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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  Outstanding automobile - 2005 Acura RL
  By steven - August 21 - 6:43 am

  This is one outstanding car; must be DRIVEN to be appreciated. I love the attention that was paid to the technology in the car--very impressive and enjoyable.

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  2004 Acura auto/nav - 2004 Acura TL
  By Don McMeen - August 21 - 3:50 am

  One year and 20,000 miles of ownership have been totally trouble free. Engine flexibility, driveability and power are excellent. Throttle tip-in is flawless. Shift quality is excellent, in terms of down- and upshifting response, smoothness and proper gear selection. Gear transitions are very quick, smooth and transient-free. Ride is noticeably stiffer than my 2001 ES 300 over rough or broken surfaces, but very smooth at freeway speeds. Mileage has been a surprise, average for the 20,000+ miles is slightly over 25, with 30+ mpg highway the norm (calibrated odometer).

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  TL is #1 - 2006 Acura TL
  By dru2034 - August 19 - 7:03 pm

  This is a quality luxury car. No need to get nickled and dimed by BMW or Mercedes. Everything is included in this Honda made vechile. Great framework and fun to play with.

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  2009 Acura TSX - 2009 Acura TSX
  By unsichtbaremann - August 18 - 8:16 am

  I just bought this car a week ago and Im beyond thrilled! Being my first new car purchase out of graduate school, I knew I wanted the reliability of Acura (read Honda) and practical, while still sporty. This fits the bill perfectly. Sure, the grille looks a little odd (or Mazda/Saturn-like), but thats about the only gripe for me. The i-VTEC engine is a great blend of spunk, fuel efficiency and environmental friendliness (even though Im not on the "save the planet boat," its still impressive to see a ULEV vehicle that can still perform). The six-speed transmission and the tech package are the way to go!

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  A pleasure, indeed. - 2005 Acura RL
  By Iman - August 18 - 7:50 am

  We purchased the vehicle and then proceeded to drive it over 4000 miles on an extended holiday. The car handled beautifully, the sound system is extraordinary and the ability to receive and respond to calls without having to handle our cell phone is, indeed a wonderful safety measure. Surprising but much to our satisfaction was the fact that we realized over 26 miles to the gallon of gas while on the highway.

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  Best value in Luxury Sedan - 2005 Acura RL
  By Richard Winstead - August 17 - 7:00 pm

  This Acura is the fourth Acura in a row that I have owned or leased. When you compare the RL with the Lexus 430 the Acura beats it hands down in price and the quality is just as good if not better. The RL comes only one way, loaded and if you want all of these extras on a Lexus, the price just continues to climb. Did someone tell me the Lexus now has rear wheel drive? How antiquated! Give me the RL anyday!

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  Solid buy - 2017 Acura TLX
  By Kevin - August 17 - 7:06 am

  I have owned the 6 cylinder FWD for 2 weeks. I am coming from a VW Passat TDI. The TLX is above the Passat in acceleration/ quality of materials. The TLX is below the Passat in interior room / MPG. The TLX does put a smile on my face when driving winding roads. It holds the road like no other car I have owned. I was between getting another Passat, Infiniti Q50, or this car. What won out was the interior quality and looks of the TLX. The Q50 trunk was way too small and interior very tight for my 62" frame. I would have got another VW , but thought I needed to look at something different. The things that I find frustrating on this car are the complicated radio, the Sirius only presets 12 channels, and you cant see what song is on Sirius until you turn the channel. Overall , the TLX provided a nice balance of quality materials, space, and amenities. Not perfect, but enjoyable car.

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  Best car Ive had - 2005 Acura TSX
  By ASenna88 - August 17 - 2:06 am

  This is by far the best car Ive owned its my 10th Honda made car and the best. I love the HID lights and XM radio, although another 20hp or so would be nice its still a fantastic car and the best buy for the money anywhere. Do yourself a favor and put this car at the top of your shopping list.

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  The most Luxury good looking SUV - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Fernando - August 16 - 5:26 pm

  Wow, what can I say. Far most better than the competitors, wow. I do have to say that Acura has created the best in the SUV luxury class. The 07 MDX does drive so smooth and very fast that you feel like you are in an airplane, its unbelievable, its incredible. Buy it, you will keep it forever.

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  Transmission Whiplash 2002 TL - 2002 Acura TL
  By fixerupper - August 16 - 3:26 am

  Major problem. Transmission hesitates then engages first gear very abruptly. Happens from a dead stop or when slowing down and speeding up. There is a very noticable delay from the time I start accelerating till the car goes hard into motion. After 5 trips to the dealer, and being told that they can not find the problem or thats the way it is supposed to work I am going back and demand at least a new trany. My first couple weeks driving this thing I developed a serious stiff neck.