change. The car is almost 3 years old with 19,000 miles and there hasnt been a single problem. Typical Honda. It is a two door vehicle and really a two passenger car unless your friends prefer to ride in cramped rear quarters. Turning radius is terrible so dont even think about those mid block U- turns. The engine (3.0) gets the car moving at any speed/rpm and is one of the nicest features. Car came with almost every option imaginable, so if you want a good value, check out this vehicle.

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  Truly amazing quality - 1993 Acura Integra
  By Kruzo - May 23 - 2:00 am

  Can not say enough about it. Bought new in 93, 182000 miles on it. No major breakdowns ever. Normal maintanance stuff -- brakes, muffler, etc. On my second battery, second clutch, ORIGINAL front brake rotors. Second (!) muffler (by Honda). If maintained properly (i.e. not by Midas), will live forever. Problems I did encounter in all 9 years are: AC (need repair at the moment), Oil pan gasket (hard to get to), a distributor cup at 50K miles. Other then that --- nada. Not bad for a HEAVILY used commuter car that does 80 miles a day.

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  Acura TL 3.2 - 1998 Acura TL
  By redisretired - May 23 - 2:00 am

  I have only had this car for about a month. However, I sure enjoy it. I have not found any problem whatsoever. I purchased it used (58,000 miles). I have been trying to think of something that I would change about it but, havent found anything. I am even satisfied with the cup holder top flipping towards the passenger seat. In that way if I make a wrong move I cannot tip the cup or bottle. I have a feeling that is what Acura had in mind.

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  Perfect! - 2002 Acura RL
  By rtom - May 23 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I have had our 02 RL for almost a year. Its so fun to drive because it clearly turns heads (ours is black). Some reviews talk about its "boring, conservative styling", but we love everything about this cars styling! Its a true joy to drive - my guess is that we will now always be Acura drivers.

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  Great Car - 1997 Acura CL
  By unangst - May 23 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car for my wife in 97. In 2000 I bought my wife a BMW. She still loves the CL drive better.

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  Refinement at its best! - 2009 Acura TSX
  By bryan2009 - May 22 - 4:00 pm

  I have a 2009 TSX now and a 2008 Honda Accord EX. Both cars are great. My Girlfriend drives the TSX and I drive the Accord. I will have to say though that the performance of the TSX is a little less than that of the Accord. Both are great though and synonymous in there attitude. I love the 2.4 litre powerplant it is really a great workhorse.

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  Awesome Value - 1997 Acura Integra
  By Integra lover - May 22 - 2:00 am

  Extremely reliable for the money. I had it for 4 years already and all Ive had to do was change the tires. Easy to drive and fuel efficient. Excellent for new drivers!