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STYLING9.5/10
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Safety9.0/10
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PRACTICALITY9.0/10
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USER-FRIENDLINESS9.0/10
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FEATURES9.0/10
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POWER10.0/10
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COMFORT8.0/10
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DRIVING FEEL10.0/10
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FUEL ECONOMY8.0/10
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VALUE8.0/10
Once in a while a special car comes around that hits the holy trifecta of being charming, fun to drive, and also weirdly practical.
The 2024 Acura Integra Type S is one of those cars. When I drove the regular Integra, I wasn’t impressed. It was a perfectly fine car, but it didn’t raise the bar in the way I hoped it would. Maybe it was hyped up too much, and because I don’t have much nostalgia for the old one it was just fine. Simply fine – not enough to force me to rearrange my finances to check if I could afford one.
I had a theory that the Type S version would fix my ho-hum reception to Acura’s revived nameplate, and now that I finally had a chance to drive it, this sport compact has me ready to put down a deposit.
Styling: 9.5/10
Acura did a fantastic job differentiating the Type S from the regular Integra and added all the details to reflect its sporty, scrappy personality. Starting with chunky fender flares, the Type S is wider and projects a much more planted and menacing stance while providing more space for the 19-inch wheels and wider tires front and rear.
The front bumper has huge, aggressive air intakes, and a functional hood scoop brings authenticity to the car’s look while also improving airflow to the engine. The sculpted diffuser and wild triple exhaust bring drama to the back. The liftback has a tidy little spoiler – perfectly sized and not so garish that it’s embarrassing.
While I typically prefer fun cars to have livelier colours, the Integra Type S looks sinister even in this tester’s Majestic Black Pearl paint ($500). People approached me in parking lots to tell me how sick it looked, and one guy even said it was sexy, which seems like a huge accomplishment for an Acura.
There is, however, some cheap plastic inside that brings down the vibe a bit. Gloss-black trim collects dust and scratches too quickly, and while the honeycomb air vent covers look cool, crud gets stuck in them easily and they’re impossible to clean.
Otherwise, the mixture of red faux leather and perforated suede-like upholstery, embossed headrests, contrast red stitching, and metal accents ensure this car feels as special on the inside as it does from the outside. (The two-tone red and black finish is available with grey, black, and white paint only; silver, blue, and yellow finishes are paired with an all-black interior motif).
Power: 10/10
The Type S is powered by a fiery 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine with VTEC, Honda’s proprietary – and successful – variable valve timing and lift technology that helps get the most out of small engines. This high-revving motor cranks out a generous 320 hp at 6,500 rpm (close to its 7,000-rpm redline) and 310 lb-ft of torque from 2,600 to 4,000 rpm. It’s sent to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission that is a perfect pairing for this award-winning engine, and the combination is *chef’s kiss*.
Driving Feel: 10/10
The Integra Type S is way more fun to drive than I thought it would be, and it surprised me by how engaging it is. I love when cars surprise me and continue to delight every time I get behind the wheel. The Type S is gratifying to drive in any scenario, whether bombing through back roads or going to get groceries, and I found myself making excuses to drive it as often as I could.
The Type S sounds excellent (surprising me yet again) with its crackles, pops, hisses, and burbles enticing you to drive like you’re being chased but without soliciting too much unwanted attention from the law or being loud enough to be embarrassing.
A limited-slip differential gets torque down effectively and predictably, eliminating any torque steer or dramatic understeer that can plague front-wheel-drive cars. Adaptive dampers help keep the car flat in corners while not being too harsh over broken roads.
The Type S rides much firmer than the regular Integra thanks to its sport-tuned suspension and sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4S high-performance summer tires, but the payoff in handling and grip are well worth it. The bright red Brembo brake calipers also provide strong and consistent braking performance.
Steering is heavy and direct, though I’d ask for an even more communicative setup (I say that for anything that’s not a Porsche or Alfa Romeo, so it’s not a dealbreaker), but it’s still responsive and makes the Type S a point-and-shoot car that offers a predictable, approachable, and legitimately enjoyable driving experience.
