It’s so usually the case {that a} really particular driver’s automobile reveals itself inside the first couple hundred ft behind the wheel. The 2024 Acura Integra Sort S is a type of automobiles. Actually, the Integra Sort S doesn’t even want that quantity of highway to point out itself, as a result of a lot of what makes this automobile magical to drive will be felt standing nonetheless within the driveway.
The fizz begins while you push the well-weighted clutch in, then hear the buzzy and vibrating 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder spring to life. It sends vibrations by means of the automobile and straight into your physique due to the purposefully missing stability shafts. Little turbocharged motors are usually missing in character, however the Integra Sort S’ engine feels prefer it’s alive and bumbling with vitality at idle. Earlier than you even begin to discover revs, this engine presents as one designed for efficiency.
Take a spin by means of the six-speed handbook transmission whereas stationary, and it shortly turns into apparent why Honda is the usual in relation to handbook transmissions. It’s a mix of the pure fluidity transferring by means of the sample – going each up and down, every gear seemingly selects itself as your wrist guides the stubby shifter alongside – and the mechanical click-clack connection you are feeling by means of your hand with every shift. The sheer quantity of satisfaction it brings to make each final gear change is sufficient to make any handbook fanatic giddy.
I ease off the clutch for the primary time, and begin to roll these thick 265-section-width tires ahead, shortly revealing the superbly weighted steering rack, clueing me in on how severe this chassis is. The view ahead is spectacular previous the skinny A-pillars. The exhaust goes bang, ratta-tat-tat on the overrun as I ease as much as the primary cease signal. And the brakes solely require a delicate whisper to the mega-responsive pedal to carry this hatchback to a cease. It solely takes that couple hundred-foot stretch to understand that this Sort S is strictly what I do know it to be: a Honda Civic Sort R in a distinct outfit.
The comparability is not possible to keep away from, and the Honda group could spend the subsequent 50 years debating which one is best – belief me, there’ll by no means be a clear-cut reply – nevertheless it’s undeniably nice that all of us get to decide on between these two related driving beasts. Fortunately, irrespective of which one you select, neither will ever be the fallacious reply.
The primary night time of testing the Sort S is a cold one, however cussed me retains the home windows down to make sure I soak in each final bang and pop the Integra’s distinctive exhaust has in retailer. To fight that chill, summer season breeze, I crank the usual heated seats within the Sort S. If the check automobile had been so geared up, I may even activate the optionally available heated steering wheel. You possibly can’t try this within the Sort R with its unheated bucket seats and unheated steering wheel. Nonetheless, the Integra’s leather-based seats are positive to get manner hotter in summer season, and with no ventilated seat possibility, the cloth-covered Sort R seats could find yourself being the extra comfy possibility. And so far as efficiency is anxious, the Sort R’s buckets are undefeated in each assist and luxury. The Integra’s energy seats are a pleasant luxurious to have, however why are they not memory-supported? Half the enjoyment of energy seats is in having the ability to swap between drivers simply, but when another person drives your Sort S, you’ll be on the hook for locating that good driving place by yourself once more, identical to your buddy in a Sort R. No less than the Sort S has energy lumbar, which is an amenity the Civic has no reply to.
Acura’s distinctive damper tune for the Sort S is one other driving facet that the Civic is answer-less to. The Civic Sort R is a stiff-riding automobile; there’s no denying that. And the Sort S is, too, however the further forgiveness within the Integra’s journey is a godsend on the Midwest’s horrible roads. As a substitute of pondering, effectively, it’s bearable within the Civic, the Sort S provides up a journey that may cross for gratifying when you’ve the dampers of their Consolation mode. If you happen to’re driving on tough roads continuously or just don’t take care of being beat up in your commute as a lot, the journey high quality of the Sort S is kind of presumably its greatest promoting characteristic. Acura calling out the Sort S as a road efficiency automobile couldn’t be any extra correct, as a result of the road is the place this sizzling hatch trumpets its Acura supremacy the perfect. Course, throw each onto a racetrack, and it’s virtually a positive factor that the Sort R could be the preferable weapon.
