- Exterior: Hitting The Gym
- Interior: A Premium Civic
- Powertrain: Type R + More
- Driving Impressions: The Mature Athlete
- Practicality: A Superb Daily
- Pricing: Is A Premium Price Tag Justified?
Acura's revived Integra is a mature hot hatch with a premium price tag.
The Honda Civic Type R is an outstanding hot hatchback, but not everyone has the yearning to drive a car with bright red racing seats and a prominent wing on the back. That's where the 2024 Acura Integra Type S comes in. Built on the Civic platform, as every Integra before it, this new fifth-generation Integra received a hailstorm of undeserved criticism from enthusiasts when it was first revealed.
Commenters on CarBuzz'sstory about its launch called it an “egregiously rebadged Civic,” an “ILX with the wrong badge,” and “not the Integra enthusiasts grew up with.” They also complained that it wasn't a two-door like the third-generation Integra Type R. Acura partially quieted the haters by announcing the more powerful Type S variant, a more mature version of the Civic Type R. And now, after driving the new Integra Type S around California's stupendous mountain roads, we predict the trolls who take a drive in it themselves will be silenced for good.
The Type S takes the 2.0-liter turbocharged VTEC engine from the Type R and dials the horsepower up by five for 320 hp in total. It also fixes one of our gripes with the type R… the harsh sound. The resulting formula in the Integra Type S is as near to the perfect hot hatchback as we've ever driven. Yes, we think it's that good.
Exterior: Hitting The Gym
Sorry dreamers, that two-door Integra rendering you saw on Instagram is not what Acura decided to build. Acura actually wanted to sell some cars, hence why the Integra is a five-door hatchback. Want to write a formal complaint? Address the letter to yourself for not purchasing a Civic or Accord Coupe when they were still on sale. With that rant out of the way, we genuinely think the Type S is a great-looking car. It's mean without being over-the-top.
It all starts with a more chiseled front end with body panels that are unique to the Type S from the A-pillars forward. Every new detail, from the diamond pentagon grille to the vented aluminum hood, is there in service of cooling the engine. In fact, these changes improve airflow by 170% compared to the standard car, and are not just added to the car simply for aesthetic purposes. At the back, the base car's dual-exit exhaust has been replaced by tri-tips, like the Type R, but with a special sound profile reserved for the Type S.
The Type S is 2.8 inches wider than the base Integra, thanks entirely to muscular fender flares that house wider 265-section wheels and tires. This Integra did not skip leg day at the gym. The 19-inch gray wheels are an inch larger than the base model's wheels and can be finished in bronze for a $2,000 fee. They look great, but that's quite pricey for only a color change, in our opinion. A black spoiler comes standard, but customers can also opt for an accessory carbon fiber one that's more aggressive; it's a fairly reasonable $950 option.
Acura's color palette has something for everyone, including Performance Red Pearl, Apex Blue Pearl, Platinum White Pearl, Lunar Silver Metallic, Majestic Black Pearl, Liquid Carbon Metallic, and the Type S-exclusive Tiger Eye Pearl. We are partial to the brighter colors, namely red, blue, and Tiger Eye.
Interior: A Premium Civic
If there's one criticism one could fairly level at the Integra Type S, it's that the interior looks too much like a Honda Civic. Looking forward from the driver seat, the dashboard layout, switchgear, and multimedia are all copy-paste from the Civic Type R, albeit in a more mature flavor. The Type R's bright red racing seats are gone, as is the bright red carpet. In their place are more comfortable Type S seats with a combination of leather and Ultrasuede. Buyers can choose from three color combinations, including all black, red/black, and white/black. The front seats are heated, an option that is not available on the Type R, and the driver seat is powered.
Both the nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system and the 10.2-inch Acura Precision Cockpit are borrowed from Civic, but the latter lacks the Type R's shift lights and tach-focused gauge mode. We hope Acura will consider adding them in a software update. The Type S does get a head-up display, unlike the Type R, but it doesn't have the option to display the RPMs. The technology is easy to use and features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Acura also gets access to a 16-speaker ELS Studio 3D audio system, which sounds far superior to our ears than the unit in the Type R.
