Since 1986, the Integra has been a feather in Acura’s cap. For 2002, the company has retired the aged car — and its memorable name — in favor of a new coupe with a typically forgettable acronym, the significance of which we don’t know and, if we did, would probably find unsatisfying. But that’s the current movement, both at Acura and around the automotive industry, so it will be the fate of car buyers — and even us journalists — to be confused until the tide turns back toward real words as car names. Let’s hope it does. What Acura hopes is that the car represented by the letters RSX will be at least as popular as its predecessor.
The RSX comes in two trim levels: the base RSX and the performance-oriented RSX Type-S, the latter of which is denoted RSX-S on the car’s liftgate, but I’ll call it the Type-S to avoid confusion. The RSX is a two-door coupe. I’ve perceived in the vehicle market a general move toward utility and a decrease in the conviction that four doors can neither be sporty nor appeal to young buyers. All the same, Acura claims to have hard numbers to support its decision to dump the sedan. In the recent past, the four-door Integra didn’t sell enough copies to make it worthwhile.
Exterior & Styling
In profile, the RSX looks a little too much like the Honda Civic coupe on which it’s based (see the First Drive). Otherwise, it’s an interesting if understated design. The semicircular depressions in the bumper below the headlights — scallops, if you will — are borrowed from the BMW 3 Series but are effective on the RSX, both here and under the taillights where the design is repeated. You can form your own opinion, so I’ll concentrate on the differences between the two trim levels: There is none. OK, that’s an overstatement, but the two trim levels are virtually indistinguishable except for the “-S” tacked onto the RSX badge on the Type-S’ liftgate. It appears that the minimalist “chin” spoiler on the front and the rocker panels are body colored on the Type-S where they’re more of a charcoal color on the base RSX, but the difference is indeed subtle.
I tend to criticize automakers who change only a car’s exterior and dub it the sporty version. Acura doesn’t do that; its Type-S is significantly mas macho in mechanical ways, but it wouldn’t hurt for them to throw some distinguishing characteristics on it, such as premium wheels or the like.
Ride & Handling
Like the Civic, the Acura RSX features a MacPherson-strut-based front suspension in place of the double-wishbone design used in the earlier Civic and Integra generations. This is a good example of why I counsel consumers not to fixate on the technical elements. Double wishbone has long enjoyed a reputation as the optimal suspension design, and Honda/Acura has emphasized this in its marketing. Now the company has opted for the more space-efficient strut design, and if there’s any performance difference between it and the vaunted double wishbone, I couldn’t detect it.
My evaluation is based solely on the RSX Type-S, which features firmer suspension tuning than the base RSX, as well as greater power (more on that under “Going & Stopping”). The Type-S’ ride is indeed firm, but certainly livable. I don’t think anyone who would find it objectionable would even be considering this car in the first place. But for anyone who does, the base RSX offers a softer ride.
The Type-S handles well, with precise steering and an acceptable degree of body roll. The variable-assist power rack-and-pinion steering has a fast ratio, which means relatively minor turns of the steering wheel result in significant changes to front wheel direction — a welcome sporty attribute. But the RSX’s turning diameter is shockingly wide. It requires 38.1 feet to turn a circle, curb to curb. The Honda Civic does it in 34.1 feet, the full-size Acura RL sedan requires 36.1 feet and even the minivan-based Acura MDX sport utility vehicle makes it in 38 feet. What gives?
The new double-wishbone rear suspension is an independent design. The RSX strikes a nice balance between the dead rear end of some front-wheel-drive cars and the other extreme: a tail that swings out of control in aggressive driving. When pushed, the RSX’s tail slides gently, but never in my drives did it ambush me with uncontrollable “snap” oversteer. At the same time, I think the RSX deserves better tires. The 16-inch alloy wheels and Michelin HX MXM4 all-season radials, rated P205/55R16 (see tire codes to decipher the specs), are used on all RSXes. As I wrote in a similar complaint about the Honda Civic’s Firestone tires, the problem isn’t necessarily with the tires themselves, but how they perform with this particular car. I suspect that Honda and Acura choose their tires to favor criteria such as fuel economy and longevity over grip. It’s understandable, but an exception would be justified in the case of the performance-oriented Type-S. With 17-inch wheels and grippier tires, they’d improve roadholding and differentiate it from the base RSX in one step.
