The Acura Integra Type S left our fleet and the logbook it left behind reads like a love letter.
“Love.” “Adore.” “Perfect.” “Addictive.” “Incredible.” These are real words that real people wrote in the logbook of a $52,995 front-wheel-drive hatchback. Not a Porsche. Not a Ferrari. A car that started its life as a Honda Civic with a different badge and a bigger price tag — and somehow made everyone who drove it feel like they got the better end of the deal.
We put 40,135 miles on it in 21 months. Service cost us $284. Nothing broke. Nothing needed fixing. We are genuinely sad it is gone.
The Shifter Made People Act Irrationally
Nothing on the Acura Integra Type S generated more logbook commentary than the gear lever.
Ezra Dyer wrote that it was so good it made him shift unnecessarily just to feel the throw. Tony Quiroga said the front-end grip and the shifter together brought out the worst in him — in a good way. Collin Morgan called it the friendliest manual he had ever driven, which is a remarkable thing to say about a car with 320 horsepower going through the front wheels.
At 20,000 miles we fitted the Acura Integra Type S with aftermarket components from Acuity Instruments. This was not necessary. It made things better anyway.
By 40,000 miles the shifter had lost a fraction of its original precision. The clutch pedal softened. The engagement point got less defined. For a car used this hard over this many miles these are tolerable findings. They are still findings worth mentioning.
320 Horsepower Through the Front Wheels, and You Cannot Feel It Fighting You
In the Acura Integra Type S, 320 horsepower through the front wheels should produce torque steer — the steering wheel pulling toward whichever front wheel has more grip under hard acceleration. In almost every car with this configuration, it does.
The Acura Integra Type S has a limited-slip front differential and dual-axis front struts that work together to suppress it. Under full acceleration in a straight line, the wheel stays straight. The car goes forward. The experience is so clean that the logbook compares the steering to a formula car — direct, accurate, telling you exactly what is happening at the contact patch without editorial comment.
The 2.0-litre turbocharged engine makes its 310 lb-ft from 2,600 rpm and pulls cleanly through to the 7,000 rpm redline. It has five more horsepower than the same engine makes in the Honda Civic Type R. The triple-exit exhaust makes better noises than the Honda’s setup does, and those noises got more entertaining as the car aged — louder snorts, more pops on the overrun, the exhaust note of a car that has been used properly.
Rich Ceppos would like less of that. He wrote that he would trade horsepower for a quieter engine. He has a point. The interior noise complaint is real and returns later in this review.
What 40,000 Miles of Hard Use Did to the Numbers
When new, the Acura Integra Type S hit 60 mph in 5.1 seconds. At 40,000 miles on the original tyres — worn, still legal, not replaced — it took 5.4 seconds. The quarter mile went from 13.6 seconds at 107 mph to 13.9 seconds at 105 mph. Braking from 70 mph increased from 145 feet to 158 feet. Skidpad grip dropped from 1.02g to 1.00g.
The tyres explain most of this. New rubber would recover a significant portion of those gaps. What it would not recover is the 2-decibel increase in interior noise at 70 mph, which went from 73 to 75 decibels over the test period and has nothing to do with tyre compound.
The Acura Integra Type S Noise Problem
This is the section of the Acura Integra Type S review that costs Acura sales.
The car is loud inside. Not track-day loud, not objectionably loud in short bursts — but loud at motorway speeds in a sustained way that accumulates over a long journey. At 73 decibels when new, it was already the top complaint in the logbook. At 75 decibels at 40,000 miles, people were turning the stereo up to compensate. The stereo is good. The fact that it needed to be used as a masking agent in a $52,995 premium car is the problem.
Everything else about the Acura Integra Type S interior is adequate. The heated leather and microfiber front seats are good. There are no rear HVAC vents, which the price does not justify. The cabin is not meaningfully nicer than the Civic Type R’s, which costs about $7,000 less. Some of the team prefer the Type R’s ultra-supportive red cloth front seats to the Acura’s leather, which is a sentence that should give Acura’s interior team pause.
The ride is choppy. Not punishing, not track-only harsh — but rough enough over broken pavement to be noticed. It is marginally better than the Type R’s and still not good enough for a car sold as a premium product.