As a manual-only car, you gain a certain respect from the “if you know, you know” crowd, but it’s also a fantastic manual with a communicative clutch, a slick and intuitive short-throw shifter, and automatic rev-matching downshifts. The manual is forgiving, so it will feel approachable even if you’ve never driven stick before, but it’s still engaging and fun for those with more experience.
Practicality: 9/10
A fun car that’s also practical hits a sweet spot for me, and part of the reason I like the Integra Type S so much is that it’s easy to live with day to day. A big 688-L trunk has more than enough room, the seatbacks fold flat for even more space for long items, and the liftback’s wide trunk opening means there’s ample space and room to manoeuvre. The only downside is that you have to lift your stuff high to get it over the trunk’s ledge. One other potential issue to note is that there’s only room in the back for two passengers, as there’s no middle seat.
The cabin also has plenty of cubbies for small item storage, door pockets big enough for a water bottle, and a big compartment under the armrest.
User-Friendliness: 9/10
The other part of being so easy to live with is how user friendly it is. The Integra’s close relationship to the humble Honda Civic pays off here, as it uses Honda’s touchscreen infotainment interface instead of Acura’s overly-complicated – and downright terrible – touchpad system. The result is an intuitive setup with physical controls, useful shortcuts, and logically organized menus that are easy to interact with even while driving.
Comfort: 8/10
While the Type S rides rather harshly because of its performance focus, it’s still comfortable enough to be a daily driver and doesn’t feel punishing crawling through traffic or driving over rough roads. The sport seats are also comfortable and supportive, doing a great job keeping you in place when the roads start to get twisty.
Rear-seat passengers don’t get a ton of headroom, so keep that in mind if you need to put people back there often.
Fuel Economy: 8/10
The Integra Type S’s fuel economy is officially rated at 11.1 L/100 km in the city, 8.3 on the highway, and 9.9 combined. Over about 745 km of mixed driving, the indicated average was 9.5 L/100 km – impressive considering I wasn’t driving it gently. Being a performance car, the Type S requires premium fuel. (At 46 L, the tank’s also a little on the small side.)
Features: 9/10
The Type S comes with all the expected features including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging, a head-up display, an upgraded audio system, heated front seats and steering wheel, and more. It would have been nice to see heated rear seats (as they’re available on a regular Civic), but I’m going to tell myself that they were sacrificed for weight savings.
Safety: 9/10
Similarly, the Type S comes fully loaded with all the expected safety features like blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and traffic sign recognition. The only omissions are low-speed follow for the adaptive cruise control and traffic-jam assist, but that’s because they aren’t compatible with a manual transmission that would lead to stalling. It’s a worthy tradeoff, in my opinion.
Value: 8/10
The 2024 Acura Integra Type S comes fully loaded at $55,600 plus a $2,595 freight fee. With the only option on this tester being the $500 paint, the total before tax comes to $58,695.
The closely-related Honda Civic Type R starts at $51,330 before freight and tax, and the question of which one to buy comes up often. Their performance, features, and interior look are so similar, but the two cars are aimed at two very different audiences. Personally, the Integra Type S feels more mature and is the one I’d go with, simply because I prefer its more subtle looks.
The Verdict
All I have to say is, “Take my money.” The 2024 Acura Integra Type S is one of the best compact performance cars out there right now, and it comes at a time when such vehicles are being discontinued as the industry shifts towards electrification, which makes it even more special and rare.
The Integra Type S is bound to be a collectable car one day – that’s how good it is. Not only does it live up to the hype, but it elevates the standard for cars in this class. If you enjoy driving but want something easy to live with that has lots of swagger and feels refined and gratifying to drive, this Acura checks every single one of those boxes.
Engine Displacement | 2.0L |
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Engine Cylinders | Turbo I4 |
Peak Horsepower | 320 hp @ 6,500 rpm |
Peak Torque | 310 lb-ft of torque @ 2,600 - 4,000 rpm |
Fuel Economy | 11.1 / 8.3 / 9.9 L/100 km cty/hwy/cmb |
Cargo Space | 688 L |
Model Tested | 2024 Acura Integra Type S |
Base Price | $55,600 |
A/C Tax | $100 |
Destination Fee | $2,595 |
Price as Tested | $58,795 |
Optional Equipment
Majestic Black Pearl Paint, $500
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