2025 Acura Integra Type S vs. RSX Type-S: Two Generations, Two Very Different Thrills

The Acura RSX was an Integra in everything but name. Acura rebranded the fourth-generation Integra for North America as part of its early-2000s shift toward alphanumeric naming, but when the original badge returned for 2023, it came back on a very different kind of car. In Type S form, the modern Integra is Acura’s most powerful current U.S.-market model—and as we can attest to, having lived with our long-term 2025 Acura Integra Type S for a year now, a far more serious performance machine than any compact Acura Type S before it.

A lot has changed since Acura last put a Type S badge on a U.S.-market compact. That got us wondering how the old cars stack up against our Integra, at least on paper; our chance to test a fresh RSX Type S closed when the model was discontinued after 2006. So how much has the front-drive luxury sport compact evolved from the RSX Type S to today’s Integra Type S?

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Size and Shape

The biggest difference is not horsepower, at least not at first glance. It’s format. The RSX Type S was a two-door 2+2 hatchback (a lot like today’s Honda Prelude), while the modern Integra Type S is a four-door, four-passenger hatchback. In other words, Acura’s sport compact has grown from a youthful coupe with a usable enough back seat into a premium daily driver that has to satisfy enthusiasts without asking them to give up adult-friendly practicality. That change alone says plenty about how Acura’s idea of a front-drive luxury sport compact has evolved.

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The numbers make the shift even clearer. At 186.0 inches long, 74.8 inches wide, and 55.4 inches tall, the Integra Type S is 13.6 inches longer and 6.9 inches wider than the RSX Type S, though only 0.5 inch taller. Its 107.7-inch wheelbase stretches 6.5 inches beyond the RSX’s 101.2-inch span, and curb weight rises from 2,840 pounds to 3,199 pounds. Interestingly, weight distribution barely changes: The RSX carried 63 percent of its weight over the front axle, while the Integra sits at 62 percent.

Inside, the growth mostly shows up where you'd expect: the back seat. Front headroom improves from 37.8 to 38.6 inches, while rear headroom jumps from 34.1 to 36.4 inches. Front legroom decreases slightly, from 43.1 to 42.3 inches, but rear legroom grows dramatically, from 29.2 inches in the RSX to 37.4 inches in the Integra. In other words, the old RSX was a compact coupe with occasional-use rear seats; the new Integra Type S is a real daily-driver performance car that can actually carry adults in back.

The RSX Type S was sporty, but it was still fairly workaday in its presentation. Its coupe profile, hatchback roofline, and subtle Type S details gave it some personality, but nothing about the car shouted performance the way its engine did.

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The Integra Type S is much harder to miss. Within the current Integra lineup, it gets real visual separation, including a wider body, larger wheels and tires, extra cooling vents, a rear diffuser, and the Type S’ signature three-tip exhaust. It is still cleaner and more mature than a Civic Type R, but compared with the old RSX, the modern car makes its performance intent obvious before you ever start it.

Powertrain: Same-ish Formula, Very Different Firepower

Both cars follow the same basic enthusiast template: front-wheel drive, a 2.0-liter I-4, and a six-speed manual transmission. In its final 2005–2006 form, the RSX Type S used the K20Z1, an evolution of the K20A2 found in the 2002–2004 RSX Type S. It was naturally aspirated, revved to 8,100 rpm, and made 210 hp and 143 lb-ft of torque, up slightly from the earlier car’s 200 hp and 142 lb-ft (an SAE testing revision would later downgrade the newer engine to 201 hp and 140 lb-ft).

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The modern Integra Type S uses the K20C8, Acura’s version of the Civic Type R’s K20C1. It is still a 2.0-liter inline-four but now turbocharged, lower-compression, and tuned for a very different kind of punch. Redline drops versus the RSX to 7,000 rpm, but output jumps to 320 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque—enough to completely change the character of Acura’s compact Type S formula.

The numbers tell the story, even though our RSX test data comes from an early 2002 RSX Type S rather than the later K20Z1 car. That RSX reached 60 mph in 6.7 seconds and ran the quarter mile in 15.1 seconds at 94.7 mph. Our long-term Integra Type S hit 60 mph in 5.5 seconds and covered the quarter mile in 14.2 seconds at 100.2 mph. The old car needed revs and momentum; the new one brings real boost and real tire-management issues.

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That may be the clearest difference in experience. In the RSX Type S, the drama was wringing out the engine near redline and getting the front tires to chirp. In the Integra Type S, the challenge is keeping the front end hooked up, with enough torque to break traction well past the launch and deep into the lower gears. Efficiency, oddly, has barely moved: The RSX was rated at 20/28/23 mpg city/highway/combined, while the Integra Type S comes in at 21/28/24 mpg, though the older car’s estimated 304-mile range slightly beats the newer car’s 298 miles.

Handling: Similar Mission, Much More Hardware

The RSX Type S was light, simple, and very Honda in the way it approached handling. Its MacPherson strut front suspension was straightforward but well matched to a naturally aspirated engine making a little more than 200 hp, while its classic double-wishbone rear suspension helped give the car the nimble, communicative feel older Hondas are still celebrated for. It also had real hardware for its day, including a 26.5mm tubular front stabilizer bar, a 21mm solid rear bar, 17x7-inch wheels, and 215/45R17 high-performance all-season tires.

The Integra Type S is playing a different game. Up front, its dual-axis strut suspension is designed to better manage 320 hp through the front wheels, while the rear multilink setup is tuned for a broader mix of grip, stability, ride quality, and refinement. Acura also gives the new car adaptive dampers, a limited-slip differential, Brembo front brake calipers, a 29mm tubular front stabilizer bar, and a 20.5mm solid rear bar. The tire and wheel package alone shows how much expectations have changed: 9.5x19-inch wheels wrapped in 265/30ZR19 summer tires.

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The results are not subtle. In our testing, an early RSX Type S averaged 0.82 g of lateral acceleration; our long-term Integra Type S pulled 0.98 g. Braking tells the same story. The RSX Type S used 11.8-inch front and 10.2-inch rear rotors and stopped from 60 mph in 134 feet, while the Integra Type S uses 13.8-inch front and 12.0-inch rear rotors and needed just 105 feet. The old car’s appeal was lightness and feel; the new one adds grip, braking force, and modern front-drive traction management on a level the RSX simply could not approach.

Evolution, Not Imitation

The RSX Type S is not embarrassed by this comparison so much as dated by it. It represents a lighter, simpler, more analog era of Acura performance, when a rev-happy engine, a slick manual, and sharp chassis tuning were enough to make a compact coupe feel special. The Integra Type S is bigger, heavier, and more complex, but it uses that extra size and hardware to deliver performance the RSX could never touch.

What connects them is the idea, not the execution. Both are front-drive Acura sport compacts with K-series engines and six-speed manuals, but the RSX Type S was about wringing out every rpm, while the Integra Type S is about managing real turbocharged muscle. The old car remains charming; the new one simply operates on another level.

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More on Our Long-Term 2025 Acura Integra Type S:

• Wishing for More Time and HRC’s New Performance Parts for Our Yearlong Review Acura Integra Type S
• Some Early Issues with Our Integra Type S, But Still Plenty of Grins
• Our Integra Type S Isn’t a Good Road Trip Car—It’s Something Better
• Acura’s HRC Performance Parts Can’t Come Soon Enough
• Our Integra Is Bulletproof—With Two Small Exceptions