Sometimes a car would take attitude toward to driving...

It is hard to judge this new RSX against its predecessor, the vulnerable Integra. After all, that Integra was one of our favorite sports car, dubbed as ”the Best FF Sports Car in the World”. When Acura launched the new RSX 2 years ago, they clearly took the car into a different direction: smoother, more luxurious. For 2005, Acura did a mid-cycle update to this hatchback, both above and beneath the skin.

Cosmetically, Acura give this RSX a more aggressive stance. Lower body cladding along with larger 17” wheels gave the car a lowered look. Rear deck spoiler and oversize tail pipe give the car a trendy ”tuner” look. Gone are the celluloid front and tail lamps, in are the sleek head lights and rectangular tail lights. The whole car looks much more aerodynamic than before.

Engineers massaged the 2.0L i-VTEC engine, so now it’s pumping out 210 horsepower. There are also numerous updates to brake and chassis components to give it a livelier handling characteristics. Transmission of choice is still the slick shifting 6 speed manual.

As a typical Honda engine, the K20 runs silky smooth. We were surprised by the low end grunt it provided; we could easily launch the car in second gear. Push the engine to 6000 rpm, brake, downshift, corner; the close ratio 6 speed kept the engine at the boiling point. Coming out of the corner, accelerate, the rev-limiter comes in at 8300 rpm, up shift. Step on the brake, the weight shift to the front, adjust the steering wheel, the rear comes around in the typical double-wishbone suspension fashion. This RSX is not as nimble as the Integra Type R, but it is more ferocious in some ways.

Although this RSX lost to the Integra Type R in the nimbleness and ultimate handling limit, but it gained in power, smoothness, and standard equipment. For now, we are very happy with the performance of this RSX-Type S, but we wish Acura will bring over the Type-R for the die hard fans.