Someone traded in a 2025 Acura Integra Type S for a new Ford Ranger, and, since I have access to Galpin’s trade-ins and am no fool, I jumped behind the wheel to see what Acura’s four-door sports car was all about. The answer: It is amazing….ly close to being perfect. Honestly, frustratingly close.
Even though you may know me as “the Jeep guy,” the truth is that I love a luxurious, quick, practical, manual transmission automobile, and the reality is: There are very, very few of those left. If you want to drop $65,000, there’s the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing; if you want to drop $70,000, there’s the BMW M2; and for about $80 grand there’s the M3. But if you want a fancy daily with a stick for under $60 big-ones, you’ve got one option: The Acura Integra Type S.
Built on a front-wheel drive Honda Civic platform, it’s not in the same league as the other cars I mentioned there, but again, those cars are more expensive and none of them can even crack 20 MPG combined. The Integra Type S takes its Civic Type R sibling’s fast and agile formula, and adds a little polish. Well, that’s at least what I’d heard prior to hopping behind the wheel.
The Integra is a handsome machine. Sitting in the Galpin Media parking lot, the car’s beautiful Platinum White Pearl paint, its triple exhaust tips, its wide fender arches, and its pretty black 19-inch alloys really helped class the lot back up after I defiled it with my dormant Jeep ZJ project. The Acura is a nice car:
The carbon fiber lip spoiler, the black rear bumper fascia, the busy front end with the hood scoop and crazy upper and lower grilles — it’s a little boy-racer-ish, but it’s also fun and aggressive and Japanese. The Integra Type S is supposed to look like a sporty version of the base Integra sedan, and while the overall design is very similar to that of its less agile sibling, the small elements come together well to make it clear to everyone that this thing is special.
But nowhere does it become more clear how special the Acura Integra Type S is than behind the wheel — specifically, just to the right of the driver.
The six-speed manual transmission — shared with the Honda Civic Type R — is literally the perfect stickshift. There can be no improvements made to its throws, its amazing “snicking” gear engagement, the knob feel — and the clutch pedal, too, is wonderfully linear in its grab.
As I left the parking lot, I took note of a few less-than-optimal things. The big one was the fact that the backup camera isn’t nearly as clear as it should be for a vehicle starting around $55,000.
The second, is that this is a sports car without a hand brake (which has become normal across the industry, so I really shouldn’t complain).
The third is that there appears no way to open the trunk from the inside without using the fob. And lastly, the interior is just not that luxurious; between the switches, the screen mounted atop of the dash, the door cards, nothing really feels that premium. The suede/leather seats are comfortable and look good, and I do like the red stitching throughout the cabin, but it’s far from a Benz in there. Or even a BMW.
This makes me want to test drive the much cheaper, manual transmission VW Jetta GLI to see how it compares.
But none of that mattered when I took to the streets of Van Nuys, shifted the perfect six-speed manual, and let that 320 horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder pull that compact sports car with vigor. The car, which is advertised with a 0-60 time of around 5.5 seconds, feels fantastically quick, and it sounds decent without being droan-y or loud.
The beauty of the Integra Type S is that, because it’s front-wheel drive, it’s lightweight and useful. With a curb weight around 3,200 pounds, it’s a feather compared to pretty much any four-door sports car out there. What’s more, with no rear drivetrain, there’s loads of room in the cabin.
The rear seat has plenty of leg and headroom for most adults:
And the rear cargo area (I’m not calling it a trunk, because the Type S features a hatchback, which is cool) has decent space, too, even if the load height is a bit tall and the space is narrower than some might like:
“This is a really smart enthusiast’s daily driver,” I say in the Trade-In-Tuesday video at the top of this article. “If you’re looking for something that’s comfortable, somewhat luxurious, somewhat efficient, probably reliable, but still extremely fun; that’s this car. Kinda GTI-ish.”
And that’s all true. But there are two main annoyances that bother me more than any other — more than the lack of a trunk button inside the cabin and more than the grainy backup camera. The big one is the nose. 
