SoNiCcIvIc

I wish I was a car reviewer for edmunds.com or something. (Get paid to test drive cars and write about them... what a life.) But oh well. Today I finally decided to get in the most popular sports coupe and the fastest car I've ever driven... the you-know-what Type you-know-what.

First impression of it's new exterior was a plus. It's sleek and smooth body, and taller height is what I like about it. I could say I was looking at my Civic for the moment. The shape of the windows, no different in size, but in angle. I was almost fooled by the moonroof as I thought it was exactly like the Civic's but thank goodness it wasn't when I opened it! The stock spoiler on this car is a must. The headlights and taillights are a different story, however. I know there's this group of people who will either love the headlights on the older Integra, or hate them. I loved them. The RSX? I can't really approve of the headlights. I personally think that they could've been better designed, but the size of them is just fine. (If they were any simpler... on the other hand, it would look like the lights from a Ford Focus.) The taillights look just as pryable. The small Type S badge I thought should've been a bit more noticable... er, larger.

Inside the cabin we've got all your usual refinements for a new Honda... (maybe not an Acura): Well-deserved racing seats (or leather is available) with nicely-nice seat belts that don't feel wrapped on you like plastic wrap, cupholders that doubles as a change holder depending on what button you press to open it. (A great lunch money holder.) Bloody red gauges and buttons make driving a bit more interesting while the color lights up around the silver dash for your 6-disc CD changer and futuristic climate control buttons. The dash is slightly angled towards the driver. Convenient, but the climate buttoms appear out of place lined up horizontally at the top as the CD player was in a more convenient spot at the bottom. Check out the air vents on these things... if only they were moved electronically instead of manually but finally I've been in a car where the windows roll up automatically instead of just down. Hey, I'm starting to like this.

The steering wheel is smaller... (not exactly a good thing for me). The gauges are attractive and clear when lit up. Seat adjustment remains manual (for an... Acura... no big), the shift **** is one I grew to admire, and once I had everything set to go, it was time to start this baby.

Oh yeah, as for under the hood... it's a 2k1 Civic with a better immune system, better heart, better blood flow, better lungs, and a bigger brain.

This car starts very quietly... so quiet you can sneak out the house with this car even if your room was right next to the garage. Anyways, out on to the streets of downtown Oakland. The Type S could make a pretty nice daily driver and remains pretty calm just driving around though steering is very tight, but come on... this is not what you want to hear is it? Let's go to the freeway! Sound exciting? Think again. My encounter with the freeway first meant traffic that lasted for a while until it cleared and once it was clear, I had enough time to test drive it at a good distance driving back to the dealer. Revving this 2.0 liter 200HP engine to 8,000 RPMs at each gear is just what I wanted and to finally have the priveledge to "drive it like you hate it" resulted into more like, "drive it like a speed granny" once you hit 3rd. Sure this car went fast. I went 95 on the freeway, but the car was literally telling me, "WTF. Are you trying to go fast or somethin?" In other words, this was nothing to the car... the car drove as if you were not on the freeway but on city streets. The car's performance was the least to say, impressive but I'm not so sure about it's suspension in handling turns which I was a bit skeptikal to try at night. I do wish however... that the car would slow down better without pressing on the gas such as the Honda Prelude Type SH does. No more road noise from the new Integra, but as I'm trying to bash the car's engine, the car is mocking the hell out of me in silence... nowhere near redlining 4th. 6th gear is useful - even at 55mph for those who think the last gear means "freeway time." [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/IMG] HA! The gear ratio is just that.

Once we made it back to the dealership, I could only come up with the conclusion that the RSX Type S does not belong on your everyday road. This car belongs on the track, or offroad on the desert where when it laughs at you for raising the tach needle constantly at 5th gear and 6th gear, you're laughing back at it. This car seriously wants to be driven by either the guy with the endless amount of speeding tickets and countless times of bank thefts (the one who's still luckily alive), or by those who are serious about performance and racing. (And of course getting all the girls while this car is still new.) RSX Type R? R you crazy?! [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/IMG]



-Zell

ScottieEX

thats beautiful man.... i gotta drive one for myself just for fun!
personally i think the RSX styling is great! probably because it resembles the civic [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

now u can go test drive a WRX and enlighten us further about that hyped TURBO!

i think u'd be quite a good car reviewer! i think ur review is better than the one on RSX edmunds just put up!

