Acura RSX Type S Car Review

For several years Acura has been manufacturing high quality luxury and sports vehicles. While 90% of their lineup has been more on the luxury side, there has still always been the true Acura sports car...the Integra.

In it's early days, the Integra was a sports only minded car, with low centered seats, sleek exterior styling, and a powerful Vtec engine. It slowly evolved throughout time, with several four door and two door models. The most popular, and most performance minded version, was the RS. It came with a small yet powerful 1.8 liter Vtec engine, using Honda's most advanced form of Variable Valve Timing. The car lived to it's potential. It was a car that did extremely well in daily use, and could turn out to be a four cylinder beast if you wanted to put in the time and work. But, as all cars have to move on at some point in time, the Integra was ceased. It was replaced with the Acura RSX Type-S, but did it live up to the potential that the Integra did?

The answer yes, but not only did it live up to the Integra's potential, it far surpassed it. The RSX came with new styling that puts the old Integra to shame. It's interior was completely re-done, and the outcome was something you would expect from a Ferrari or $70,000+ car. The interior came with a sleek guage cluster, a small sporty steering wheel, and performance synthetic leather bucket seats. The suspension was revamped for a more sporty feel. And the engine was upgraded to a 2.0 liter i-Vtec system, one of the most advanced naturally aspirated engines in the world. This new engine pumps out 201 break horsepower and 142 pounds of torque. The engines works by incorporating a second whole camshaft profile, which is electronically activated at 5,800 rpms. This second cam profile gives the car it's peak horsepower, and lasts from 5,800 rpms all the way to the car's rev limiter at 8,300 rpms. Using two cam profiles enables the car to get most of it's torque right away, since it has a cam profile for low rpms and a cam profile for high rpms. The car also comes with a sophisticated 6 speed manual transmission, and that's your only choice, there's no automatic for this sports car. Unless you get the base RSX, which features a weaker V-tec engine that pumps out 160 hp and 140 pounds of torque; still not a car to take lightly though.

Driving the RSX is satisfying for anyone who can drive a manual. It's suspension is very smooth, yes.t stiff when under cornering hard. The throttle response is surprising for a non-turbo 4 cylinder. And when the "Vtec" kicks in at 5,800 rpms, you're pushed back into your seat as the lightweight 2700 pound vehicle experiences 201 bhp. The transmission is smooth, except for a small grind between second and third gears.

The RSX is a sports car, but that doesn't mean it isn't for the normal minded daily driver. Someone looking for a small, two door car, could find the RSX to be the perfect match. It has the styling to catch anyone's eye, the interior that defines it as an Acura, the great miles per gallon from the four cylinder, and an amazing five star crash rating. With, of course, the great passing ability from the perky little engine.