This Integra Type S is such a delightful car to drive. The shifter is perfect, the boosted four-cylinder engine makes enough pops and growls to be fun and it accelerates the lightweight, agile, and comfortably-riding car in a way that makes you smile. Combine that fun with the vehicle’s practicality, and you’ve got the ultimate daily driver for the sensible enthusiast.
In that context, the front lip is annoying. It’s so low and juts out so far that I have to angle my entry into and out of many parking lots (it looks like plenty of Integra Type S owners are dealing with the same issue). For a car that I’d love to just use as a daily, having to baby it over little inclines is annoying. Also annoying is the rear visibility:
These two things — having to be careful with the front lip and the small slit of a rear window — are really my two biggest complaints about a car that otherwise beautifully blends driving joy with everyday utility.
The Integra Type S is a 24 MPG four-door sports car that would work great as a commuter, a (small) family car, or a track machine. It can do it all, and I respect that.
All Images: Griffin Riley
I Could not be happier with my 8/25 Type S. It performs beautifully for what it is. An enthusiasts very sporty hatch daily driver. I liked it better than both the Golf R, and the Carolla GR.
The transmission function and feel is so damn good. Many reviews said it was “Porsche like”. To be clear, this not a sports car, yet some people track it. You can vary the suspension travel, responsiveness, and engine sound. In stock form it pulls 1g in corners and stops from 70mph in 155 feet. 0-60 of 5.x is plenty adequate for general use and for super fun on-ramps. Passing power is always ready to go. No matter what you drive, there is always something faster on the road. This is for to get driver smiles and is not a 1/4 mile car. Go buy a Hemi Charger for that.
This is for the enthusiast that wants something seriously fun, without spending BMW/Audi money and for having low maintenance costs. Sure its $55k, but you do get a very sporty car, and good hatch utility, and great fun daily driving, all in one package.
I’m am not saying its perfect… and … The driver feedback through the wheel, my ears, and my butt, is so rewarding…Insert joke here. The accuracy, predictability, and consistency of the steering and Brembo brakes is so rewarding. OCD levels of consistency. All without being too harsh in ‘normal’ mode. No I dont work for Honda. I have had some amazing cars, and I have very high expectations.
That’s one thing I didn’t mention in the article (but is in the video): The brakes are phenomenal.
Sweet ILX bud!
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
Exhibit C
The Type-S was not out yet when I had to buy mine, but I love my A-Spec Integra. It’s practical and comfortable and never feels sluggish. Also, the Apex Blue Pearl makes it the best looking car in pretty much every parking lot.
Apex Blue is fantastic. It was a coin flip for me between that and Performance Red Pearl. I wound up going with PRP and I love it (CPO with 9300 miles; I couldn’t pass it up for the price) but every time I see one in Apex Blue I get a little pang.
Having sold cars (at the high end) in the past, I REMEMBER THESE CUSTOMERS.
How do you cross shop a compact sedan with a compact pickup truck? Well, as Chris Bangle summed it up best: Cars. Are. Avatars.
Someone decided to change how they appear to others, for whatever reason. Usually because they haven’t yet figured out what their own identity is.
This wasn’t done for the vehicle’s utility in either case. Period.
—
Want some interesting stories from salespeople? I’d say if you went to Galpin Maserati you’d get some of the weirdest. From experience, Maserati salespeople have some of the most interesting stories about the few customers they get.
TBH, I think I’d be happier with a Civic Si. Same snick; just not as quick. It’s got a trunk (and hopefully a trunk and gas filler flap release similar to my ’17 Accord) and presumably better rear visibility. 0-60 takes about a second longer or so. And it’s got cloth seats. Yay! I am probably more on the Captain Slow end of the Autopian population. Anything under 10 seconds to 60 and capable of more than 0.8 G in corners is perfectly fine for me.
This Integra does seem disappointing in ways you and others here in the comments have mentioned. New, they want stupid money. But given the flaws, lower price of the Si and cheaper insurance, I don’t see even a used Integra in my future.