Belle

damn, i'm jealous. now i want to go just to test drive that baby. that was a good review from my opinon. i'm not all that rich to be buying that car, and even if i had the money, i think it'd be shelling it out for my 240 hp 2.0 liter s2000. ever since it was a concept vehicle, i've had a lust for that car. mmmmmmm... **drools on keyboard**

ScottieEX

ok edmunds just pretty much said the RSX automatic sucks[IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG]
TYPE S all the way!

SoNiCcIvIc

<< thats beautiful man.... i gotta drive one for myself just for fun!
personally i think the RSX styling is great! probably because it resembles the civic [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

now u can go test drive a WRX and enlighten us further about that hyped TURBO!

i think u'd be quite a good car reviewer! i think ur review is better than the one on RSX edmunds just put up! >>



Impreza WRX, eh? It's kinda difficult test driving a car without enduring that salesman talk. (All they say to you is... "hey... I'm gonna give you yet ANOTHER reason to buy this car and not that Toyota Echo you're oh-so-environmentally fond of.") Oh well, I still had fun driving the car.

Hmm, think I can fit the bill for a reviewer? [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG] [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/IMG] I sure could use a job right about now!

I never saw the review of the RSX on that webpage... okay, I'll go look.

SoNiCcIvIc

<< damn, i'm jealous. now i want to go just to test drive that baby. that was a good review from my opinon. i'm not all that rich to be buying that car, and even if i had the money, i think it'd be shelling it out for my 240 hp 2.0 liter s2000. ever since it was a concept vehicle, i've had a lust for that car. mmmmmmm... **drools on keyboard** >>



I would DEFINITELY tell you what I think of that beautiful creation...

Too bad it's not test-drivable. You just point at it standing next to the dealer, and say, "Gimme." [IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG] After you pay for it, you drive it.

However, if I become a reviewer... hmm... (cuz they don't go to the cars, the cars go to them.)

ScottieEX

hmm i always wondered how they get the S2000 outa the showroom floor at my dealer! the doors dont open that wide!! maybe a secret underground passage?
i'd wana be a reviewer also.. however more for a magazine like turbo or scc.. in which i can drive AND fix up cars and get paid!

SoNiCcIvIc

:: after reading review on edmunds.com :: Yeah... the car really want you to drive it hard with an automatic.

Revving the engine in the RSX Type S (side note: the one I drove was driven the first time by me... it had 1 mile on it, hehe.) is appealing... it turned me on... but if you're gonna rev it, don't rev it up to like 4,000 or 5,000, drive that tach needle up!!! [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/IMG] I took it up to 7,000 (yeah, I should've took it up to 8,000 on 1st and 2nd gear but I didn't wanna scare the... ahem... "passenger" I had with me) [IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG] Reminds me of the Type R review... revving it so hard on the freeway the people in the car next to you are thinking you're gonna blow the engine up. [IMG]i/expressions/beer_yum.gif[/IMG]

SoNiCcIvIc

edmunds.com isn't hiring in their editorial positions. Oh well. Maybe somewhere else cuz they can use a new writer evidently.

esant

<< ok edmunds just pretty much said the RSX automatic sucks[IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG]
TYPE S all the way! >>



the base model does suck. For a couple thousand more, you're much better to buy the type-s. It has several more features and of course, more HP.

heres mine: http://www.charterpa.net/~rsxs/Rsx

NeoMagus

Sonic, its just like I said when I got my Si...

once youve reved to 8100rpm you'll never go back

insan

i drove one too..i had it threw some cruvey back roads.....that thing stuck to the road for the most part.i got lose coming around one corner 70 in a 30 but other than that is was fun to drive....i wish i waited for it to come out

antidote11

Did the dealership or salesman say anuthing about the Type R ?? I want to hold out for that, and get one of those bad boys !!

Booohahaha

iTrader: (1)

hahaha nice nice
dang does it really belong in the track???

not if i have anything to say about it!!!!
i want the rsx type R...i think it will be much better than the type S.
cuz of a upgraded race suspension.

antidote11

Does anyone know if the Type R will have more HP...will they be crazy and throw a DOHC V6 in that bastard ??

If so, I am all over it !!

htowncivicEX

The new Integra Type R (RSX Type R when it comes stateside) will be a 4-cylinder and will be here sometime in 2003 or 2004. It is expected to have even more power potential than the Type S. As powerful as the K20A is, Honda hasn't even begun to scrape the surface of the iVTEC's capabilities.

