Home » The 320-Horsepower 2024 Acura Integra Type S Is A Honda Civic Type R In A Dinner Jacket

The 320-Horsepower 2024 Acura Integra Type S Is A Honda Civic Type R In A Dinner Jacket

Acura Integra Type S Topshot
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When the reborn Acura Integra debuted, the internet gave it a little bit of vitriol. It’s not a coupe, there’s no really hot option, and the cheapest manual models costs a whopping $37,495. While Acura doesn’t seem inclined to slash pricing or build a coupe variant, a hot version is on its way. Say hello to the 2024 Acura Integra Type S.

18 2024 Acura Integra Type S Edit

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To create the Type S, Acura basically took the Honda Civic Type R’s guts and shoved them into something nicer. See, the Type R is a hot hatch apex predator that had to fit in an almost reasonable price bracket, so some of the livability things you’d expect for north of $40,000 were omitted. For instance, you can’t get heated seats in a Civic Type R, nor is the upholstery anything special. The stereo is a Bose unit, which means it’s nothing truly special. Oh, and those wanting a heads-up display will be disappointed. However, the Integra Type S fixes all of those luxury gaps. The front seats are heated and upholstered in ultrasuede, the sound system is a 16-speaker ELS-branded Panasonic-built job, there’s a heads-up display in the dashboard, and color choice appears to be decent inside and out.

07 2024 Acura Integra Type S

Speaking of exterior views, the Integra Type S almost looks mature. I say almost because it still has touring car-style overfenders the size of Weber barbecue lids, but there’s no massive wing here, nor flashy red marque emblems. A casual glance suggests that it’s just a normal small car, but a closer look at the details reveals certain gravitas. The hood vent is functional, as are the three poo chutes set in a coffee table-sized slab of black plastic on the rear bumper. The brake calipers are redder than a political commentator’s face, and the discs are the size of dinner plates. Yep, this thing’s all business.

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05 2024 Acura Integra Type S

Motivation comes from a two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 320 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 310 lb.-ft. of torque from 2,600 rpm all the way to 4,000. Unsurprisingly, the only option for getting that power to the front wheels is a six-speed manual transaxle with a limited-slip differential, so anyone wishing for two-pedal convenience should just save a bunch of money and go with a Hyundai Elantra N. Harnessing all that power is the same sort of dual-axis McPherson strut front suspension you’d find in a Civic Type R, adaptive dampers, and 265/30R19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires wrapped around a fresh new set of 19-inch wheels. In case this all sounds more Type R than Type S, Acura claims that the suspension on this Integra has been tuned more for the street. Oh, and despite the extra creature comforts and 5.1-inch-longer body, the Integra Type S weighs just 31 pounds more than a Civic Type R. I’d call that a fair trade.

16 2024 Acura Integra Type S Edit

So, the 2024 Acura Integra Type S is slightly better-equipped than a Civic Type R, slightly more powerful than a Civic Type R, and if you live in North America, you can make the argument that it could be slightly greener than the Civic Type R as well. See, the production process for the Honda Civic Type R is rather annoying. Turbocharged K20 four-cylinder engines are built in Anna, Ohio, then shipped all the way to Japan to be married with Type R bodies. For Americans, engines are then shipped back across the Pacific with entire cars attached before going on sale. Meanwhile, the same engines travel about 50 miles to mate with Integra Type S bodies in Marysville, Ohio. I haven’t crunched any hard numbers but that seems like a lot less shipping to build a car.

24 2024 Acura Integra Type S Cropped

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Now we get to the worrying part – Acura hasn’t announced a price for the Integra Type S but judging by the Civic Type R and the premium a regular Integra commands over a regular Civic Si, it’s going to be expensive. I’d be shocked if it’s cheaper than the $44,390 Honda commands for a Civic Type R. That being said, the similarly-powerful Audi S3 starts at $47,895 and doesn’t seem nearly as serious as this Acura. Expect to learn where this hot Acura falls on the pricing scale closer to its on-sale date in June. While the Integra Type S isn’t for everyone, it seems to offer explosive performance in an “if you know, you know” package. Now that’s more like it.

(Photo credits: Acura)

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Maor Roffe
Maor Roffe
1 year ago

I think this car deserved more differentiation. Ideally, 400hp, dual clutch trans and AWD with more beautiful body design and interior. Sure, it’d be $60k but it would be a unique offering, almost like a more capable and far more premium Corolla GR.

Maor Roffe
Maor Roffe
1 year ago

It’s VERY nice but it’ll likely be a VERY expensive, Civic-based, front wheel drive hot hatch too. I cant imagine it’ll be much less than $50k. So, as nice as it is (and I do love it), it’ll be shopped against many other options including excellent slightly used stuff. I cant imagine they sell/produce many of these.