I went from a ’22 Civic Si to a ’23 A-Spec Integra, and in theory they’re mostly the same car (same engine, transmission, clutch, gearbox, etc). The Integra is heavier and you can feel it. The seats in the Civic are, oddly, more comfortable over long trips, but the Integra’s seats are heated, which makes up for it in my eyes. Having the hatchback makes it more practical than the Civic.
$20K better or more practical? Just curious.
An si can easily be just as quick with a few easy mods. An ECU tune does most of it but combine with intake, intercooler and downpipe, and you’re cooking. wayyy better mpg, too.
Not that it needs to be faster, but I thought it would be quicker for 70 hp over my Focus ST that pulled the same 60 time (though I wouldn’t doubt the Integra is easy to hit that number whereas the ST required a near perfect launch from about a high idle speed). Mileage is also worse (I averaged 30 combined), but I wonder if that’s underrated by the EPA as manuals typically are. I really like these cars, but the price is nuts.
Car and Driver got the FoST at 0-60 in 6.3 seconds with a near perfect launch but got their Integra Type S at 0-60 in 5.3 seconds, the same as their Civic Type R
I saw that and almost didn’t test drive the car because it wasn’t quick enough over getting another SE until I did the power to weight calculation and assumed C&D did the dumbass journalist rev-to-peak-power-and-drop-the-clutch launch method. While I don’t know what they did, perfect it was not, as I got low-mid 5s the several times I measured. Like mileage results (also usually low), I take acceleration numbers with small packet of salt.
Fair points. I figure that the C&D guys treat cars similarly and any advantage you might gain from one car could easily pass onto the other. You might be able to sneak into the 4’s if you had an Integra type S
I tend to throw out comments like I’m on a stage sometimes, so to be more fair to journalists, I really knew my car, it was well broken in, and I didn’t have deadlines to hit. My tires were probably better, too, because the OEMs were Goodyear F1s and I usually run Continental DSW06s (though the biggest difference I remember was in cornering—F1s gripped harder in terms of ultimate gs, but always gave in to understeer while the Contis made the car far more neutral, adjustable, and were better in the wet, lasted longer, etc).
I haven’t driven a newer performance Honda but my recollection of their older cars was that they ran pretty tall gear, relatively speaking. Drove a neighbor’s ’93 Integra a couple years ago and it was lovely but the gearing was my one complaint about it. I assume they did this to improve mileage, but if this practice still holds true might account for the Integra S not being as fast as one might expect.
The ST is taller and has a larger wheel diameter (26 mph/1k rpm in 6th).
I have a different opinion on gear length. The ’93 GSR was only about 20 mph/1k rpm, which is the same as 4th in my ’83 Subaru GL (5th was 23/1k). One of the reasons I didn’t get into Hondas in the ’90s was the gutless bottom end (the only reason VTEC kicking into the higher cam felt fast) and the short gearing where they screamed on the highway.
My ’90 FWD Legacy was about 27 mph/1k in 5th and it held off a ’00-era Civic Si with supposedly 30 more hp, less weight, and shorter gearing until I backed off around 80 as that was enough license risk to finally put that idiot to bed, though TBF, the Honda was starting to claw back just around then (for whatever reason, I’d frequently encounter him and he’d rev with his obnoxious, shitty exhaust or do stupid ricer buzz-bys if we were on the highway, which I didn’t understand as all my car had were some modest 15″ aftermarket wheels, fog lights on the bumper, and a not-obvious NACA duct for the intake on the lower bumper ahead of the front wheel so I didn’t think it looked like I was trolling for troggs).
Interesting, maybe I misinterpreted the relatively torqueless but smooth revving feel of older Hondas as being too tall of gearing, I certainly never mapped it out as this was mostly short drives besides the ’96 Civic I owned for awhile.
I don’t have a Type S, just a lowly A-Spec, but the lack of a hatch button inside the car as well as that lack of rear visibility are irritating. The hatch button thing is something I didn’t realize until after I bought the car, but it wouldn’t have been a dealbreaker. OTOH, physical controls for literally everything are awfully welcome in 2026.
If there’s a way to jump out of the car while it’s running and open the hatch, like if you were picking someone up at the airport, I haven’t figured it out.