Powertrain: Type R + More
Much like past Integra models, the new Type S shares its powertrain with the Civic Type R. A 2.0-liter turbocharged VTEC (but not the old-school kind of VTEC) four-cylinder engine delivers 320 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque – a modest bump over the Type R. Acura achieved the additional power with a new exhaust system, which we'll assess in greater detail in the next section. Drive goes out to the front wheels only via a six-speed manual transmission with a lightweight flywheel, limited-slip differential, and auto rev-matching. As with the Type R, it's the slickest manual 'box this side of six figures.
Acura does not quote 0-60 mph times because the Integra Type S wasn't designed with this specific metric in mind. The car could have been quicker with all-wheel-drive and a dual-clutch transmission, but it would have been heavier and lost much of its purity.
Driving Impressions: The Mature Athlete
It's rare, but every once in a while, we drive a car that's so entertaining it makes us grin the moment we floor the accelerator. The Integra Type S is such a car. From the moment you set off, you will instantly notice the Type S-specific active high-flow exhaust system. Not only does it improve the power output, but it sounds epic.
Type R owners might lament the sound if they get overtaken by a Type S, showered by crackles and pops. Acura achieved this throatier exhaust note by removing the front resonator in combination with new engine tuning to achieve the pops and bangs. It's less obnoxious than a Hyundai Elantra N, but a huge improvement over the Type R. The crackles don't happen every time you lift off the throttle, meaning they feel like more of a reward when you nail a perfect shift.
The next thing you will notice is the superb DNA inherited from the Type R. This is among the finest front-wheel-drive vehicles we've ever driven. The communication from the steering to the front wheels is sports-car sharp, meaning the driver can detect the exact moment when the front wheels hook up so they can apply more throttle.
If you test-drove a Type R and thought it was too stiff for daily duties, the Type S might be more your speed. The adaptive dampers are tuned a bit softer in all settings, meaning even the Sport+ mode won't beat occupants up too much. That being said, we set up the Individual mode for Sport+ on all settings except the suspension, which we left in Comfort. There's a bit of body roll left in – just enough to have fun with the chassis – but not enough that we'd describe the Type S as soft. This car begs to be driven faster with each communication point to the driver (the steering, clutch, shift linkage, and powertrain), culminating in a pure, thrilling experience.
On California's tight mountain roads, we did not miss AWD in the slightest. The Type S weighs around 200 pounds more than the A-Spec at 3,219 lbs, meaning it's just 30-odd pounds heavier than the Type R. AWD could have yielded quicker acceleration times, but we believe it would have sullied the overall experience and made the car heavier.
Practicality: A Superb Daily
Enthusiasts who had a poster of the Integra Type R on their wall might protest, but we believe Acura's decision to build a five-door hatchback was a brilliant move. The rear seats are reasonably spacious, with a class-leading 37.4 inches of legroom. Unfortunately, that rear seat only fits two passengers since the cupholders live where a middle seat should be. It also lacks rear air vents, a feature we'd want on a vehicle with this price tag.
It may be slightly limited as a people carrier, but the Integra (like the RSX before it) excels as a cargo hauler. The hatchback body style enables greater cargo capacity than any of its rivals, with 24.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. Acura does not quote cargo volume with the seats down, but we can tell you it's cavernous and would swallow up an above-average Costco run. We reckon you could even squeeze a mountain bike back there.
Pricing: Is A Premium Price Tag Justified?
$50,800. That's the price you will pay for the 2024 Integra Type S. Well, actually, it's $51,995 with destination, and if the Civic Type R is any indicator, the dealerships will not let this car go without an absurd markup. Assuming you could get one at sticker price, the Integra Type S is still not a bargain. It's more expensive than a base Audi S3, the BMW M235i Gran Coupe, and Mercedes-AMG CLA 35. These are cars with all-wheel-drive and more prestigious badges, but they lack a manual transmission or a hatchback trunk. They will also greatly exceed the Integra's price when equipped similarly.
Here's the biggest question: is the Integra Type S worth the price increase over a Type R? Assuming both cars were available at MSRP, the Acura is $7,000 more than the Honda. For that price, you get mature styling, softer suspension, less aggressive seats, a head-up display, a higher output engine, and a better-sounding exhaust. Not everyone will agree that these changes are worth the price, but the right buyer will prefer the superior livability offered in the Type S. When you pick up the kids from school in the Integra, the other parents won't give you the side eye for driving a bombastic race car on the school run. The Type S takes everything we love about the Type R and bundles it in a more mature package. This writer thinks that's worth the price.
Keyword: 2024 Acura Integra Type S First Drive Review: Type Yes For Excellence