James Paycheck
James Paycheck
1 year ago

Interesting competition at the expected price point. S3 has same power with AWD, but it’s only DCT. M240i has RWD or AWD and more power from the i6, but only auto.

Stephanie
Stephanie
1 year ago

I can’t drive a stick so my opinion really doesn’t matter, but IF I could drive a stick and I can only have 1 vehicle, I am not paying $40K+ for Honda Interior.

I try to refrain from conspiracy theories, but the conception, the roll out, execution, and then final product of the Integra/Type S has me thinking that Honda has stifled the Integra and to set it up to fail.

1) Styling/Interior/Exterior-Regardless of 2/4 door nothing about the Integra is original except for some paneling and that it’s 4-6 inches longer than the Civic( interior is pulled from the Accord, exterior is pulled from Civic). Remember 22+ years ago, there was a clear distinction of the Integra vs the Civic regardless it used the same engine, it was not a copy and paste of the Honda Interior, and their was a clear price difference.

2) Marketing- Honda goes all out for the Type R marketing. 3 or 4 months prior to the release of the Type R, Honda was setting numburgh records and posting the video EVERYWHERE. Where is the marketing for the Type S that supposed to be released in less than 2 months? Why is Acura not trying to set records for a model that has been out of production for like 20+ years? Go to Google and search, “2023 Acura Integra Numburgh track time..” and the search will show 2023 Civic Type R results….all of the results.

It’s like the parents who show clear favoritism over one child vs the other. Acura only has 2 cars in their lineup..Integra/TLX the other two vehicles are the two SUVs. Acura has the SAME number of vehicles as Bentley and Lamborghini. Bentleys and Lamborghini is not for the masses like Acura, so why does Acura have the same exact number of vehicles in their lineup?

The question: Can the Integra save Acura??

Ron Densmore
Ron Densmore
1 year ago

Guessing it’s going to come in at $52k. A little less than a loaded S3 and $5k below a TLX-S. Roughly the same jump that a manual Integra has over a Civic SI.

FUCK YOU
FUCK YOU
1 year ago

This is the 11th-gen Civic’s final form. They’re not going to sell very many, but they look nice. It’s kind of a halo Civic, and I think its existence will be good marketing for a lot of Civic Sports.

Bennett Alston
Bennett Alston
1 year ago

Hard to determine the market for this, but I think it’ll be either
-sporty badge chasers, the same market as people with BMW money who buy the M340i or whatever
Or
-30-40 something childhood JDM fanatics
Or
-general car-loving people

Who
-want a stick and 4 doors, can only have one car, and want something practical.

Either way not a huge market slice but I hope it does well. Glad to have as many sporty manual options available as we do

Bennett Alston
Bennett Alston
1 year ago

As someone who has always loved JDM and especially Honda/Acura, the new Integra really let me down. I knew it would. Acura’s design language has been a cluttered, flashy mess for the last decade.

But this? This somehow works, quite well. I don’t hate it. I think it actually may look good! It’s mature and subtle in a way we haven’t seen from these brands in a while. The new CTR was also a step in this direction and I liked it far more than its predecessor, as the looks were the only thing preventing me from truly liking it. But in comparison the Type S now looks, dare I say… Better? And more aggressive? Though lacking a wing, it has bigger front bumper vents, a larger lower black section on the rear, and more pronounced side skirts than the CTR. The CTR is extremely subtle (other than the wing) in a way that we haven’t seen in a while and is in complete opposition to the previous model.

Sure there are a few stumbles with the Type S. I think the 3 pipes is a bit much, though we are seeing it more often now (GR Corolla, CTR). And I still wish they would calm down the weird taillight and headlight shapes. BUT overall, I think the bumper and fender styling fit well with the current Acura design language. The new civic is so beautifully simple that they had to keep the CTR design subdued; Acura is still flashy enough that they had room to work with the Type S.

I had written off the new Integra as as boring, looking just like the rest of the lineup, and not paying true homage to it’s heritage. But the fact remains it was always just a dolled up, more expensive Civic. This is what that concept looks like in modern times. The Civic has been in constant production and has grown significantly since it’s birth, though we get to witness changes in the model gradually over time. On the other side, we haven’t seen an Integra in a while — this is a sudden, huge jump from the past iteration, sure, but I don’t think we’d be as shocked if we’d had an entire lineage to develop our idea of what an Integra should be.

Strangek
Strangek
1 year ago

That thing looks hot as hell, I love it. Except…by heads up display do you meant that tablet stuck to the dashboard? I don’t love that, but I could learn to live with it.

Mark Jacob
Mark Jacob
1 year ago

Personally, the reason I was super let down about this car is the looks. Everything else about the car is fantastic – it doesn’t need to be AWD. That would just add unnecessary weight.

