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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  Super fast - 2002 Acura RSX
  By KathyFG - April 4 - 10:00 am

  This is a great car--sports car performance (especially acceleration) with luxury interior (leather, sunroof, auto climate control). It sure takes off in a hurry, but totally SMOOTH. It is REALLY fun to drive. And, with Acura/Honda reliability, how can you go wrong? Believe me, you will love this car. And, you wont look like an overgrown adolescent driving it either (ie, Toyota Celica).

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  Best in class!! - 2002 Acura RSX
  By ACE-RSX-S - April 4 - 10:00 am

  Before I purchased this car there was a lot of talk and rumours on the internet from which to gather information. This car more than lived up to all that. I have driven a lot of cars, even ones that were far more expensive and I feel that it is the best combination of looks, comfort, performance and even practicality with its roomy hatch configuration. With the history of Honda cars you can rest assured that personalization of this model will be very easy with all the aftermarket interest. You simply cant buy a better car for the money and in many cases for more money. Two thumbs up!!

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  Great Car - 2002 Acura RSX
  By jaydedme - April 4 - 10:00 am

  This car is very dependable..

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  Combines performance with luxery - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Rich4114 - April 4 - 10:00 am

  This car is flat out classy and fun to drive. Its got some pretty decent pick up, but when you hit i-vtec it feels like youre getting a boost of power. The sound just automatically puts a big grin on your face. And for under 25k, you cant go wrong. The best of both worlds.

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  Why I Love My Acura MDX - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Bradley Johnson - April 4 - 10:00 am

  I truly love my Acura MDX. It is the most invigorating vehicle to drive, with extreme power and comfort. I have driven many SUVs, but this one truly takes the cake. It is the most luxurious SUV out there, and is very oppulent on the interior. I cantt say enough about it!!!

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  Best $34,000 you can spend - 2005 Acura TL
  By RL - April 4 - 3:33 am

  The TL provides you with a quiet interior, supportive seats and decent handling. My last car was a sports sedan, so I am used to tighter cornering than the TL allows for. Great sound system; steering wheel controls a little inconvenient-cant switch CDs in multidisk player without removing hands from wheel. Handles well in the snow with stock tires. Dual climate control adjusts quickly, heated seats heat quickly. Tons of features packed into this car. Very sophisticated dash with combo of metal, wood and black trim. Ample room for adults in the back seat. Inconvenient that the rear seat does not fold down. Also, poor turning radius-its easier to back this car in to parking spots. Highly recommended!

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  Fun to drive and reliable too! - 1999 Acura Integra
  By ttuong - April 3 - 2:00 am

  This car is great for driving around town and on the freeway. the shifter is smooth, the acceleration isnt bad either but you do have to rev the engine pretty high to get the power from any VTEC engine. This car can use more sound dampening, as it gets loud at freeway speeds. The factory wheels are alittle loud and when you replace them, it quites down a bit. I get on average about 28 miles per/gal. The back is very cramped if you have to carry passengers back there. Theres alot of after market companies making silly stuff for this car if you like to make it look different.

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  great buy! - 1996 Acura TL
  By reesk - April 3 - 2:00 am

  I have had this car for six months now with no problems whatever. I am so happy. I researched a million cars before buying and I am defintely a satisfied consumer! It handles well with good pick up. Its so quiet which is a MUST with me. Its roomy but not too big. Jumping from a Nissan Sentra to this I was a little worried feeling like I was driving "too" big of a car but I dont feel like that at all. The only downside I had to that is getting used to the lower miles/gallon.

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  New Owner of Premium RL - 1998 Acura RL
  By BSS - April 2 - 2:00 am

  I just bought a RL, Premium model with Navigation system. I looked hard at BMW 5 series and Mercedes E320 as well as the Lexus LS400. I found the big Acura to have no real weaknesses. It was larger, more plush and with more features than the German models. Plus, it doesnt come with the snob label attached. It seemed the equal of the Lexus (other than the V8 vs the V6) and was thousands less. Plus, there are LS400s EVERYWHERE. I have had it for about a month and am very happy with it. Power is smooth, interior very comfortable and the sound system is incredible. This car doesnt necessarily demand attention, but it has understated class and refinement.

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  Best Acura Yet! - 2002 Acura RL
  By lizzylou - April 2 - 2:00 am

  Ive now owned 3 Acursa and this 2002 3.5 RL is easily the best of the group. I can not find any flaws or faults with this car. Easily the best value proposition in the luxury car market niche. Far and away better value tha Lexus LS or Infinity Q45 or BMW 5-series.