Road Test
We didn't think it fair to base performance estimates in our Acura RSX Type-S preview story (June 2001) on the previous-generation Integra Type R. That car was just too much of a stripper, and it was light, loud, and fast. So we looked at the better-equipped Integra GS-R's numbers instead, did a little calculation, and estimated a 0-to-60-mph time of 6.7 seconds for the RSX Type-S, or a half-second quicker than the older car.
Turns out that was a bit conservative, because this new 200-hp replacement for the Integra got the job done in just 6.1 seconds. Furthermore, it bested the GS-R's quarter-mile time by 0.8 second and 5 mph (at 14.8 seconds at 95 mph) and even eclipsed the Type R's time of 15.2 seconds at 93 mph.
What can we tell you? The remarkable improvements in refinement and passenger comfort-along with the 100 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 2.0-liter engine (which has i-VTEC, or continuous intake-cam-phase control, along with dual camshaft variable lift and duration) offers such muscular midrange performance that it feels like a much larger powerplant than it in fact is. Even when cruising in sixth gear, there's good throttle response available.
Notwithstanding its midrange flexibility, this engine will spin eagerly to 8000 rpm (the redline is at 7900) 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 S2000 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 8000 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.
A 2.5-inch height increase has enabled Acura engineers to find so much room in the front seats that most tall drivers will not even have to use the full rearward seat-adjustment range. 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. Despite six speakers and an independently amplified "Richbass" woofer mounted in the minispare-and the good clean sound we've come to expect from the Bose Corporation-the system doesn't offer much volume.