There is a button on the under lip of the hatch, at least that what Reddit says. Not ideal as my tsx wagon has a power lift gate with a driver’s door button and one on the underside of the hatch, but you can still apparently open it from outside.
My A-Spec has two buttons under the lip. I think the righthand one just locks the car, but I never use that one (because the car just locks as I walk away). It’s actually a little confusing. You just get used to having to push the left button a couple of times to open things up.
I’ll have to take a peek. Two buttons might just be for you fancy Acura people.
Yes, there is. And I believe it to be universal.
There is. I do it all the time when I drive to the recycling bin on the way out of my parking lot or unloading luggage when I take someone to the airport. Reach under the hatch and open the latch. 2015 Fit.
I’m aware of the button, it just doesn’t do anything as long as I still have the car running.
Weird.
My Audi A4 is like this, you have to put the parking brake on before it will let you pop the trunk if you leave the engine running.
I didn’t know the hatch button didn’t work (and there’s no cockpit equivalent) until I was pushing the button and wondering why it wasn’t opening. Then I found out that a lot of hatchbacks are like that. Annoying! But I agree, not a dealbreaker.
Pardon my ignorance, but I’m curious what you mean by hatch button? Every hatch I’ve owned with power locks had the hatch tied into the car’s door locks. Car is unlocked-the hatch is unlocked. Car is locked, the hatch is locked.
The only sort of exception was my Cayenne which for some over-wraught german safety reason wouldn’t open the powered hatch while the car was running but otherwise it followed the same door lock logic. I think it did have a liftgate button by the steering wheel but since you couldn’t open it while the car was running it was rarely used.
I meant a hatch release inside the vehicle. There is the usual button on the hatch (as well as a smaller button right next to it that locks the doors) but I thought it was a bit weird not to have one inside the car.
Interesting, did you come from a sedan? As mentioned I think all the hatches I’ve had with power locks have just treated the hatch like another door.
I suppose if one was coming from a Japanese or American sedan that typically in newer cars have a trunk release I could see not having it for the hatch might feel weird.
Lol, yes. This was my first hatch in many years after several sedans and my Miata. I’m used to having that little lever by the seat (or, in the case of the Miata, the center console) that pops the trunk.
It’s possible too it feels more intuitive to me because most of the sedans I’ve owned have been German and they include the trunk in the door lock circuit so switching back to hatchbacks was easy lol. I’m continually aggravated with my wife’s Subaru sedan needing the trunk to be unlocked separately lol
Love to get that for my daily, maybe at $40K.
Instead I’ll be getting an EV for my wife and taking over her hybrid as my “daily” (more like twice a week).
Yes, I’ll be dying a little more with this decision.
Which EV are you getting?
Why does it matter? I’M DYING!!!!
Probably the Toyota bZ. New ones seem way nicer than used ones. Just trying to get under $40K and will drive 500 miles and “test” the grid.
The new Lexus equivalent is priced way too high.
Also if you are not opposed to it look into used EVs you can get a lot of recently off lease EVs around the 30k range. I got my 2022 Polestar 2 last year with a 2 year CPO unlimited mile warranty for like 26.8k with all options (besides the fancy vented seats). There was also a lot of Hyundai’s, Kia’s and such in that range also.
I’ll need more warranty for a car that is not easily fixed if it goes down.
Sticking with Toyota. Not worried about range, but am concerned about losing range due to AC or heaters. That means each mile costs more money, and the only reason for a boring car is to save money
I’m on the hunt for a used RZ.
The older Rz’s seem to have battery heating and cooling issue that seem to have been corrected for the new ones.
Not worth the extra money, though.
Sell that hybrid and get what you want, bro. Life is short.
I flew to Texas to grab a used Audi last year and drive it back to Michigan. No regrets.
I know this is probably prejudiced and unfair, but $55K USD for a Honda? That’s a lot of moolah. :ROTATES HEAD AND SPEAKS IN TONGUES:
Would you be shocked to find out that Honda sold a car in the ’90s that was above $55k?
But that was not just ANY car.
I mean, if I was in the market for an executive jet, I could accept Honda charging $55K+ for one of theirs.
