Okay guys I got to test drive the RSX and
the RSX type S.

Here is my opinion.

RSX: The one I drove was automatic with the triptronic shift. Felt underpowered, weak,
heavy, and hard to handle. Totally nothing like an integra at all. Honestly it reminded me of a TL.
Was a silver color. They come in silver, a different type of silver, and black.
I dont like the tail lights ewww.
The seats and drivers compartment were very nice. The steering wheel is nice.
Vtec is there but it is very tame.
Its kind of weird having vtec in an automatic.

RSX Type S:
I drove a red one that Ralph is demo'ing.
He's already driven the snot out of it and put some serious k's on it already.
I got to give it a really good run.
Woohoo!~

First impression.
Looks very nice in Red. The Red seems to hide or mask the ugliness of the tail lights.
I like the spoiler and bigger wheels.
The interior is great and it has a great bose stereo.

The test drive.
The clutch feels more loose than the clutch on my R. It was easy to use however, and easy to drive. The gearbox is close ratio but it has a fairly long shaft compared to what im used to. (not totally fair because i shortened the shaft on my R) Also one thing i noted was that the stick moves around more than my R. It seemed too loose. The gear box in my R is very very tight. The RSX cant touch it.

IDLE is so quiet you dont even know the car is running.

Acceleration:
I would suggest that the RSX Type S pulls
like a GSR or Prelude from my experience.
It isnt anywhere near as wild as my R and I highly doubt I would lose in a drag race.
Still, I have to give it to the RSX it is
very snappy. Also I was just crusing along on the service roads and looked down at the speedo. Holy cow! I was doing 125 kmph!
Because the car sits up higher it is deceptive. You cant really tell that your going as fast as you are.

Handling:
We took the car to the limits on the twisties on the service road.
I was very surprised. This thing can handle nearly as good as my R. It is very very very very well handling.
Ralph is an incredible driver but a little reckless for my taste.
When I drove I didnt push it as hard.
I didnt need to. I knew that it had it.

6 Speed is very very cool.

Brakes are strong. Noticed them fading a bit when I was hard on them. Not quite as good as my R. But close.

Ivtec.
The one thing that I dont like about the Type S is that the vtec is very tame.
It pulled hard but it didnt give you that perception of a race car that my car gives you.

Overall?
Regular RSX kinda blows. I like the gen3 teg way better.

Type S?
I dont like the headlights or the front end at all. I dont like the tail lights but on the type S with the spoiler and the red paint it isnt as fugly.
Its got power but its also heavy.
Too quiet for my liking.
Handling is ******* awesome, interior is gorgeous but I dont like the air vents.
Seats are awesome. Steering wheel is awesome!

Bottom line?
Call me when the RSX Type R comes out.

 

Thanks.. that is one of the best reviews of the RSX and Type S I have read.

 

Well, considering the audience this car is marketed to, your review suits them well. In fact, when I went to see the debut of the RSX-S at my dealer, an older lady went to test drive it. I guess the older crowd likes the plushness and lack of engine noise, but likes that the car can handle too.


[Modified by arren123, 4:40 PM 7/16/2001]

 

The RSX Type S has torque to make you dizzy. It accelerates with utmost ease.

However it starts to go flat as you push it beyond 5K

The interior is trendy with moony white guage faces. The exterior body is short and compact. Reminds me of a Celica / MX-3 Precidia hybrid.

Seats are supportive and has a driving position higher than the ITR.


The chassis is stiffer than the R, power steering feels dull and not as sharp as the ITR. The shifter is top notch! Very short defined gates! Placement is so good you don't need a center console to rest your elbow on.

After my test drive I was ready to trade my ITR in. After I revved the R to 9K out of the dealership and heard the sweet music I became a believer again of the R.

No doubt the RSX Type S is an excellent ITR alternative.

 

I wouldnt go that far. The dealership quoted me $31k cdn for the RSX S.
That's what I paid for my R.. actually I paid less. NO THANKS.
I'd take my R over the RSX S anyday but don't get me wrong it is quite the car!
I just can't get over how awesome the handling was. It was a refreshing and pleasant surprise.

The gearbox was placed well. I didnt miss the armrest one bit.
Still didnt you find even though the gears were close, that the shifter moved around
a bit more?

Im getting hot thinking about the RSX Type R.
That must be one hella machine.

 

Hey, watch your mouth, who are you calling old? I'm going on 37 and would never trade my R for that generic looking coupe they call RSX!

 

The looseness or softness of the shifter would likely be due to the use of a cable vs. a solid linkage.

 

I actually wasn't wild about the shifter. I drove it this morning and it was so-so. Nothing compared to the directness of the R, but it's apples and oranges. When the R comes I am sure it will improve on all of our RSX gripes.

 

heh, obviously you're not part of that older crowd i mentioned.

 

i don't think they designed the type S for hard-core racers
it is suppose to replace the gsr..not type R so it shouldn't be that much if any better than the type R right?
i test drove it and loved it...its def faster than my gsr..but seemed to not have as much torque until i-vtech kicked in.and even at that it wasn't as wild as the Type R however it can move with out u realizing how fast u're going...
i think the suspension has already been covered...its awesome!!
my only complaint is that the thing could be a little lower. And the front looks alot like a TL. i don't know why Acura cant make there cars look lower stock ..like the new BMW 3 series do.
IT can probably can hang with the R.stock for stock(actually it can based on the reviews in the magazines and with some mods, surpass it even though when i drove it ... it doesn't feel as fast.

Eventhough i like the Type R and my GSR(not the stock gsr) better than the RSX
i must say that its a nice package and i will def look at getting a RSX type R if/when it comes to thr US

 

I totally agree with everything you said there.
I think alot of the hardcore performance guys are going to be somewhat disappointed until the Type R version comes out.
Then it will be an altogether different story.

 

The RSX R would be nice if it came here. But I very much doubt the return of the R.

The S covers most bases (well handling powerful coupe) plus an addition of the R would create another entry Honda/Acura would go for. Acura is moving towards luxury not _no_ sound deadening go fast race car. I hope that I'm wrong though. Anycase, I'd prefer an S2000 over the RSX-R when the time comes.

Base, Premium and Type S.

Base is a base RS. Premium is a GSR / Prelude. Type S is the ITR replacement. That's my take.

If your hardcore for performance get the last ITR if it's available.