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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  Great Car - 1992 Acura Legend
  By Qball - March 25 - 2:00 am

  I have 220,000 miles on this car. Bought it new and it has been terrific!! Original exhaust system still remains...unbelievable!!! On my 5th set of tires, have changed oil (synthetic) every 5,000 miles since new...this baby will run forever!!!

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  The Perfect Car - 1998 Acura CL
  By Isaiah - March 25 - 2:00 am

  This is my second Acura, and I am spoiled. In the four years that I have had the car, the only service has been an oil change. When I see the service problems and little things going wrong that people with GM and Ford and Chrysler cars put up with in the first couple years of ownership, I can only laugh at what they call "value" and reliability.

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  Loads of Comfort, but no thrills - 1998 Acura RL
  By csj - March 25 - 2:00 am

  I bought a 1998 with the navigation system for $18,500 in 11/01. Navigation system does not always work well (dont throw out your maps), but when it works is easy to use. This is the car you want to drive on long trips or to relax on the ride home after a rough day. Wind noise is the only intrusion (need to get a moonroof wind deflector). There is a lot of body roll, but bumps are filtered out well. Adequate power, but not neck snapping. I drive my J30 if I want a sportier ride. Stereo is excellent. Good luxury car considering price and overall reliability.

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  The MD-X Rules - 2001 Acura MDX
  By DonnyDjr - March 25 - 2:00 am

  The MD-X is by far the greatest SUV made when comparing performance, value, reliability, resale price, looks and quality. The wait is well worth it.

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  good car for the money - 1997 Acura Integra
  By Dr.Iver - March 23 - 2:00 am

  has been reliable so far. very good handling on dry road, in winter snow original tires were almost useless, replacement tires are much better in the snow. accelerations acceptable, a little too noisy on the road. comfortable seats but i would like an inche or two more in width - it gets a little crowded if you put on a winter coat. i am satisfied with the car overall.

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  Awesome Car! - 2003 Acura RSX
  By RSX_Enthusiast - March 23 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car for anyone who is looking for a mix of luxury and sport for a reasonable price. I looked at $30K cars that I didnt like as much as the RSX Type-S!

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  Safety, Reliabity, Comfort, Fun - 2002 Acura TL
  By Duke Fans - March 23 - 2:00 am

  Weve had no problems. We love it! My wife drives all over the state and it has performed great.

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  Love this car..er..truck - 2003 Acura MDX
  By MSH - March 23 - 2:00 am

  Looked at several other SUVs before going to the Acura dealership. Was leaning heavily towards the RX300 and Highlander. Once we sat in the MDX and drove it though, we knew that it was the vehicle for us. Great room. Third seat is a nice benefit, even if its never used. The engine is amazing. Plenty of power when you need it. And the ride is more car than truck like.

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  My favorite Car - 2004 Acura TSX
  By Alliescar - March 21 - 10:00 am

  Love it. Black is a great color. Should have gotten the navigation system. Interior is beautiful. Seats comfortable.

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  I love this car! - 2004 Acura TSX
  By mitchdfla - March 21 - 10:00 am

  I bought this TSX in April, and it had 149 miles on it. Now it has almost 20,000. I drove it from Florida to California and back, and it performed perfectly. It drives very well on highways, handled mountains well, and gets great gas mileage despite a few high speed adventures. The cabin is quiet and comfortable, especially the front seats (leather!). The trunk is roomy, and I get a lot of good comments from others about it. I drive it daily 100 miles to and from work. The sport shift features is fun. The dual control a/c is great as is the stereo with 6- disc changer. The safety features are handy: ABS, Stability Control and Traction Control (features usually found on more expensive cars)