A year old, Really Nice Car!?!
Even Trade-In Tuesday’s gone all Fancy David. What happened to the 20-year-old Daimler-era Mopars the concept was built on?
Whatever comes in the door; if I find it interesting, hand me the keys!
Fancy Kristen rubs off on everyone eventually.
John Cena’s daily driver was a Civic TypeR
Says a lot considering he could buy just about anything.
The Civic Type R had everything I wanted for $9K less. Also a lot more Honda brand inventory and dealers to chose from.
David, I’ll be honest. The ride height is perfectly acceptable in Cali. I will say no memory seats are an L. I never noticed the backup camera being a problem in my FL5. It’s really nitpicking. But if you can swing a G80 with buckets, etc, that is a much, much better car. Or a G87 with Carbon package. But absolutely a different tax bracket.
My old i3 has a clearer backup camera, which is sad. And given how often one uses that camera, I think it’s important. But ymmv
Granted my Si is a decade and a half older (2013) but this tracks, as the backup camera in the car is also garbage. During the day its washed out, at night it’s like a trail camera. It’s perfect at sunset under a gas station canopy, and that’s about it.
I’m still sold, and might go used car window shopping, after work, online, from my couch; so I don’t have to put real pants on.
The camera on my 2025 Si was garbage as well which is amazing considering how much better cameras have gotten in the past 12 years everywhere but at Honda.
What happened? My backup camera is great and it’s a 12 year old who Fit.
Thanks Max for your insight!
Well, now we know to use a BMW’s rearview camera for decorating a cake, or recording a podcast.
My old neighbor had an Integra Type-S nearly identical to that one. I was always a tad jealous of the car, even if I have to agree the luxury appointments don’t quite fit the price tag. Then again, with the Civic Type-R priced where it is, they can’t exactly lower the Type-S price where it probably should be.
When the doors are unlocked, so is the hatch. Reach under the handle, press the little electronic button, and lift on the hatch. You probably only had the driver’s door unlocked which is why the hatch wouldn’t open.
Same setup as my Fit. That was 16 grand brand new in 2020, for the additional 5 years and 39k I’d expect a proximity key sensor on the hatch.
I posted my response before I saw yours. Ditto. Plus I hope you love your Fit as much as I do my 2015.
It’s same in the Civic/CTR.
Or any hatchback before they made power-everything.
Also my Scion tC had a similar setup, minus to proximity sensor. I once had a border guard yelling at me to open the hatch, but not listen when I told him I couldn’t. The jerk was just yanking on the garnish over the license plate, which is known to be fragile.
To add to your comment: The hatch opens with the under-hatch button when the key in proximity – or even inside the car. It just doesn’t pop open from an inside button.
DT isn’t used to anything in the last 50yrs with the electronic hatch releases.
And vice versa. If I open the hatch all the doors open. And that’s on a 2015 Fit.
Same as my Civic hatchback hybrid.
E parking brake is not enough or too much. Either do what i want, or lock the car up like a brick when its off, nobody can push a car these days anyway.
I approve/concur with this assessment. However, I really need to get something off of my chest. Even if it is just shouting into the void. Everyone goes on endlessly about the CTR/ITS shifter being perfect. But… for me… the shift throw is a little too heavy!! DO YOU HEAR THAT, WORLD!? THE SHIFT THROW IS A LITTLE TOO HEAVY!!!
I so disagree. I can flick it between gears with two fingers.
The transmission needs to handle 300+ lb-ft of torque, so not your average Civic. The FL5 shift effort is similar to my Acura TL 6MT.
Bold.
Blasphemer!
I want to say the price is one of the frustrating misses, but with the Civic Type R and Golf R knocking on 50k it isn’t outlandish.
But it doesn’t seem to put enough space between itself and the Type R. I think the idea was to dress up the Type R in a “more mature” and luxurious suit, but it seems like the interior isn’t any better and the current Type R is pretty handsome as it is.
To me, the R is too much Boy Racer and showy. Plus the engine noise and suspension is much louder. It would be hard to show my face to my normie friends driving an R – they would be calling me Chad is two seconds.
