The Strong and Silent Type S

IF YOU'VE EVER WONDERED WHAT A MORE GROWN-UP HONDA CIVIC TYPE R WOULD BE LIKE, THE INTEGRA TYPE S PROVIDES THE ANSWER.

- Dan Edmunds

We're on record as being huge fans of the Honda Civic Type R. The Type R helped put the Civic on our 10Best list. It also topped the Toyota GR Corolla and Volkswagen Golf R in our "Hatchbacks That Go GRRR" comparison test [April 2023], and by no small margin. And who could forget its standout performance at the most recent Lightning Lap, wherein it became the event's fastest front-driver and the first of that species to break the three-minute mark?

As quick and rewarding as the Type R is on circuit and canyon road alike, it's not perfect. The Acura Integra Type S, on the other hand, just might be. It retains all the performance goodness of the Type R but neatly rounds off many of the Honda's daily-driving rough edges. The main drawback is the $51,995 base price, which outpaces the 2023 Type R by $7105. That figure makes more sense when you consider that Acura sees its competition as the Audi S3, the BMW M235i xDrive Gran Coupe, and the Mercedes-AMG CLA35 4Matic.

Chucking the new Integra Type S between the guardrails along California's Highway 39, we immediately see that this machine has the same sharp steering, deft handling, and colossal grip of its rough-mannered sibling. It still pulls mightily out of corners, with a helical limited-slip differential and clever dual-axis strut front suspension absolving the Type S powertrain of the usual high-horsepower front-wheel-drive sins [see "Super Struts," page 34].