Overall, the RSX exhibits understeer, which is expected of a front-drive vehicle with lopsided weight distribution: 64/36 (front/rear, in percent) for the manual RSX, 63/37 for the Type-S and 60/40 with the automatic transmission that is an option only on the base trim level. The car feels more balanced than the numbers suggest, but there’s no doubt of the front-drive bias.
Going & Stopping
The drivetrains are what make the RSX special; they distinguish one trim level from the other, and their engines are designed for high output yet excellent fuel economy. As with the suspension, there are significant upgrades in the Type-S’ drivetrain. The base RSX comes with a five-speed-manual transmission as standard equipment, and a five-speed automatic with a Sequential SportShift clutchless-manual mode is optional. The Type-S ups the transmission ante with a six-speed manual. The automatic is not offered on this trim level.
As is reflected in the table below, the two four-cylinder engines have the same displacement, but the Type-S’ has a significant 40-horsepower advantage over the base model’s, for a total of 200 hp at 7,400 rpm. This engine’s redline — the maximum engine speed — is a stratospheric 7,900 rpm. Like the Honda S2000, which redlines at an unmatched 9,000 rpm, the idea here is to coax high output from a relatively small engine. Not surprisingly, this design puts the horsepower peak at levels above the average engine’s operating range. The technology behind these wide operating ranges and the output difference between the two engines is variable valve timing.
| ENGINES |
| |
RSX |
RSX
Type-S |
| Engine
Type |
2.0-liter
4-cylinder |
2.0-liter
4-cylinder |
| Valvetrain |
i-VTEC
intake camshaft |
i-VTEC
intake & exhaust camshafts |
| Horsepower |
160
@ 6,500 rpm |
200
@ 7,400 rpm |
| Torque
(lbs.-ft.) |
141
@ 4,000 rpm |
142
@ 6,000 rpm |
| Redline |
6,800
rpm |
7,900
rpm |
| Recommended
Gasoline |
regular
unleaded
(87 octane) |
midgrade
unleaded
(91 octane) |
Manufacturer
data
Acura introduced variable valve timing in 1990 in its NSX sports car. The technology’s goal is to maximize output at high engine speeds and efficiency at low rpm. This is an issue because the valves that allow air to enter the engine’s cylinders — and those that let exhaust gases escape — don’t perform optimally at all engine speeds. (If you need help visualizing any of these parts, look below to the Four-Stroke Cycle section of our Interactive Car.) A conventional engine’s valves operate in a linear fashion, happily opening and closing twice as fast when engine speed doubles. The air and exhaust gases are not as cooperative, however. At higher rpm, air typically doesn’t flow through the valve ports fast enough for optimal performance. Variable valve timing addresses this by opening the intake valves earlier, wider and/or for a longer duration at high rpm. Honda/Acura’s original system was named VTEC, a forced acronym for Variable valve Timing and lift under Electronic Control. “Lift” refers to how far the valves open.
Until now, VTEC engines have been characterized by a noticeable power increase at a particular, fixed rpm — the engine speed at which the camshafts switch to the high-rev profiles and allow the engine to breathe better. The feel is not unlike that of a turbocharger kicking in, and basically for the same reason. Though other automakers have beaten Acura to market with the technology, the company used the RSX to introduce continuously variable valve timing, a system that varies valve timing and lift over the entire engine speed range. The result is even greater efficiency, lower emissions and seamless acceleration. The company calls the new generation i-VTEC, with the i representing “intelligent.” It appears on some other 2002 Honda and Acura models and will be added to others in due time.
The base RSX’s engine is equipped with an i-VTEC intake camshaft, and the Type-S has the technology for both its intake and its exhaust valves. This addition and a freer-flowing stainless-steel exhaust system contribute to the Type-S engine’s higher output.
Why have I given so much detail after I said not to fixate on the technical elements? To help explain why two seemingly identical engines can be so different and to help alleviate some of the alphabet soup in which you’ll be immersed at the dealership. In the end, though, my caveat stands: The value of a technology, if any, is reflected in the bottom line, and in the case of i-VTEC, the bottom line is quantified in the fuel economy and emissions ratings and in the experience of driving the RSX.