R3DF0G

<< Does anyone know if the Type R will have more HP...will they be crazy and throw a DOHC V6 in that bastard ??

If so, I am all over it !! >>


RSX type-R
It's got 2.0 dohc i-vtec with 220hp and 152 lb/ft torque. 0-60 in 5.8....

SoNiCcIvIc

I forgot to mention the e-brake on this car. The e-brake is very short. Like say, when you park our Civic, you don't have to throw the e-brake up to as high as it'll go just to keep the car from moving when parked. The e-brake on the RSX won't even go 1/4 of the height that the Civic's e-brake can skyrocket to.

NeoMagus: I loved revving the engine in that car. [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG] I know there are a lot of RSX fans out there, and even on these forums, and though I loved it's top knotch performance (which I am yet to uncover) it's a car I could possibly go without. I like the car, but I don't know if I love it yet because test driving it the way I did was not enough for me, nor the car. I will definitely tell you what I think about the car if I get to drive it the way I want to. Otherwise, I still want the Integra Type R. (Did you know the 2001 Type R costs $1,000 more than the new Type S????) Oh there was ALSO a Electron Blue Pearl Si in the garage of the Acura dealer. (Didn't look like it was modded.) Man... I would take an Si... and I wish the new Si would be a coupe like ours.

Antidote11: Yeah, I asked the dealer about the Type R's release and he said he heard nothing about it's release for this year. Perhaps next year I guess. My friend wants to hold out for that one, too.

Booohahaha: Test drive it! Take it on the freeway. You'll find that you won't get the most out that car driving it there. It's just like the Type R. 5 more horses, with 18ft-lbs. more torque. You're gonna experience the same thing most likely and have a bit more interesting ride with the added torque and 6-speed. The old Integra Type R has a great new stand-in but it should not be forgotten.

So it looks like the Type R will get 20 more horses and about 10ft-weight more torque. I dunno you guys. If a Type S and an RSX Type R raced, it would still be close but I do like the idea of an upgraded suspension. If the suspension is worth it, plus some more add-ons to the Type R (oh, I don't have any ideas... a flame kit? [IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG] ) It should be worth it. I kinda doubt it, but if I do get to test drive the RSX Type R and compare it to the Type S, I hope I can feel the added HP.


Super Street: "... it's still *&^%ing fast to us."

GiantVelcroNoodle

blah blah blah

sounds like you had fun Zell

[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

sorry i didnt read all that...

S2000man01

iTrader: (1)

I drove the RSX type S also. And I'd pretty much agree with your review. But did you find that when flooring it in first gear that the front end tends to float and dance around a bit? That was the only thing I felt when I drove it that i DIDN'T like. Yes it's a beautiful car. But the base model is for peeing on. 0-60 in YAWN. Go with the type S if any of you ever get one.

SoNiCcIvIc

<< But did you find that when flooring it in first gear that the front end tends to float and dance around a bit? That was the only thing I felt when I drove it that i DIDN'T like. >>



I only got to floor 1st once, and that was reintering the freeway on the way back, but I don't think I got that kind of a feeling. I had ended up slowing down a bit, too.

S2000man01

iTrader: (1)

As for edmunds.com. those guys are idiots. They recently compared the S2000 to a pontiac grand am. They said that the grand am has more torque than the peaky S2000, and that when flooring the grand am, it's torque puts you back in your seat and that it will beat an S2000 for at least the first 100ft or so. Apparently they've never actually driven an S2000. As someone who owns one and also has a friend with a new 75th anniversary edition grand am with ram air, I can say that they are way off base. So personally I think they are idiots.

It's too bad they dont let you guys test drive the S2000. If any of you lived in wisconsin I'd be prone to letting you take mine for just a little spin. [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

Okay, I'm going to go take a ride in my torqueless VTEC car now. Dont mack trucks have a lot of torque too??

SoNiCcIvIc

<< heres mine: http://www.charterpa.net/~rsxs/Rsx >>



Linkified but... It only took me to the directory of the webpage. Clicking on RSX.jpg gives you a nice black baseline RSX. [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG] It's kinda funny distinguising the RSX and the RSX Type S. (Almost like the LS/GS and the GSR.) You won't know the difference until you look at the car from behind. As for the RSX, the tires of the one in that pic look like 15s, and the Type S comes with 16s.