I’d definitely agree if it was this vs the last gen Type R, but the new one is much more subdued. To me, the base Integra is more boy racer than the base civic hatch (which is almost too conservative), then both the Type S and the Type R add body kits, hood scoops, and the triple tip exhaust.
In the end, the biggest thing about the Type R that’s racier than the Type S is the wing – and if you really wanted you could pull that off. But even the wing is pretty staid compared to the last Type R.
Lol honestly I think I’d be more embarrassed to pull up in the Type S with it’s shouty tacked on fender flares and deeper air dam. Especially if you get the civic in white I find it pleasingly tame, I pointed one out to my wife recently to test her reaction and she was like “I don’t get it why would you want a civic?”
Agreed, to my eye the CTR actually looks more mature in some ways because it’s not trying so hard other than the imo corny decklid spoiler. It’s arguably a sleeker design without the tacked on flares of the Type S, and the Civic’s interior feels more honest and less like tacked on luxury. Could be bc I detest those two tone seats though…
“320 horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder pull that compact sports car with vigor”
I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE!
The issues with the luxury is something I always felt Acura never really nailed it like Lexus did on making a better product than the Honda that under pins them, until now where Lexus has backtracked and are IMO not near as nice inside as they were 5-10 years ago.
Yet, nearly all Lexus’s arent fun to drive.
In fairness, neither are the Toyotas they’re based on.
no disagreements here
Acura seems to have had an ongoing identity crisis about whether to be a practical person’s BMW or a cheaper alternative to Lexus and has wound up in some kind of uncomfortable middle between the two. That being said they seem to sell well enough that they’ve stuck around even though they only occasionally satisfy enthusiasts when the corporate yo yo swings towards being a more reliable BMW alternative.
So you saying it’s NOT a Holy Grail?
I’m sure it took him a long while to come up with the reasons it wasn’t good enough that didn’t include being a Jeep.
No, it’s a beacon, which he forgot is grail-shaped
The Integra is appealing but also frustrating to me. This Type S is more than I need, both in MSRP and performance bits (chin spoiler, rubber band tires, 320hp through FWD). But the standard Integra is not enough. The 1.5t barely passes muster in a $30K Civic Si, the CVT is lame, and putting the manual behind a big paywall is super lame.
The hatchback is awesome and I’m perfectly OK with the Civic interior for the price because it’s a nice interior. But for me, it really needed the 2.0t tuned to deliver 6 seconds flat to 60 and 100mph in the quarter, with a geared automatic and no upcharge for the manual. That would seem very much worth the asking price while still not stepping on the toes of the Type S.
Agreed. If Honda is just chasing fuel economy averages with that 1.5T/CVT combo it might as well drop the Civic’s hybrid setup in there. Otherwise, use the same 2.0T that did so well in the Accord and was already available with 6MT/10AT.
I’ve had similar feelings about the Civic Si, it just doesn’t have enough performance (at least on paper) to make me excited about one, but the Type R is just too much money and also a bit more hardcore than I really need(though a part of me still wants one).
I also hate that they inexplicably don’t offer the Si as a hatch forcing you into either a Civic Hybrid, a more expensive Acura, or the even more expensive and perhaps overly sporty Type R.
It’s a shame the CT4 V (non-Blackwing) can’t be had with a manual, because it would walk all over this.
2026 is also the end of the line for the CT4.
I am SHOCKED.
Well, not that shocked.
Shit shit shit shit
I wasn’t ready to buy but I might have to be
An ITS for a Ford Fuckin Ranger? Ugh, that’s bleak, and only one of those two vehicles has a usable back seat. Anyway, I’ve toyed with the idea of buying one of these but I have a hard time justifying dropping $55,000 on one and getting rid of my car, which is a similar (it’s not quite as good OR manual, before Honda fanboys get their waifu pillows in a bunch) vehicle as far as performance and driving engagement are concerned.
I still get a little dopamine hit whenever I see one in the wild though, they’re super cool cars and can conceivably work for family duty. If they’re still in production when I’m looking next I’ll probably take one out for a spin, although it’s looking increasingly like an R2 is my destiny.