Each really are driving weapons, although. The limited-slip differential doling out energy to the Integra’s entrance wheels is essentially the most spectacular ingredient of all alongside the Twin-Axis torque steer-quelling suspension design and unflappable chassis. It’s not usually – effectively, it truly virtually by no means occurs – that I get out of a automobile after correctly placing it by means of its paces and don’t have not less than just a few critiques or gadgets to enhance on. With the Sort S, nonetheless, each final facet of the way it drives will get a gold star. It’s confidence, grip and sheer efficiency bottled right into a FWD sizzling hatch.
The 320 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque – 5 ponies greater than the Civic – is pushing the boundaries of what a front-wheel-drive automobile can deal with. Spinning these entrance wheels occurs with out even pondering in first gear, and the freight practice of acceleration actually picks up in second and on into third. This automobile solely weighs 3,219 kilos, which implies the 320 horses are reasonably efficient for sustained acceleration as much as and past freeway speeds. And in contrast to the high-strung VTEC-equipped Hondas of yore, the Sort S has severe pulling energy at freeway speeds from the meaty, turbo-propelled torque band. And despite the fact that Honda is providing you with all of the low-down torque, it’s nonetheless not compromising the top-end of this 2.0-liter turbo. Revving all of it the way in which out to the 7,000 rpm redline is important. Turbo lag is a lot noticeable while you roll into the throttle off-boost and from a cease, however the way in which this engine revs is pure and shockingly scintillating for its make-up.
The dearth of exhaust drama exhibited by the Sort R is eradicated with the Integra, and that was the beginning and finish of my complaints in regards to the Civic. Relying on the roads you frequent, the Integra’s damping could possibly be useful to shrug off the worst of the bumps and potholes, however each automobiles are fairly good at that as long as you retain them within the Consolation damper setting.
Whereas I actually don’t have something unhealthy to say about how the Integra Sort S drives, it’s nonetheless not the right automobile. Bizarre hangovers from the Sort R infect it and make it a worse luxurious automobile. For instance, you’ll be able to’t add a moonroof as an possibility despite the fact that it’s out there on the common Integra. Additionally, in contrast to the usual Integra, the Sort S is a four-seater, adopting the Sort R’s unusual cupholder-filled part the place a center seat may go on the rear bench. For those who may need to observe their Integra Sort S, the dearth of Honda’s LogR software program is one other downgrade, and the identical will be mentioned for the Integra’s digital instrument cluster that’s notably manner much less cool than the Sort R’s, which provides extra colourful gauges and a candy, horizontal tachometer possibility. There aren’t any shift lights, neither is there the shift beep that comes on the Sort R, giving additional credence to the Sort R being the higher observe companion.
It’s additionally price griping in regards to the piano black shifter encompass that can inevitably appear like scratched-up rubbish in a few years’ time. The swooping soft-touch sprint design does a good job of classing the cabin up, however Honda made the Sort R’s inside so extremely good that the one strategy to outclass it with the Acura is with options just like the head-up show and ELS Studio audio system. Each of these are options I actually want made it to the Sort R, however now they’re unbelievable quality-of-life enhancements for anybody choosing the Integra, particularly the ELS system that blows the Civic’s Bose audio setup out of the water.
Regardless of a few of these nits to choose and small wins every automobile has over the opposite, it’s essential to not lose sight of how near good the Integra Sort S and Civic Sort R each are. These first couple hundred ft may fill you with tingly feel-good emotions, however each mile thereafter cements these preliminary emotions into astonishment that somewhat FWD hatchback will be this good. I may drive this automobile for days, months, even years, and nonetheless need extra after I get out.
The Integra Sort S’ worth at $51,995 is steep, however there isn’t one other automobile inside spitting vary (outdoors of the Sort R coming in at about $7,000 cheaper) that I’d reasonably put in my storage. Which one you go along with may very effectively be all the way down to design preferences. Personalization is an enormous robust swimsuit of the Sort S because it options extra exterior and inside mixtures than the Sort R does. If I had my decide, although, I’d park the Integra within the driveway on account of the suspension tuning, hilarious exhaust and the added luxurious facilities.
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