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The Honda Civic Type R might no longer be the most desirable performance car from the shared Honda/Acura stable for some, with its more sophisticated cousin making its debut in the US.
The 2023 Acura Integra Type S is the ‘premium’ brand’s answer to the Honda Civic Type R, sharing a lot of mechanical components, but wearing its own clothes and bringing with it a more comfort-focused mission.
The Acura Type S uses the same 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine as the Civic, for example, and gets a small power bump (by 4kW) to 239kW, though the car overall weighs in at 1460kg, or a little less than 15kg more than the Type R.
It also still wears high-performance tyres, a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is wrapped around its 19-inch wheels, while large Brembo brakes are hidden behind for stopping power.
Inside, the differences are more apparent, with heated seats, leather with contrast stitching on the steering wheel, and anodized aluminium for the shifter being where it feels most racey.
A 10.2-inch driver display and 9.0-inch multimedia display are similar to that of the Civic, as well as the fact the Integra uses a four-seat configuration.
The Acura Integra Type S also comes with only one gearbox option, the same six-speed manual as the Civic with a rev-matching function.
Of course, the key difference between the two is that one is available here, and the other isn’t.
With Acura being Honda’s premium American brand, the Integra isn’t available in Australia - so punters here will have to make do with the highly-regarded hot hatch, even if it does start at a drive-away price of $72,600.