FWIW the current Ranger backseat is actually useable. I test fit the rear facing car seat and forward facing car seat with my daughters in a Ranger Raptor for Shiggles. The heart yearns for a raptor, even if the budget says no and I won’t go desert running.
For some reason I had a mental image of you going airborne with toddlers in front facing seats cheering.
They 100% would. My kids prefer taking my Type R because I can take the interstate merge quickly, and the perfectly banked right hander from the two state highways by my house at over 60mph. My oldest always tells me “GO FAST DADDY”
I get it, I’m the furthest thing from a Truck Guy but the Ranger Raptor has a certain dad car appeal that I’m struggling to get over. Interesting that car seats worked fine for you, for whatever reason it failed the shit out of the cars dot com’s car seat tests.
Car seats are weird. None of them fit the same, none of them fit the same when swapped between cars, its very much a YMMV thing. We have Britax One 4 Lifes in my wife’s Pilot, and Graco Slim Fits for my Type R, soon to be replaced with a GR Corolla. We had the Britax in both cars until my youngest was out of the infant carrier. Grandma’s Buick Enclave doesn’t fit the Graco well, it makes no sense.
Be forewarned – the backseat only seats two.
I am aware, my wife does not need to be aware….
it also looks 1000x better than the civic.
IMHO the FL5 is a nice looking, if understated car. The FK9 looks like an OG Lancer Evo had sex with a transformer and their spawn just did a fat line of blow….
I’d like to argue with that description but suddenly realized I’m not quite sure what a blow-addled Evo-Transformer hellspawn looks like. So you may be 100% right.
And that’s why the FK8 rules………….
the new ones have a weirdly stuck out ugly headlight forehead thing and a sad droopy arch backend.
the evo transformer look was fun and exciting.
I disagree. I like the concept of the Type S, but much prefer the Civic for looks. I just don’t like any of the current Acuras. Or Acurae.
I think the current face/design language on Honda’s is as bad as it’s been since the last civic they had to do that emergency redesign on.
I like it in sportier guise. It’s understated, but that ages well. The current Acura designs won’t IMHO.
IMO, it’s already aged out and the Acura still looks current.
the weird stuck out brow/forehead up front and droopy sad arch going on in the back they have on the civic is not it.
I will say that the Acura color matched front grill they have stuck on the front of some of these doesn’t work, the black is much better
I actually saw a Type S in tge wild yesterday. It looks appropriately menacing, but….it still isn’t attractive to me.
I just couldn’t stomach the 10th Gen Civic, all those fake vents and black slits and stuff. My brain wanted to buy it but my heart couldn’t. The 11th isn’t beautiful, but its comparatively clean and doesn’t look like a kids toy. That’s the one I bought, and it’s the best of all possible worlds for a normie semi-enthusiast.
The TLX S was quite nice especially in gold, but the interior…oof. I considered replacing my Giulia with one years ago until I saw interior photos.
TLX interior was even worse in person, couldn’t believe all the press gushing once I sat in it. I also had the same amount of space behind my driving position as a Corolla hatchback.
Massively disappointing car overall for me.
I found it small as well when I sat in it.
I am pretty sure if I get I to an Integra, they’ll need to slather me in shinetsu grease to get me out.
Yup. Same. I think the acuras look like generic GTA V/Saints Row cars.
I agree. They are trying too hard instead of looking….well, good.
2025 Acura traded for a Ford Ranger, and they’re still under water on their loan 🙂
“I’m not calling it a trunk, because the Type S features a hatchback, which is cool”
Despite you repeatedly calling it “sport sedan” through the article… 😛
I’m not too much of a stickler on that, but I do like a hatch.
Is this a hot hatch then?
I’ll give you a pass that it’s a “liftback sedan”.
A baby Crosstour.
I expect two things when I come here….articles on cars and pedantry
That’s the real mission statement of The Autopian. None of this “entertaining and educational” malarkey. 😉
Pedantry is “entertaining and educational.”
That’s an oxymoron.
Your ox is a moron!!
Your mom’s a moronic ox!