What can we tell you? The remarkable improvements in refinement and passenger comfort-along with the pounds of weight it gained in the process-suckered us into underestimating just how fast this new car would be. What's more, the new 2. Even when cruising in sixth gear, there's good throttle response available.
Notwithstanding its midrange flexibility, this engine will spin eagerly to rpm the redline is at and sound happy to do so. The sounds are great, but the isolation is such that even high-rev exertions are kept at a comfortable distance from the cabin.
In fact, the muted feedback encourages frequent excursions to the redline, with none of the aural distress that afflicts the Honda S or the Type R Integra. At no time does the sound become staccato-it's always a smooth, mellow tone. And although it becomes dramatic at rpm, it's certainly never frantic.
With six optimally spaced gears to choose from, a driver can fully exploit the car's performance wherever the opportunity arises. The elegant silver-and-black shifter has light, short throws, thanks in no small part to its triple-cone synchromesh.
Improved performance is what we've come to expect of new Honda and Acura models, but what really surprised us is how much the interior accommodations have been improved without increasing the car's footprint area. Compare that with the Integra of old, into which lanky individuals could not even venture without first slamming the seat all the way back.
Even better, the seats are now scaled for bigger occupants, offering ample underthigh and back support, with firm bolstering. A clue to how this was achieved is evident in the narrow console area between the seats, where there is just enough room for a hand brake, a narrow slot, and nothing else. Also, the space between the wide seatbacks is so narrow that our canine rear-seat comfort tester was reluctant to pass between them. There's an entirely new dashboard and console design, with distinctive new textures and fabrics as well as trendy silver-faced instruments that look much like large silver coins.
It's a marked departure from the somber black interiors of previous Integras. In keeping with Acura's aspirations for this entry-level model, the RSX boasts a fully automatic climate-control system and a Bose stereo sound system. The Integra is a lot feistier in corners than the RSX, too, helped by the fact that it weighs a scant 2, pounds. It hops and skips over bumps but never gets unsettled and I can feel every imperfection in the road through the floor and the steering wheel.
Its steering requires a lot more focus and small corrections, but it's absolutely perfect and a joy to use. There's a seemingly endless amount of grip and it's easy to push the Type R to go faster in corners. The most surprising thing about the Integra is the lift-off oversteer, which is slightly terrifying at first but enjoyable once I'm used to it.
Golden-era Hondas were never my obsession as a kid, but I've always had an interest and an affection for them -- especially as someone who played the hell out of Gran Turismo. And while the Integra Type R never held the legendary status in my head that it did for so many other enthusiasts, I understood why it was so hyped up.
But now that I've been able to experience the car for myself, I'm basically ready to get a red Honda logo tattooed on my lower back. The Integra Type R really is that good. The A-Spec package doesn't add much in terms of performance upgrades, but it does get you inch wheels and front seats with better bolstering. Good news is, the MDX is inherently pretty great to drive. It feels its size but is shockingly nimble in corners, with direct steering and a well damped suspension.
It's obvious the MDX's chassis and brakes can handle a lot more power than the hp put out by its naturally aspirated V6 and the Type S' stickier tires and other upgrades should do wonders, as well. Plus, the MDX already looks great and has a phenomenal interior -- annoying touchpad infotainment aside -- and it's got tons of passenger and cargo room to boot.
It's clear that there are true enthusiasts working at Acura -- from designers and engineers to product planners and marketers -- and trotting out these awesome older models for me to drive makes the brand's performance aspirations seem legit.
If the new Type S cars can capture even some of the goodness of Acura's past hits, we could be looking at a couple of real winners. Climb in the driver's seat for the latest car news and reviews, delivered to your inbox twice weekly. Driving Acura's past performance cars has me excited for the reborn Type S sub-brand The new Type S models hope to recapture the magic of cars like the RSX and TL, so I headed to some of my favorite canyon roads to revisit Acura's greatest hits.
Ben Kirk is a fresh graduate of the State University of New York at Purchase school of Journalism with a concentration in political science.
Ultimately he figured writing about cars would be far less depressing. When he's not working as a feature writer for hotcars. Via: Garage Dreams. Via: Car Gurus. Via: Bring A Trailer. Via: Mac Support. Share Share Tweet Email. Related Topics Car Culture honda. Benny Kirk Articles Published. That's not enough to make a discernible difference on its own, but the engineers also dropped the final-drive ratio a bit, to make the RSX a little quicker.
The payoff? Acura claims the revised RSX delivers performance favorably comparable with that of "European sports cars. Still, the tweaks do add up to measurable results. The '05 Type-S sprints to 60 mph in 6. These are respectable numbers, but we frankly expected them to be a little more respectable. Could an increase in curb weight of 68 pounds—attributable to body-shell stiffening and added sound damping—retard forward progress?
It could. The numbers are a little more decisive in the area of chassis dynamics. Our '02 test car pulled a ho-hum 0. The '05 version improves skidpad performance to 0. On the subjective front, steering response and feel are distinctly improved, and the updated car attacks corners with more zeal and perhaps a little less body roll.
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