Welcome back Acura Integra, we haven’t seen you offered at dealerships since 2001. The Acura Integra was a popular car during the 80’s and 90’s, the good old days of hot hatches and Japanese performance cars. It was replaced by the Acura RSX for the 2002 model year, which was available until 2006. The RSX was strictly a coupe, unlike the Integra, and was quite sporty from what I’m told. However, it didn’t last too long in the marketplace.
The Acura Integra was reintroduced for the 2023 model year, replacing the Acura ILX, which could be thought of as the spiritual successor to the Integra, but it didn’t quite have the same appeal.
The 5th generation (counting the RSX as the 4th generation) Integra has been on the market since 2023, however, it has finally made it into my hands just recently. And what better way to experience this new vehicle than to get behind the wheel of the most powerful version of it, the Acura Integra Type S?
I spent a week with the 2024 Acura Integra Type S and it’s a thrilling ride. Its 2.0-liter turbocharged engine churns out a solid 320 horsepower. The handling is remarkably fine-tuned, straddling the line between exhilarating performance and daily drivability flawlessly. Inside, you’re treated to plush and luxurious touches. Outside, its sharp lines and dynamic proportions are a head-turner.
Key Takeaways
The 2024 Acura Integra Type S features a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, producing 320 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque.
Offers premium handling with a front limited-slip differential and finely-tuned driving dynamics.
Boasts a luxurious interior, high-quality materials, and advanced technological integrations including a digital instrument cluster.
A competitive starting price of $55,600, compared favorably to rivals like GR Corolla and Elantra N.
Table of Contents
2024 Acura Integra Canadian Prices
The 2024 Acura Integra is offered in three trims, the base Integra A-SPEC has a starting price of $38,850. The next higher trim is the Elite A-SPEC, which has a starting price of $44,350 for either the manual or automatic transmission. The top-of-the-line Acura Integra Type S has a starting price of $55,600, the only options are 5 additional exterior paint colors for $500 each, and a Carbon Package priced at $3,212.60. Buyers can also add some accessories and extended warranty packages.
The above prices don’t include Freight & PDI of $2,595, and other fees and taxes. Our review 2024 Integra Type S had a before-tax price of $58,821, the only option was the “Platinum White Pearl” paint; the free paint on all Type S models is “Lunar Silver Metallic”.
In the United States, the Acura Integra Type S has a starting price of $51,800 before Freight & PDI, and other fees and taxes. Based on pure currency conversion, Canadians are getting a better deal.
Engine & Performance
The non-Type S Integra’s are powered by 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-4 engines, producing 200 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 192 pound-feet of torque between 1,800 – 5,000 rpm. These engines are mated to CVT or 6-speed manual transmissions. These are pretty good power figures and more than the old Integra Type R’s (195 HP).
The new Integra Type S is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine, producing 320 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 310 pound-feet of torque between 2,600 – 4,000 rpm. The only available transmission is a 6-speed manual. Power is sent to the front wheels. The Type S shares its engine with the Civic Type R, which I’ll review in the coming weeks.
The Type S is equipped with a limited-slip differential and comes with 4 driving modes: Comfort, Sport, Sport+, and Individual. It is quite a civilized car to drive around in, if/when you want it to be. The Sport and Sport+ modes make things fun. There is no shortage of power and I barely noticed any turbo lag. The suspension is quite compliant on rough roads, especially in the comfort mode. From what I hear, the Civic Type R has a harsher suspension tuning, which is more of a track-oriented car.
Driving the 2024 Acura Integra Type S is a pleasure in the city or on highways. The 320 horsepower is just the perfect amount of power for a car like this (5 HP more than the Civic Type R) and the 6-speed manual is so much fun to use, it’s precise and brings me back to the tuner days of the ’90s and early 2000s. The transmission comes with rev-matching, which makes you feel like a racecar driver, it can be turned off if you want to match revs on your own. The exhaust is loud, but not obnoxiously loud, and gets louder as you go into the sportier modes, it does make pops and burbles, but it’s not as aggressive as the Hyundai Elantra N‘s.
Overall, the Acura Integra Type S is a really fun-to-drive car. I absolutely loved every minute behind the wheel. I like its aggressiveness, while still keeping it civilized.
Exterior Styling
The regular Acura Integra has quite a conservative-looking exterior, however, the Type S really does bring out the boy racer styling. I had not paid attention to the press material on this car, so I didn’t really know what the Type S looked like until it pulled out of the garage when I went to pick it up for my review. I was pretty shocked by the aggressive looks of it, I absolutely loved it.
The front design features an aggressive fascia, it looks like the TLX but is much more meaner. The sides feature large fender flares, adding to the aggressive design of the car. The rear features a gloss-black diffuser with a trio of exhaust tips right in the middle. There is a thin spoiler on the trunk lid.
I really liked looking at the Integra Type S, it brought a smile to my face every time I saw it, which is not a feeling most modern cars give me nowadays. It’s aggressive enough to stand out from the crowd and look different from the standard Integra models, while not aggressive to be obnoxious looking.
2024 Acura Integra Type S Interior
The interior of the Integra Type S is similar to the one found on the Civic, afterall, they share a lot of parts. The interior is slightly different on the Integra, with the honeycomb treatment found on the Civic not being as pronounced (not spanning the width of the dashboard). The interior comes in two color choices: red and black combo or all black; the interior color is dependent on the exterior color, you can’t choose the red/black interior with three of the exterior colors.
The interior layout is fairly simple, with a 9″ touchscreen sticking out of the dashboard, front and center. This screen handles most of the functions, but like the Civic, below this section is a separate section for climate control with real buttons and knobs. Below this section are a pair of USB outlets and a wireless charging pad. Next to the 6-speed transmission are the mode selector, parking brake, and brake hold button.
The seats are nicely bolstered, but not overly bolstered like some of the high-performance hot-hatches in this segment. These seats are comfortable and good for daily driving, if you want much more aggressive seats, the Civic Type R has you covered.
The interior is comfortable and decently quiet, the Integra Type S uses more sound-deadening material than the Civic Type R, giving it a more luxurious feel. I found there to be plenty of leg and headroom in the front and rear seats and would feel comfortable even on long drives.
Acura Integra Type S Competitors
With the environmental movement, the death of the gasoline-powered sports car (or sporty cars) has been making headlines, but if you look at the current offerings, it is a great time to be a performance car enthusiast, whether it’s a sports car or a hot hatch.
The Acura Integra Types S competes with many cars, one of its main competitors is the Honda Civic Type R. Other competitors include the Toyota GR Corolla, the Hyundai Elantra N, the Volkswagen Golf GTI, and the Golf R. These cars are all similarly priced, give or take a few grand. Stretching the budget a bit further, the BMW M240i and Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 would also be considered competitors to the Acura Integra Type S.
All of the above cars are great choices if you are looking for practical but fun cars, and I’m glad we still have options like these available, although they’re not as cheap as these types of cars used to be.
Final Thoughts on the Integra Types S
The 2024 Acura Integra Type S isn’t just living up to its heritage; it’s setting new standards. It’s an excellent choice for those looking for a practical car that also packs a punch. It’s fast, looks good, sounds good, and can take you and three friends and many groceries from point A to B in style and with speed.
For more information on the 2024 Acura Integra Type S, check out Acura Canada’s website.