EPA-ESTIMATED
FUEL ECONOMY
(mpg, city / highway) |
| |
Manual |
Automatic |
| RSX |
27
/ 33 |
24
/ 33 |
| RSX
Type-S |
24
/ 31 |
N / A |
N/A = not applicable
The RSX’s fuel economy is indeed impressive, especially for the 200-hp Type-S, which loses only 2 highway mpg to the base model. The automatic and the Type-S both shave 3 mpg of city fuel economy off the base RSX equipped with the manual five-speed. As for emissions, both RSX trim levels qualify as Low Emissions Vehicles (LEV) and score an 8 out of a possible 10 (with 10 being the best) for emissions on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Vehicle Ratings. The latter scale allows comparisons among vehicles of all sizes.
The drivetrain’s No. 1 bottom line, of course, is its role in the driving experience. My test vehicle was an RSX Type-S, so it had the 200 hp and six-speed manual. The gearshift lever is fairly short and has short throws as well (see photo). It slips into each gear with precision, which is especially appreciated with six closely spaced gates. The clutch pedal also has a sporty feel, with short travel and medium resistance.
The Type-S takes off from a standing start with modest pull. Though the power increase is gradual — not abrupt as in earlier VTEC engines — it doesn’t really impress until the tachometer hits 5,000 to 6,000 rpm. As is reflected in the ENGINES table above, the trade-off with this engine is that its 200 hp comes with just 1 pound-foot of additional peak torque, and it arrives at 6,000 rpm rather than the base engine’s 4,000 rpm. The excitement is all in the range between 6,000 rpm and the 7,900 rpm redline. The close-ratio six-speed helps to make use of this torque band, a wider range than the numbers suggest. Just because a car has a high redline doesn’t mean there’s more engine rev to work with. (A vehicle can be geared in such a way that 3,000 rpm flies by in the blink of an eye, and, conversely, diesel engines may squeeze the full range of vehicle speeds out of less than 4,000 rpm total.) But in the RSX’s case, there is a lot of engine headroom, if you will. Right when your ears and mind are telling you it’s time to upshift, you look down and see you’re at 6,000 rpm and you have almost 2,000 rpm left.
The close-ratio transmission’s gears really are close, though. Each of the lower four gears differs subtly from its adjacent gears, and I found myself skipping gears more frequently than in most cars. The Type-S definitely has guts, with 0-to-60-mph times of just over 6 seconds, but you really need to wind out the engine to achieve this. Unlike most vehicles, the RSX is a type of sporty car that attracts a particular type of driving enthusiast. In the interest of full disclosure, I’m going to acknowledge that I’m not that type of driver, and I hope that consumers are wise enough to know that’s not a dis’ on the RSX or any of the scores of buyers who will love it as they loved the Integra that came before it. (I’d rather present a qualified opinion in this review than seem not to have one at all.)
In an urban/suburban area with conservative speed limits and too much traffic, I live much of my motoring life from stoplight to stoplight. I don’t want to attract the kind of attention that comes from this type of high-rev power. The RSX is a reasonably quiet car overall, but there’s no abating the scream of a four-banger pushing 8,000 rpm. I find this sound unnerving and fatiguing. At lower, quieter engine speeds, the Type-S just doesn’t have the torque. There’s enough torque that it doesn’t bog down if you don’t downshift before a turn, plenty of torque for normal driving, even enough torque that sixth gear — the second of two overdrive gears — allows the car to maintain highway speeds at surprisingly low and quiet rpm. But it’s not enough torque to make the Type-S feel sporty in day-to-day driving. Perhaps this is how it achieves good fuel economy.
I started poking around, and in time I deduced that my peers who had the highest opinion of the RSX were the ones who got the opportunity to wring ’em out on closed courses at unregulated speeds. The people who, like me, only drove the car in real-world circumstances were more lukewarm about it. It seems that the RSX’s handling and performance are best appreciated at the limits. The Type-S would be a star of the German autobahn, but around town it left me a little flat. Again, this is one man’s opinion. I know for a fact that the high-rev sound I find fatiguing is music to some drivers’ ears. Of its kind, the RSX is a well-executed car. The modest torque at low rpm diminishes torque steer. Although traction control is not offered, I suspect one could get away without it in this car. To reduce torque further at the drive wheels, which helps prevent slippage in extreme slippery conditions, drivers can start out in second gear. Even the automatic transmission, when in SportShift mode, allows one to select second gear before accelerating from a stop.
