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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  fun car! - 1990 Acura Integra
  By val - April 8 - 2:00 am

  Wow! I got my Integra for my first car, and it has been a reliable, fun car! I got FAR better gas mileage then noted.. about 28 city mpg and 35 hiway mpg. I havent done any work on it, and am sad to have to give it up because of a knee injury! I highly recommend it for a first car!

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  No regrets - 2008 Acura TL
  By Frank - April 7 - 12:23 pm

  Performance, comfort and reliability exceeded expectations. Most satisfied with this vehicle than others owned. A daily driver pleasure.

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  1994 Acura Vigor - 1994 Acura Vigor
  By Officer_ndogg - April 7 - 3:00 am

  This is a very reliable car. Build quality and reliability are excellent. Theres not one rattle or squeak on this car. The engine performs well, and has good acceleration and gets good gas mileage. The car handles well, though the ride is pretty rough at times. The driving position can be awkward for taller people and the back seat is very cramped. There is plenty of headroom in the front and back and the trunk is very big. Like I said, reliability has been nearly perfect, the only drawback is that parts can be somewhat expensive. Overall this car is one of the best older model used cars you can buy.

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  This is a great car! - 1994 Acura Integra
  By Stephanie - April 7 - 3:00 am

  I bought this car from my aunt and I love it! It handles well, its sporty, and its extremely reliable. It has 170000 miles on it, and the only thing thats been replaced on it is the timing belt. Not Bad!

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  Acura 3.2TL - 1998 Acura TL
  By Wampum - April 7 - 3:00 am

  WOW! I have had this car for a little over a year now and I have loved every minute of it. Plenty of power for a four door car and comfort equal to none.

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  The Best - 1998 Acura Integra
  By Winson - April 7 - 3:00 am

  The best car.

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  THE greatest sportscar value ever... - 1998 Acura NSX
  By Number 6 - April 6 - 2:00 am

  This is my second NSX-T... The NSX is simply the greatest value EVER in an exotic sportscar. Why it has languished all these years with steadily declining sales and production numbers is a mystery. Of course, stories of things or people who were not appreciated in their own time are legion. Where else can you get the excitement and style of a Ferrari or Lamborghini, performance to match those two great names, but yet pay no more than a Honda Accord to maintain it and insure it? The NSX is truly a niche car, Hondas proof to the world that they can build a real supercar... and still bring it in at half the cost of the competition.

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  LOVE IT - 2004 Acura RSX
  By Joanna70o4 - April 6 - 2:00 am

  I just got this car in May and I love it. Its a good size but I must admit it is tight in the back. I wouldnt recommend it as a family car. This is car is more for 2 people not 4 its way too tight.

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  MDX - 2004 Acura MDX
  By JSB - April 6 - 2:00 am

  great SUV. Acura, again, rules!

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  Lovin this ride! - 2004 Acura TL
  By Sandy Eggo - April 6 - 2:00 am

  I deliberately made the TL the last of the 6 cars I tested out (G35, ES330, Passat, Accord, Camry), and I was sold after a half mile. Im a big guy, and I was worried about room - no problem. I found the seats very comfortable (havent checked out the rear seats, but unless the people back there are helping with the payments, Im not concerned!) Love the stereo, and never thought Id care for XM...its great for those with diverse musical tastes. So far, a great ride!