Earlier this year I had the chance to track test the hottest hot hatch from the Honda brand, the 2023 Civic Type R. Not to be outdone, Honda’s premium brand Acura launches their version of the platform in the 2024 Integra Type S with more power and more luxury. How does it fare in a week-long test in East Texas?
Pretty good actually. People of a certain age, and by that I mean my age group, remember the Integra as a 2-door hatchback that was a step above the Civic at the turn of the millennium. Fast forward to the rebirth of the Integra nameplate and Acura gives the world a 5-door hatch that is more in line with what consumers have been buying, but not “true to form” leaving some to grumble about not being a real Integra. I can say, after living with this for a week alongside the Nissan Z, this is a really fun car for the price and in the segment.
Now, I am not saying it competes against the Nissan Z as that is a 2-seat sports car, but they are similarly priced and are competing for my dollars all the same. Both tug on my 36-year-old nostalgia with their iconic names that played a big part of my high school infatuation with cars that led to this career.
Acura knows that those same buyers who will also be swayed by nostalgia for this vehicle are also more in need of a vehicle with more than two doors and storage for family things in the hatch. Perhaps that is why this vehicle is reborn as a 5-door versus the smaller version that we remember fondly. (Or it could be that Honda killed the two-door Civic with its current generation and Acura has no other choice but to use the Civic Type R’s body as a starting point.)
For the performance-minded, the Acura Integra Type S does get more power than the Civic and slightly different tuning to the suspension and electronics controlling the power, making a different driving experience to the most experienced, but very similar to the casual driver. Under the hood is the 2.0L VTEC inline 4-cylinder found in the Type R making 320 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. Power is routed through a six-speed manual to the front wheels using a helical limited-slip differential. Torque steer is present, but not overbearing at hard acceleration, and the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires make excellent additions to the bronze wheels on our test unit and allow for maximum traction.
According to Motor Trend, the Acura is slightly slower than the Honda, though the guys at Throttle House tracked them both and found the Acura to be the fastest. Drag racing is not the best use of this platform which is more of a grand tourer than anything, but it is fun to row through the six-speed gearbox, one of the best I’ve sampled to date.
The Type S rides wider than the A-Spec version of the Integra, 3.5 inches wider at the front track and 1.9 inches at the rear. This necessitated wider fender flares at all four corners which gives the Integra Type S a more muscular appearance. Paired with the unique front and rear facias and the triple-exit rear exhaust, this is a good looking vehicle.
Loading the family up in this Integra is also a simple task, though there is no pretense about this being a five-seat vehicle. The 2024 Acura Integra is a 2+2 with hard plastic cupholders in the center section of the rear seat negating that as a usable seat. The interior room is impressive, especially compared to the Honda Civic’s main competitor of the GR Corolla. Space and packaging is really a strong point of the Integra.
Pricing starts at just over $50,000 which is a nearly $7,000 premium over a base Civic Type R. Our tester clocked in at $55,971 which is over $10,000 more than the Civic Type R we took around the racetrack earlier this year. Is the sexier styling and the Acura name worth that kind of upgrade fee? That is up to you to decide. But perhaps these will be easier to locate on dealer lots than a Civic Type R.
2024 Acura Integra Type S Specs:
2.0L VTEC Inline 4-Cylinder Engine
320 Horsepower
Class-leading Power-to-weight at 10.1 lbs/hp
310 lb-ft of Torque
6-Speed Manual Gearbox with Rev-matching
Driver-selectable Drive Modes:
Comfort
Sport
Sport+
Individual
Triple-outlet Exhaust
Dual-Axis Front Suspension with MacPherson Struts
3.5 Inches Wider Than A-Spec
Multi-Link Rear Suspension
1.9 Inches Wider than A-Spec
Adaptive Dampers
Brembo Four-piston Front Brake Calipers
13.8-inch Two-piece Rotors
Helical Limited-slip Front Differential
Electric Variable-Ratio Power Steering
265/30 R19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S Tires
Motor Trend-Recorded 5.7 Second 0-60 (5.3 HCTR)
Motor Trend-Recorded 14.2 Second ¼ Mile at 101.9 mph (13.9 @ 104.2)
Digital Instrument Cluster
Hatchback Design
Unique Front Facias, Hood, & Fenders
2.8 Inches Wider than Other Integra Models
Added Aero for Increased Downforce
Orchid Leather and Ultrasuede Front Sport Seats with Increased Bolstering for Cornering Support
2-Person Rear Seats
9-inch Color Infotainment with Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Qi Wireless Phone Charger
Honda Sensing Suite of Safety and Assistance Features
Collision Mitigation Braking
Road Departure Mitigation
Adaptive Cruise Control
Lane Keeping Assist
Forward Collision Warning
Lane Departure Warning
Traffic Sign Recognition
Auto High-beam Headlights
Driver Attention Monitor
Multi-angle Camera System
Bose 12-speaker Premium Sound
Starting Price: $50,800 ($43,295 Civic Type R)
Price as tested: $55,971 ($44,385 Civic Type R)
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