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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  Best Car Ive Ever Had - 2002 Acura RSX
  By Jasonv65 - January 27 - 10:00 am

  I love this car. I had a Honda Civic before this car and there is a huge difference between the two. The engine is very smooth and powerful with no hesitation to get up and go. The 6 speed shifter is great and very easy to use. The suspension is very good and quiet over rough road. I test drove a new 2002 Civic Si & would choose the RSX in a heart beat over the Si.

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  noisy noisy - 2002 Acura MDX
  By Norick Baboomian - January 27 - 10:00 am

  Its a ok suv to have, couldnt wait to buy it. But for a $45k suv I could buy a quieter suv. Lots of wind and road noise. The armrest is not comfortble while driving. Should have waited another year so I can get an improved 2002 model. Acura doesnt take the responsibility to upgrade it, so I am not happy with their service. One of the victims of a first year production car buyr.

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  family car with a zip - 2003 Acura TL
  By Jeff - January 27 - 10:00 am

  Title says it all....

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  Traded in BMW for TL-S - 2003 Acura TL
  By JingleJill - January 27 - 10:00 am

  I traded in a 2001 BMW 330i for a 2003 Anthracite TL-S and I couldnt be happier. The two cars are totally different, so it is not really fair to compare them. However, for the money, the Acura cannot be beat. Everything is standard (except nav). The TL-S is a great car. Real leather, a great stereo, an awesome engine, and it can hold four adults in comfort. I just passed 600 miles and Ive averaged 23mpg. Not too shabby. Ill update again when I have more miles.

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  Acura TL - 2004 Acura TL
  By TundraElectronics - January 22 - 2:00 am

  I had my search down to 3 cars 1) Infiniti G35X ruled this one out in my opinion the styling does not compete with the Acura mainly inside the car 2) Lexus ES300 Just no Fun to drive 3) Volvo S60R not worth the extra $10,000. The TL Gave me everything I needed a big trunk do wish it had 60/40Split. Comfortable quite drive lots of power would be nice if the power went to all 4 wheels though and the best navigation system out there. All in all you get a lot of bang for your buck in terms of luxury customer service and performance that I did not think any other car offered.

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  Excellent Ride - 2002 Acura RSX
  By avaughn56 - January 21 - 10:00 am

  When the dealership brought out the Silver RSX with the 5 speed manual I was hooked. I felt lucky since the RSX sales are so good most dealerships cant keep many in inventory. The ergonomics are the best of any car I have driven. The quality is so much better than the Mercedes 230C. And the Acura costs $8000 less fully equiped. For me this is the perfect car to drive to work and fun to drive on the weekends.

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  Acura RSX and Patty Police, Judy Justice - 2002 Acura RSX
  By CaliforniaBubba - January 21 - 10:00 am

  I bought the RSX and got a speeding ticket during the 2nd week of ownership. This car is fast and responsive (as the cop noticed).

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  Awesome Quality/Comfort and Affordable - 2003 Acura TL
  By PVD - January 21 - 10:00 am

  Owned the Canadian version of this car for two weeks - it includes running headlights as standard feature. I find the driving EFFORTLESS. Return from journeys as relaxed as when I left! It seems to be very spacious inside, but does not look or feel like a large car. I dont know how Honda achieved this - well done Honda! Simple dash and instrument layout is as good as it gets, and the 6-CD changer WITH tape player just completes the experience.

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  TSX a great car - 2004 Acura TSX
  By r8drick - January 17 - 10:00 am

  got sick of the $500 repair bills on my wifes 1997 BMW 328is - own a honda and wanted the honda reliability, so bought her a 2004 TSX gray 6sp with navi - wow what a nice car. compliments galore. Get 28 combined city/hwy MPG. I never drove her 328is because I didnt like it, but I drive this car every chance I get. Voice recognition navi is impressive, and I will say the build quality is better than her BMW. The car reeks of quality.

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  Awesome - 2004 Acura TSX
  By CAMSHAFT - January 17 - 10:00 am

  I love it. It is the perfect car for me. Its so pretty though I dont want to mess it up> Overall great car!!!