Yahoo Autos 2024 Acura Integra Type S First Drive Review: Have we got news for you!
If you were expecting the 2024 Acura Integra Type S to be a more comfortable, better-equipped and less-aggressive Honda Civic Type R, well, have we got news for you. As it turns out, that’s exactly what it is. You pretty much nailed it on the head.
The Integra Type S is exactly the car we all expected after looking at the specs, seeing how closely its enhanced componentry mirrored that of Honda’s halo car, and then extrapolating what a bit of polish, a bunch of equipment and slightly cushier suspension tuning might mean. If the latest Type R has been hailed for growing up in just the right ways, the Type S takes that concept further, sacrificing some go-fast potential for everyday drivability. If you like the Honda, there’s a chance you’ll like the Acura even more. There’s also a chance you’ll like it less.
Now, not surprisingly, the folks at Acura would rather shine the spotlight on how the Type S differs from the Integra A-Spec, which was previously the highest rung on the Integra ladder and the only way to get one with a six-speed manual transmission. Very well. Somehow, the visual jump between A-Spec and Type S seems much greater than Civic Si and Type R. When put side-by-side, the A-Spec Integra looks almost naked and a bit pedestrian.
The 3.5-inch-wider front track wrapped in muscular fender flares stamped directly into the sheetmetal up front is the biggest difference. The rear track is 1.9 inches wider, and although it too gets widebody fenders, they are a shmish-shmosh of plastic pieces on the door, fender and bumper. But back to the front. The face is more aggressive in appearance, but the changes are as much functional as aesthetic. The shield grille is larger and fully open (versus partially sealed) to allow 170% more air to pass through on its way up a new vent in the aluminum hood that creates downforce. The large intake-looking areas forward of the wheels don’t actually take in anything, but hidden openings on their inboard sides adjacent to the lower airdam channel air through three canards located behind those dud intakes. Air then exits behind those flared fenders, creating air curtains around the wheels. There is also a unique splitter up front, an almost-smooth floor and an enlarged diffuser, plus a lip spoiler that quite obviously won’t be creating as much downforce as the Type R's wing. That would be performance-oriented demerit No. 1, but also, grown-up point No. 1.
The engine is the same K20C 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four found in the Type R, though the removal of a resonance chamber in the otherwise equal triple-outlet exhaust results in an increase of 5 horsepower. Total output is 320 hp and 310 pound-feet of torque. That would also be 120 hp and 118 lb-ft more than the Integra A-Spec. Fun fact: That difference is more than the total output of the original 1986 Acura Integra.
As in the Type R, the Integra Type S engine is all about its mid-range punch. Once the revs build progressively past 3,500 rpm or so, they suddenly zing northward to the 7,000-rpm redline, and in the process, flatten you in the front seats that trade some lateral support relative the Type R for eight-way power operation, heating and a slightly higher H point for overall improved comfort. The acceleration profile of this engine really is the happy-medium/best-of-both-worlds marriage of turbocharged engines and Honda’s high-revving VTEC back catalog – because, you know, it has both a turbo and VTEC.
Controlling that engine is a CVT. Just kidding, there’s only the same six-speed manual gearbox as in the Civic Type R, or if you prefer, a gearbox that has a more rigid exterior case, higher-strength bearing system and stronger gears than the A-Spec’s. After rowing them back-to-back, the Type S manual has just a little more heft and mechanical feel to it, but remains a sterling example of why we love manuals so much. It’s just such a pleasure to use, complete with its delicate shifter ball wrapped in leather and topped with real metal. There’s also a titanium full-metal knob available for those who want to singe their entire hand on a hot day instead of just the palm. That aside (bring a glove), the Type S manual couldn’t be friendlier to use – if you’re hesitant to take the plunge because you never learned to drive a manual, fear not. It’ll be easy.
