2002 Acura RSX

Here's your opportunity to ask Motor Trend editors what they think! Be among the first to find out what driving the RSX really feels like -- straight from our experts. Chuck Schifsky and John Kiewicz will be live at Acura.com, ready to tell you their impressions of this hot, new vehicle. Visitors can chat with the editors about their experiences driving Acura's all-new RSX on Thursday, June 7, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. (PST).

Amazing how outdated the '01 Acura Integra looks next to its replacement, the '02 Acura RSX. Yes, the '94-'01 Integra was getting old. But its many fans saw the body shell as a container for the chassis pieces of one of the best-handling front-drivers on the market, and for the kind of high-revving high-specific-output engine that Honda/Acura aficionados hold so dear. The new car is so clean, so minimalistic, so bereft of wings, moldings, and assorted bric-a-brac, the old Integra now looks like the bubble wrap the RSX came in.

Wheelbase and overall length are virtually identical to the Integra's, but the RSX is 1.2 in. wider and 2.6 in. taller, and passengers settle into a 1.6-in.-taller hip-point. A much stiffer body structure and standard seat-mounted side airbags contribute to a 103-lb weight increase (Type-S versus GS-R). The heart of the RSX-its lusty four-cylinder engine-mixes a new bowl of Honda's alphabet soup: i-VTEC with VTC (see sidebar). The VTEC/VTC combo achieves the best balance of torque characteristics and fuel consumption, while maintaining Honda's "green" image, its engineers say-the engine earns California's Low Emissions Vehicle rating.

The base model has a 160-hp version of the 2.0L twin-cam 16-valve i-VTEC four and should be priced just under $20,000 with a five-speed manual transmission. A new five-speed automatic with SportShift and a leather interior package are options.

The version you want is the hot RSX Type-S, which will sticker for about $24,000 and feature a 200-hp version of the 2.0L I-4. It comes only with a six-speed manual gearbox. The RSX Type-S' power comes on in a strong, linear fashion, with none of the variable-valve peakiness of the Integra GS-R or the 180-hp Toyota Celica GT-S. And there's enough torque down low to keep you from bogging when pulling out of a second- or third-gear corner. What makes driving the RSX Type-S so delightful is the way the engine works with the chassis, and the excellent six-speed manual gearbox. The shift throws are short (not quite Honda S2000-short) and the feel is direct and smooth, just this side of notchy.

Brakes are powerful, with good feel. (Our first drive was limited to a twisty second-, third-, and fourth-gear road course at Honda's Twin Ring Motegi facility. We'll gather some real-world impressions as soon as we can get our hands on the car again in the U.S.)