I didn’t test an automatic RSX, but Acura claims the transmission shifts faster and slightly harder in SportShift mode than it does in automatic mode, for better performance and more responsiveness than is commonly found in clutchless manuals.
The Inside
At a time when automakers seem to be floundering over what to do next with interior designs, far too many vehicles are hitting the market with white-faced instruments and/or second-rate derivations on the industrial theme Audi executed so well with its TT (see the Vehicle Profile). Acura’s approach in the RSX is quite effective and was well received by most onlookers. It’s a spare design, uncluttered and ergonomic, with industrial cues and silver, black and gray tones. It doesn’t overreach, but its simplicity comes across as clean, not plain (see photo). The gauges are light but not white — a black on silver that works well with the interior and remains legible. At night, the backlighting is a pleasing red (see photos). If there’s a complaint, it’s that the LED on the cruise control’s main button, the leftmost button on the dashboard, is way too bright and distracting in contrast — just one of those quirks that slipped through the cracks.
The gauges are unique in their orientation. The tachometer and speedometer’s needles rest at the 6 o’clock position, and they “peg” at roughly 3 o’clock. This may seem odd to some people, but I loved it because it places the 60-mph marking just above 9 o’clock. On most cars, highway speeds are at the top of the gauge, and almost invariably are blocked from my view by the steering wheel, which I prefer to set low. Others have griped about this unconventional design, but I liked it both for the reason stated above and because it puts the tachometer’s redline and the legal highway speed limit adjacent to each other.
The controls are exceptionally simple to understand and operate, though I prefer the stereo to be above the ventilation controls (see photo), closer to the view of the road. (Which do you adjust more often?) Also, the dashboard vents look suspiciously similar to those on the Mitsubishi Eclipse and Dodge Stratus coupe/Chrysler Sebring coupe, which I’ve criticized in the past. Their two large louvers don’t offer fine control over direction or volume.
The only significant interior difference between the base RSX and the Type-S is the standard perforated leather upholstery in the latter. These seats are a $1,000 list-price option on the base RSX in place of the standard offering: cloth with simulated suede trim. Otherwise identical across the two trim levels, the front seats are firm and comfortable, with modest but effective side bolsters high and low on the backrests, as well as on the seat cushions, to hold occupants in place during spirited driving (see photo). The driver gets a continuously variable manual lumbar adjustment and cushion height adjustment; the passenger does not. The cushion height adjusts via a knob on the left side. It’s workable but by no means easy to raise with one’s weight bearing on it. Power seats are not offered; neither are seat heaters. I think the latter is a mistake, because leather seats get mighty cold in winter, and the front-wheel-drive RSX is bound to attract buyers who live in snowy regions.
The sporty, leather-wrapped steering wheel has a tilt adjustment, but telescoping action should be added for comfort and safety. Dual-stage front airbags deploy at one of two intensities depending on impact severity, and backrest-mounted side-impact airbags are standard on the front seats. The passenger’s seat is designed to deactivate if its occupant is leaning too far to the right (an instrument panel indicator alerts the driver in this instance). The front seats also employ pretensioners for both the lap and shoulder belt retractors. The shoulder belt retractors’ height is not adjustable, which is rare these days. The head restraints are fixed but high enough for tall adults.
At 6 feet tall, I drove with the seat roughly an inch from the rearmost position. In an automatic RSX without a clutch pedal, I would have sat fully back. Drivers taller than I should be able to find comfort in the RSX, but it would help if the cushion had a tilt adjustment. With its height at the maximum, I had maybe an inch of headroom to spare. With the cushion set all the way down, it was 2 to 3 inches of spare headroom. There’s no center armrest, and I missed it. Acura also should add extenders or a sliding function to the sun visors. When positioned along the side, they don’t extend back far enough to block the window’s rear corner.