SoNiCcIvIc

GrandAMs... ... and there's my review. Your s2g would make Pontiac want to discontinue it. GrandAM over an s2000 my grand-golden ***.

Well, here's something worthwhile from edmunds.com to read (this isn't the whole review because it's too long but this is the part people here are gonna like reading):


by Brent Romans

But taken to deserted canyon roads and let loose, the Integra Type R's personality suddenly changes. Like a shy geek who unexpectedly opens up because he gets to talk about computers, all of the Type R's performance parts stand up and speak clearly about their real purpose. Strafing through corners, the suspension keeps the car's body motions completely under control. The effect of pavement undulations, road camber and weight transfer are communicated directly to the driver through the chassis. You can feel the suspension working, the wheels and tires moving up and down to maximize grip. This car rarely seems like it is front-drive, the limited-slip differential and spot-on suspension tuning working to provide neutral handling in almost all situations.

Drive the Type R like you hate it. Rev the engine to the wee of its life. The exhaust note blooms with hard-edged fury that — like the S2000's sonorous wail — is about as close to a sport bike's as you'll find in a production car. The Type R wants you, no, practically begs you, to run up to the 8,400 rpm redline. Obey it, and the close-ratio gearing keeps the engine in VTEC mode and allows access to all 195 horses. Keep driving like a madman, working the shifter like the action on a rifle bolt, and the Type R gobbles up curvy pavement like The Flash late for a doctor's appointment. Remember those sport seats you didn't like in the city because they didn't adjust for height or tilt? Now they pay unexpected dividends, gripping your body and keeping you clamped down. The brakes bleed speed effortlessly and are easy to manipulate at the limit of traction. Only the steering lets the Type R down, its precision hampered by heaviness in the wheel and a lack of overall feel.

Whereas other front-drive sport coupes seem peppy and sporty on the street but quickly become a wet noodle dynamically when they are pushed to their limits, the Type R is almost the opposite. It becomes better the harder you drive it. Proof comes from real racing. In SCCA Pro Racing's Speedvision World Challenge race series, race-modified Type R's have won the Touring Car championship every single year since the car's '97 debut. They dominated the 1998 and 1999 race seasons, taking the first, second and third slots in the final standings.

Eventually, though, the curvy pavement ends, and it's back to the real world. This isn't to say that the Type R can't be used as a street machine. It certainly can, as all of the previous-year Type R owners can attest to. But the car that it's based off, the regular Integra, is simply getting old. The Celica GT-S and Prelude Type SH, in particular, make better all-around daily drivers that must do everything — not just chew bubblegum and occasionally play on two-lane blacktop.

Consider this, though: Even after the debut of the Celica GT-S, the Mitsubishi Eclipse GT, the Mercury Cougar V6 and the GTI GLX, the Integra Type R is still the fastest and most capable front-drive sport coupe you can buy. That's something special, and we think it will continue to be something special 20 years from now. No matter what happens with the new Integra (or whatever Acura will call it), the '97-'01 Integra Type R will be a classic.

My next car and definitely... my $0.02.

Snowman

Hey S2000 man, don't knock torque. It's a good thing and it can be your friend.[IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG] No seriously, while I do enjoy small Japanese cars, I also enjoy big torquey engines. You can really feel them in the city which is where I mostly drive. That's why I like my Benz more in the city. The Civic just feels like it's dead the city.

S2000man01

iTrader: (1)

I'm not really ripping on torque. It's all in good humor. [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

Snowman

I gotcha I sat in an S2000 once at the dealership. I'm not a big man but it was cramped inside. Between the door and the middle it's really narrow. That's the only reason I'm not saving up for an S2000.

SoNiCcIvIc

Glad i'm 5'7" and slender... lol.

Micks2K1

I think one day i will have a S2000 and/or a RSX Type R in the garage since ya know they are simply amazing.

AlexLx

an RSX-s would get murdered by an RSX-R! The jdm spec comes with a full limited slip which lowers the 0-60 times by over a second!!! The suspension is cool and all, but without the LSD (not that...) this car is just another nice high revving vehicle. The type R = unwarranted killing machine! I hear the ivtec isnt as fun as the orignial vtec cuz you cant feel the pull. Either way, I'm still considering one.

TYPE-S OR BUST!