RSX = sport and luxury, another Acura success.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Sporty, refined, athletic, and upscale.

Cons: Silly name (the RSX is an Integra everywhere it's sold except North America).

Handling And Control:

The Bottom Line: 
The RSX is a worthy successor to the vaunted Integra because it moves the Integra to a new level of luxury while retaining most of the Integra's sporty origins.

Author's Review
The 2002 Acura RSX is the replacement for the 3rd generation Integra which was produced for eight years. Given that most cars are redesigned every four years, the Integra was an automotive dinosaur when it was finally retired. However, the 1994 to 2001 Integra was a hallmark automobile which set the standards for the sport compact class for nearly as many years as it was produced.

Acura had a difficult job ahead of them in redesigning the Integra because their goal was to reorient their entry level Acura as more of a luxury car, without alienating those who appreciated the prior model for its sportiness. In my opinion, Acura succeeded in meeting their goals.

As an owner of three different 3rd generation Integras, I was very interested in discovering what had become of my beloved Integra. When I finally managed to arrange a test drive of an RSX Type S, it was shortly after I test drove a Lexus IS 300 5sp manual. The RSX quickly made me forget about the IS. It's not that the RSX was the better car, but for $10,000 less it was definately the better value while being faster and nearly as well optioned.

The interior of the RSX manages to be both modern and tasteful. The materials used on the dash are ingenious because they have a high quality look without a high quality price. The automatic climate control system works well and cools the car very quickly, unlike the previous Integra which cools poorly on hot days. The perforated leather seats are marvelous because they are both comfortable and supportive. The Type S comes with a Bose six disc in dash CD changer with subwoofer. The sub produces and adequate amount of bass without being boomy. The imaging is improved because the tweeters are moved to the dash from the door.

Driving the RSX is also a pleasurable experience. The small steering wheel is somewhat smaller and the steering firmer, almost go-cart like. Turn-in is greatly improved by the redesigned rack and pinion steering. With 200 hp, the motor definitely has gained in power, yet there is less engine noise than before. There is also less road noise intruding into the cabin as a result of the increase use of sound deadening materials.

Because the RSX I drove was new and only had a few hundred miles on it, I did not push the motor to the full extent required to test the acceleration of the car. Suffice it to say that while it didn't feel as fast as my Integra, when I looked down at the speedometer I was surprised at how fast we were moving. The suspension and chassis surely had a hand in this, as the suspension is stiffer and the chassis much less flexible and more composed then the Integra's. The six speed manual shifter took some getting used to and was slightly vague.

The only real dislikes I had about the RSX pertain to the shifter and a certain je ne sais quois about the fun-to- drive-factor. Shifting in the RSX is not as precise as in the Integra because of the move from a rod shift linkage to cable. The advantage of a cable shifter is that less vibration is transmitted to the shift lever. What is lost is feedback to the driver, leading to sloppier shifts. Given that change in the design goals Acura had for their entry-level luxury car, I guess I can rationalize the sacrifice. It must be said that this was the best cable shifter I have driven.

The other factor that was affected by luxury priority in the redesign was the fun-to-drive quotient. The RSX does not feel as tossable as the Integra, as if it were more composed and isolated from the road. This is probably the price to be paid for making the Integra into more of a luxury car. Whether or not the price is too high depends on your automotive priorities.

My personal preference has to be the Type R version of the RSX, which is rumored to be coming to the U.S in a year or two. With more emphasis on sport and less on luxury, I can only imagine how great the RSX Type R is going to be.