As expected with a coupe, getting into the RSX’s backseat is an effort. The front passenger seat slides forward to ease entry, but the driver’s seat doesn’t (see photo). This is typical, but I see no reason the driver’s seat shouldn’t slide forward and then return to its preset position. Full-grown adults won’t want to spend much time in this backseat (see photo). The totally flat floor is welcome, but the seat is only for two anyway, and legroom is still limited. It’s not the worst I’ve experienced, but I was fairly jackknifed in there. Headroom is poor. The backrest angle isn’t very comfortable, but if it didn’t go back that far, headroom would be lesser. As it is, I end up with my head behind a ridge in the ceiling, with the back of my head practically touching the rear window. There are three-point (lap-and-shoulder) seat belts but no head restraints to speak of. Each of the two positions has LATCH universal child-safety seat anchors and a switchable-locking seat belt retractor for use with conventional child seats. Unfortunately, the top-tether anchors are on the rear wall of the cargo hatch, which means the cargo shade must be removed and the tethers will span the cargo area, possibly limiting its use. This simply isn’t a family car, but I don’t think anyone expects it to be.
The two front cupholders are not the best design. The two wells are closely spaced and are found under a sliding cover at the front of the center floor console. With the dashboard’s overhang, they’re tight but usable. The problem is that one must choose either the cupholders or the storage space below it, because one covers the other (see photo). The storage tray below is merely a couple inches deep anyway, so fortunately the door pockets and locking glove box are reasonably sized (see photo). The rear cupholders — one at the rear of the center floor console and one in each armrest — have no restrictions, but storage for backseat passengers is limited to relatively shallow bins between the two seats and in either armrest.
Cargo
The RSX’s hatch has 17.8 cubic feet of cargo volume with the 50/50-split, folding backseats in place — more than the average compact sedan’s trunk. With the seats lowered, it increases to 25.3 cubic feet. A rigid cargo cover is standard equipment. Unlike the usual hinged affair that’s lifted by cords when the liftgate goes up, the RSX’s attaches rigidly to its liftgate at three points. Folding the seats is a simple, one-step maneuver, best accomplished from the open liftgate rather than the doors (see animated photo).
Features
The RSX is very well equipped. Aside from the standard features already mentioned, the list includes remote keyless entry, a power moonroof (see photo), cruise control, floormats, and power locks, windows and side mirrors. The only options are the automatic transmission and leather seats on the base RSX. The Type-S offers no options and differs from the base RSX mainly in its driveline, leather seats and stereo. The base RSX gets an AM/FM radio, a single-CD player and six speakers including two dashboard-mounted tweeters. The Type-S comes with a Bose premium stereo with AM/FM/cassette and an in-dash six-CD changer (see photo). In addition to six speakers of its own, this system includes a bass module that resides inside the temporary spare tire (see photos). Similar to car-model-specific subwoofers that have been sold in the aftermarket for years, the Bose unit is designed to make use of otherwise wasted space. The woofer and its enclosure are still relatively small, however, and it’s not technically a subwoofer. It contributes to the stereo’s bass response, but it’s not extended, deep bass — a common shortcoming in hatchbacks.
The only regrettable feature omissions that come to mind are the aforementioned lack of seat heaters and the lack of illumination on the visor vanity mirrors. There’s also no sign of fog lights, but I don’t know if that’s regrettable, considering that most fog lights these days are just extra lights not designed for use in fog.
RSX in the Market
Acura has noted that it hopes BMW 3 Series “intenders” will be attracted by the RSX’s considerably lower price. I suppose from a market perspective (under-$30,000 luxury coupe vs. under-$30,000 luxury coupe), that makes sense. But from the perspective of a driving enthusiast, it’s like saying people who can’t afford the Krups toaster will buy the Sunbeam egg cooker instead. To my way of thinking, these are two totally different car types. Strip away the price and anything either brand name might mean to you, and you have on one hand a high-revving front-wheel-drive car and on the other a rear-wheel-drive car with balanced weight distribution and a relatively broad torque curve. Driving enthusiasts tend to split along three different lines: driveline (front- , rear- or all-wheel drive), engine (low-end “grunt” or high-rpm power) and transmission (manual or automatic).
I’ve been slow to warm up to front-wheel drive in a performance car, though I have a growing appreciation of all-wheel drive and an unshakable devotion to rear-wheel drive. Where do you stand?
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