The Japanese automaker's luxury and performance division Acura is making sure everyone knows which one is the ritzier choice - their Integra Type S five-door liftback sedan or the Honda Civic Type R hot hatchback.
When Acura unveiled their DE5 Integra Type S performance five-door liftback, it might have been harder to decide if this is the Japanese sports saloon for you or if one might be better off with the Honda Civic Type R hot hatchback. After all, the latter just recaptured the front-wheel drive Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record, which is no small feat by any means.
Meanwhile, because Honda likes to play with the FL5 Civic Type R's ratings of the 2.0-liter K20C1 turbocharged inline-four mill, in the United States, the Hot Hatch has 315 horsepower instead of 326 like at home in Japan or across the Old Continent. And that allowed some leeway for Acura to extract a marginally higher rating of 320.5 horsepower for their Integra Type S sibling. But is that enough now that we know the pricing details? Probably not, as the difference between MSRPs (without destination and other charges) is significant – around $7,005!
As such, while the 2023 Honda Civic Type R starts at $43,795 in the United States, the 2024 Acura Integra Type S – which has just one trim option – kicks off at no less than $50,800. With the destination included, the quotation surges to $51,995, while the VTEC motor's engineering and aero tricks and tricks, plus the transmission prowess, allow for EPA mileage ratings of 21/28/24 for city, highway, and combined values. That is 13.45/10/11.77 liters per 100 km for our European readers.
Still, Acura believes in its Integra Type S hero and considers it highly anticipated and "the most powerful (and) best performing Integra ever." That warrants some exclusivity, of course, so starting May 11 at 10:00 AM PT, the model will open the reservation books for the first 200 units only. Meanwhile, the liftback will arrive at nationwide dealerships next month, so it is no biggie if you don't catch the first batch.
As for highlights, the brand says it is well appointed "with class-leading premium features and technologies," such as heated front sport seats, the 10.2-inch Acura Precision Cockpit digital instrument cluster, HUD, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging, and a 16-speaker ELS Studio 3D premium audio system, among others.
The turbo engine, meanwhile, is mated to a six-speed manual transmission, a limited-slip differential, and an "innovative dual-axis front suspension design that improves road holding and greatly reduces torque steer." Other amenities include the "performance-tuned" Adaptive Damper System, Brembo front brakes, light 19-inch alloy wheels, 265/30 R19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S high-performance summer tires, and a "flexible 5-door liftback design," which is not exactly the fanbase's favorite, by the way!
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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