Fraternal Twins: 2024 Acura Integra Type S vs. 2023 Honda Civic Type R

Much like a soccer league full of six-year-olds, everyone on this field is a winner regardless of the outcome. The 2023 Honda Civic Type R and the 2024 Acura Integra Type S both are fabulous front-drive performance machines—which makes sense, since the Venn diagram outlining the merits of the two models is practically a single circle. But there are no ties in love and war, and ultimately, one of these two fraternal twins must stand atop the other.

In one corner, we have the OG, the Civic Type R. While the aesthetics aren’t as angry as they were in its first U.S.-bound iteration, the Civic’s 315-hp turbo four and standard adaptive suspension are poised to make short work of any twisties. If you desire a hint more livability, the Integra Type S is a slightly more upmarket offering, throwing in some popular creature comforts and a dollop of extra power. Let’s see if that’s enough to make a difference.

2nd Place: 2024 Acura Integra Type S

Putting the Integra Type S in second place was not an easy decision, but we have our reasons. There’s no denying that the Integra is the more livable hot hatch for its semi-stratospheric window sticker. Its interior materials are a bit nicer, with dashes of red leather playing well against the microfiber on the seats. There are additional fripperies that make daily driving more tolerable, too, like an ELS audio system, heated seats, and parking sensors.

But the cabin has its downsides. The Acura’s rear end is a bit more rakish than the Honda’s, translating to slightly less rear headroom—our six-foot staffers’ noggins rubbed the headliner—as well as mildly worse rear visibility. The Integra (3212 pounds) is also a bit heavier than the Honda (3183 pounds), but the 29-pound variance should be compensated for by the Type S’s five additional horsepower, right?

HIGHS: Creature-comfort cornucopia, extra-emotional exhaust, arguably angrier appearance.
LOWS: A good bit more expensive, less rear headroom and visibility, extra power doesn’t equal extra performance.
VERDICT: While the Integra Type S is still a fine choice, it doesn’t scratch every itch its sibling does.

Wrong. Our testing recorded a 5.1-second sprint to 60 mph, not as quick as the Honda. The theme continued in the quarter-mile, where the Acura’s 13.7-second, 105-mph dash also earned the silver. Passing power lagged too, with the Type S requiring 10.7 seconds to go from 30 to 50 mph and 6.9 seconds to go from 50 to 70. One win for the Acura came in fuel economy: In 200 miles of 75-mph cruising, the Type S got 31 mpg, securing a victory by just 1 mpg.

Part of the reason the Integra Type S’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder makes 320 horsepower (rather than 315 as in the Type R) is its freer-flowing exhaust, which produces a burblier, cracklier note with the occasional overrun that nearly every driver preferred over the Honda’s more muted global-market-friendly tone. However, the additional sound-deadening material in the floor and firewall pretty much canceled out that extra verve; we whipped out the microphones and recorded an identical 73 decibels at 70 mph in both cars. At idle, the Integra and Civic are within a single decibel of each other.

On the style front, most of us preferred the Acura’s aesthetics. The appliqué-style fender flares and sharply styled front fascia pick up some of the aggression that the 10th-generation Civic lost in the transition to the 11th, although Acura skipped a giant wing at home in favor of a more subtle lip spoiler.

But at $51,995 to start, against the Honda’s $44,890, the Acura commands a $7105 premium that’s hard to swallow. As effusive as the praise was for the first hopped-up Integra we’ve seen in decades, nearly every entry in the logbook mentioned how five horsepower and a few creature-comfort upgrades did not justify the price delta.

1st Place: 2023 Honda Civic Type R

As good as we believe the Integra Type S is, we think the Civic Type R is just a hair better. It may be down on horsepower, it may have a big ol’ wing in the back, and it may leave our tuchuses a bit chillier in winter, but a big value play and a little on-paper dominance give the Civic the crown.

Let’s hit the subjective points first. The Civic Type R’s aft half is just a bit taller, affording additional rear headroom and a slightly more usable rear glass. As with its predecessor, the new Type R’s wing is tall enough to avoid gumming up the driver’s rearview. The bright-red cloth front seats aren’t just a sloppy vampire’s dream; they’re far better suited to holding a driver in place during spirited maneuvers. We prefer the Integra’s shift knob, though, as the Honda’s all-metal affair can get mighty hot on a bright summer day.

HIGHS: Several thousand dollars more affordable, S2000-style digital tach, better throttle response helps juice the numbers.
LOWS: Doesn’t sound as good as the Integra, no heated seats, aluminum shift knob can overheat.
VERDICT: A small edge in performance and a big edge in value give the Type R the nod.

While nobody expressed a preference for the Civic’s less dramatic exhaust note, many preferred the Type R’s gauge cluster, which offers a cool S2000-style tachometer in +R mode (and Individual mode, if configured as such). Hit the sportiest mode in the Integra, and . . . the needles turn yellow. Most drivers didn’t mind the mildly stiffer Comfort mode, since performance is the whole point of the Type R badge. Besides, anyone can buy the Integra’s suspension control module (the retail cost is under $300) and swap it in for some extra softness if preferred.

Regardless of which is cushier, when pushed to their limits, both cars held exactly 1.02 g’s on our 300-foot skidpad. The vehicles exhibit nearly the same braking power as well, requiring 153 feet to stop from 70 mph. At 100 mph, slamming on the center pedal brought the Type R to a stop in 308 feet, practically a rounding error away from the Type S’s 305-foot effort.

Despite its very tiny power deficit, we believe the Civic’s mildly peppier throttle response gave it the edge during our testing. At 4.9 seconds to 60 mph, it’s two-tenths of a second quicker than the Integra, a difference that remains through the quarter-mile, where the Civic achieved a 13.5-second run at 106 mph. However, the Civic was the clear champion in passing; the Honda needed just 9.4 seconds to go from 30 to 50 mph, trouncing the Integra’s 10.7-second result. In our 75-mph highway fuel-economy evaluation, the Civic returned 30 mpg, just behind the Integra but 2 mpg better than the EPA highway estimate.

And there you have it. When it comes to front-wheel-drive performance cars, an extra dash of power and a few more points in livability make the Integra Type S an extremely compelling option. But we don’t think those things necessarily make it better than the Honda Civic Type R, especially when the Honda has a slight edge in performance and a big edge in value.

Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com