2002 Acura RSX

2002 Acura RSX 2002 Acura RSX
First Drive Review

We think it's fair to say the 1994-2001 Acura Integra--in particular, the Integra bearing the GS-R model suffix--rates a small but significant footnote in the ongoing saga of the automobile. Okay, maybe it doesn't cast a shadow quite as long as, say, the Corvette's. But it's no exaggeration to say that this car has been one of the major linchpins of the burgeoning Asian hot-rod phenomenon. There are hordes of slammed Integras zooming around out there in the Land of the Great Freeway, icons of a new-age mechanolust whose lexicon is utterly devoid of the words "small-block V-8." And without putting too fine a point on it, the Integra has been, to paraphrase old Chico Escuela, berra, berra good to the Acura Division of American Honda Motor Company, rolling along for eight years essentially unchanged, about twice the normal model life span. No major changes equals no retooling investment, which in turn equals increased profitability. All of which makes you wonder why anyone would even consider changing the name. But the marketing gurus obviously perceive things in the socioeconomic ether that are invisible to mere mortals, and so it is that the Integra's replacement is cloaked in alphanumeric anonymity, just like the rest of its Acura stablemates. Goodbye, Integra. Hello, RSX and RSX Type-S.

Honda's new i-VTEC adds continuously variable valve timing to the VTEC dual-lobe cam system.

Fortunately, these apparently random selections from the alphabet are affixed to what seems to be a pretty good sports coupe, despite an ominous portent to the contrary. Like the recent renewal of the Civic, the newest Acura eschews the unequal-length control-arm front suspension that has long been a Honda point of distinction, employing instead a more mundane MacPherson-strut setup. But don't be deceived. Although the RSX--even the hot-rod Type-S--exhibits the resistance to turn-in (read, understeer) common to virtually all front-drive cars, there's far less of it here than in the GS-R, and it's balanced by a willingness for the rear end to slide when the driver backs off the throttle or applies a touch of brake. It's called oversteer, a trait treasured by enthusiasts and rare in cars with a pronounced forward weight bias (61 percent of it up front in the Type-S) and with front wheels that are required to transmit both power and steering inputs. And it's all the sweeter here for its forgiving nature.

The Type-S can be coaxed into a modest four-wheel drift, but it returns to the path of righteousness with a little waiting and perhaps a hint of opposite lock. In a word, it's delightful--a small front-drive sports coupe that can be vectored with the throttle, as well as its small, racer-sized steering wheel and quick (2.6 turns lock-to-lock), surgically sharp variable-assist rack-and-pinion power steering. Add a new 2.0-liter engine developing 30 more horsepower than the GS-R's 1.8 (see sidebar), a slick new short-throw six-speed manual transmission (Type-S only), and potent, no-fade disc brakes (with generous 11.8-inch vented front rotors in the Type-S), and you have a recipe for best in class, no matter what they call it.

Basics: The Integra replacement is all-new, but its dimensions are decidedly familiar. At 101.2 inches, the wheelbase is unchanged, the overall length--172.3 inches--has shrunk by 0.1 inch, and the width (67.9 inches) has increased by just over half an inch. The only significant change is the car's height, which has soared 2.5 inches, an adjustment aimed at enhancing the viability of the rear seat as a place to sit without doing your famous impression of Quasimodo ducking around in the Notre Dame belfry. Although more headroom is a plus, the most appealing element of the new interior is an instrument panel that's gone from Japanese generic to distinctively contemporary, complete with de rigueur black-on-silver gauges that morph to red backlighting at night.

The color scheme within the Type-S tends toward dark charcoals and blacks, just as it did in the Integra GS-R, but a textured material that feels more like fabric than plastic lends an upscale look to the instrument binnacle, door panels, and shift knob, and Acura finally seems to have realized that climate and audio controls are likely to be manipulated by people rather than elves. Three large rotary knobs operate the first automatic climate-control system offered in Acura's entry-level lineup, and the various buttons and switches governing the excellent Bose audio system are sized to allow use by gloved hands with the car in motion.