Last year, Acura introduced us all to the fifth-generation Integra. But Acura fans were skeptical — wondering where the performance of the ‘90s Integra Type R had gone. Well, folks, here’s your answer: The 320-horsepower, turbocharged, widebody, manual-transmission Integra Type S.
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We’ve known an Integra Type S was coming for some time now, but Acura hadn’t given us much in the way of details. We knew it would share the Civic Type R’s 2.0-liter turbo engine, dialed up to 320 horsepower, as well as that car’s six-speed manual. We knew it would have wide fenders, but we didn’t know just how wide to expect. Now, Acura has released all the details on the Integra Type S, so we finally get to see the whole picture.
The Integra Type S is 2.8 inches wider than the A-Spec car we drove last year, with those big fenders allowing Acura to widen the car’s track width by 1.9 inches in the rear and a full 3.5 inches up front. The automaker claims the entire front end of the Type S is new, from the vented hood to the front grille widened for better airflow. The car rides on re-tuned adaptive dampers, but doesn’t sit much lower than the base car — a mere 0.1 inch difference. Weight, too, is not dissimilar to the 3,073 lbs of the manual-equipped A-Spec, with the luxe-appointed Type S weighing in at a claimed 3,219 pounds.
The chassis is hauled around by the Civic Type R’s K20C1 engine, producing a claimed 320 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. Its exhales through Honda’s now-iconic triple-tailpipe exhaust, where owners and onlookers will be treated to a burble tune when the Integra is in its sportiest drive mode.
The Type S gets larger wheels than the base car, 19 inches in diameter and 9.5 inches wide, with Acura claiming the wheel-and-tire package is lighter than the Integra A-Spec’s. Those wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, like on the Type R, but so far there’s no word on whether dealers will also offer the optional Cup 2 rubber available on the hottest Civic. Those wheels also cover Brembo brakes, upsized from the standard Integra’s.
The Type S also gets some unique interior accoutrement, with sportier seats and a perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel. Acura claims the Type S’s cockpit is built for high-G comfort, with more substantial bolsters in the front seats to lock driver and passenger in place through the twisties.
Unfortunately for me, specifically, the full reveal of the Integra Type S shows that my prediction for the car was wrong. It will not be built in Acura’s Performance Manufacturing Center, but in the company’s Marysville, Ohio plant, where the base car is built. I am, apparently, not the automotive Oracle at Delphi. I’m just as broken up about it as you are.
Acura has yet to reveal pricing information for the Integra Type S, but it likely won’t be long before we hear some hard numbers. The company claims the Type S will go on sale in June, so interested parties won’t have long to wait before getting their hands on Acura’s hottest hatch.