Living With the Acura Integra Type S Every Day
Despite all of it, nobody wanted to return the car.
Austin Irwin wrote that he could not get over how inconspicuous it was — it blends in when you want it to, gets noticed by exactly the right people. Eric Stafford called it a car with incredible bandwidth: a practical four-seat hatchback in traffic, a genuine track tool when the road opens up. Those two things occupying the same body at the same price is what made the Acura Integra Type S worth the $53,000.
Fuel economy was 25 mpg over 21 months of enthusiastic use — 1 mpg better than the EPA combined estimate and a result that should not be possible given how the car was driven. On our 200-mile highway test at 75 mph it returned 31 mpg, 3 mpg better than EPA’s highway rating. The 12.4-gallon fuel tank still meant refuelling every 300 miles, which is the one arithmetic problem that does not go away.
Maintenance: three dealer visits, one recall fix for steering box friction nobody had noticed, $284 total. For a performance car driven 40,000 miles in 21 months, that number is close to extraordinary.
Acura Integra Type S vs Civic Type R
Every Acura Integra Type S buyer has thought about the Honda Civic Type R. They are almost the same car. The Type R costs about $7,000 less. The Acura has five more horsepower, a better exhaust note, heated seats, and no wing. The Honda has better front seats, a more driver-focused gauge cluster, and the price.
After 21 months we still do not have a clean answer. Different people in the fleet genuinely preferred different cars, and the reasons were personal rather than objective. What is not up for debate: both are among the best manual-transmission cars currently sold anywhere, in a category that keeps getting smaller.
That the Acura Integra Type S drives better than performance cars costing twice as much survived 40,000 miles unchanged. That statement survived 40,000 miles intact.
Fleet Summary
21 months | 40,135 miles | 25 mpg average | $284 total service | $0 repairs | $0 damage
Full Specifications
Engine: Turbocharged 2.0-litre DOHC inline-four — 320hp @ 6,500rpm, 310 lb-ft @ 2,600rpm Transmission: 6-speed manual Tyres: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 265/30ZR-19 Curb weight: 3,217 lbs | Fuel tank: 12.4 gallons | Cargo: 24 cu ft Warranty: 4yr/50,000mi bumper-to-bumper | 6yr/70,000mi powertrain
Performance — New vs 40,000 Miles
| Test | New | 40,000 Miles |
|---|---|---|
| 0–60 mph | 5.1 sec | 5.4 sec |
| Quarter mile | 13.6 sec @ 107 mph | 13.9 sec @ 105 mph |
| Skidpad | 1.02g | 1.00g |
| Braking 70–0 | 145 ft | 158 ft |
| Braking 100–0 | 291 ft | 312 ft |
| Interior sound @ 70 mph | 73 dB | 75 dB |
FAQs
What makes the Acura Integra Type S worth buying?
The shifter. The torque-steer-free front-wheel drive. A 320hp engine that pulls cleanly to 7,000 rpm. And a car that somehow manages to be a practical daily driver and a legitimate performance machine simultaneously.
How does the Acura Integra Type S compare to the Civic Type R?
About $7,000 more for heated seats, five extra horsepower, a better exhaust note, and no rear wing. Type R has better front seats and a better gauge cluster. No definitive winner after 21 months.
Is the Acura Integra Type S reliable?
The Acura Integra Type S cost $284 in service over 40,135 miles. One recall fix. Zero repairs. Yes.
Acura Integra Type S fuel economy?
25 mpg observed over 21 months of hard driving. 31 mpg on a steady 75-mph highway run.
Biggest Acura Integra Type S flaws?
Interior noise — 73 dB new, 75 dB at 40,000 miles. Choppy ride over rough pavement. A cabin that does not justify the $7,000 premium over the Civic Type R as clearly as it should.
Acura Integra Type S tyre spec?
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S 265/30ZR-19 as standard. We ran Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 on 18-inch BBS wheels through winter, including a night on an ice-racing course.
Also Read: Nissan Xterra Is the Smartest Used Off-Roader You Can Buy for Under $10,000