I hate this thing because it looks like every generic Acura sedan for the last 10 years. The second-gen Integra looked like nothing else in Acura’s lineup when it was being sold. Now, if you lined up all of Acura’s sedans next to each other, I would have no idea which one is which.

If they had made this car with unique styling, people wouldn’t hate it so much.

Bizness Comma Nunya
Bizness Comma Nunya
1 year ago

This should have been AWD as well to differentiate it more from the Civic. Actually the entire Integra line should have been AWD to differentiate it more from the Civic.

I’m sure it drives well, and I do like the styling now that Honda/Acura finally have found their way back to decent looking vehicles.

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
1 year ago

You all know I’m going to come in here and shit all over this car, right? Good.

That car is NOT an Integra.

Acura has produced schlock for a long time now, and that is an ILTS or ILX or some other meaningless named car with a badge change, meant to cash in on nostalgia for suckers.

Think “Acura Integra” in your head, I have had 2 of them. They were both small, light, tossable, killer engine, amazing suspension, and just fantastic vehicles. When they replaced it with the RSX, it got taller, a lot taller, heavier, fatter, and rounder, and the magic was gone.

Objectively, this is larger in every dimension, weighs 500+lbs more, does NOT have the amazing F1 inspired double wishbone suspension, the visibility is not nearly as good.

Subjectively, it doesn’t have that clean, lean JDM styling that made it attractive, it has that overly busy, americanized Acura with no purpose styling, and maybe it’s just me, but although it doesn’t exist anymore I still see remnants of that god awful beak grill they refused to acknowledge was terrible for far too long.

Every single Honda/Acura enthusiast I know thinks this car sucks and is a total joke. When we heard they were bringing back the integra, all of us were paying attention. We’re at the point in our lives where maybe we’d consider buying a new car, for the first time, maybe it made sense? We were all thinking of something like this:

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/dare-we-dream-of-a-new-honda-integra-that-looks-this-good/

We were all excited. Yes, us honda/acura enthusiasts, instead of talking about engines and chassis builds 2 decades old, were discussing a new car. Then they dropped this giant, ugly, fat, heavy sedan on us that looks almost identical to one of their previous models, and slapped an integra badge on it.

This wasn’t a let down, this was insulting. Every time I see one of these, which is thankfully rare, I roll my eyes and get a bit angry at what could have been a revival for the entire brand, but instead of listening to actual car people and enthusiasts, they obviously listened to some out of touch marketing executive at Acura USA.

Call me up when Acura produces something enthusiasts actually want, that realtime cleans the floor with, that doesn’t look like a bloated convoluted mess of random angles and creases. I hate this car.

Anyway, back to my lunch break, sourcing B-series parts for an OEM+ B16 swap into my 90 Civic Si that is, despite being slow, absolutely GLORIOUS to drive. I have other cars, faster cars, but man… golden era hondas are just exceptional drivers. Experience>Metrics, I do not give a single F how fast this Not-An-Integra car is.

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
1 year ago
Reply to  ADDvanced

If anyone wants a palette cleanser after looking at the fake ass marketing BS above, here is my Si hatch, rust free, unmolested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOwLkUjm6cw

I love this thing so much. Give me a million dollars and I’m still going to daily one most of the time. If you don’t get it, you haven’t really driven one.

Dalton
Dalton
1 year ago
Reply to  ADDvanced

People like you perplex me.

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
1 year ago
Reply to  Dalton

Go drive a 96-99 Integra and get back to me.

bmw325_num99
bmw325_num99
1 year ago
Reply to  ADDvanced

Right! REAL Integras that I remember from years ago are 5 doors based on Honda Civics with revised bodies and slightly upscale features….oh wait.

Lightning
Lightning
1 year ago
Reply to  bmw325_num99

That’s the one I remember too. My family’s ’87 Integra LS 5-door 5-speed manual was passed on to me, and I drove that most of the ’90s.

Not considering the price tag (which I realistically don’t for any new car because I’m not buying any of them and am all about old cars in real life), this Integra is appealing to me. Just not this color.

Josh Turner
Josh Turner
1 year ago
Reply to  ADDvanced

Honestly I hope most people agree with you so that the expected dealer markups don’t materialize.

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
1 year ago
Reply to  Josh Turner

They won’t. This car is embarrassing for anyone who knows anything about cars.

Wolfpack57
Wolfpack57
1 year ago
Reply to  ADDvanced

I’m not an Acura oldhead like you and let me tell you what an Integra is.

An Integra is a Civic with extra leather, and this one is too. A leather-covered version of a very good Civic performance variant, about the smallest and most chuckable car on the US market anyways. If you don’t feel the body and leather is enough to distinguish it from a Civic, other markets don’t even consider it worth the distinction.

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
1 year ago
Reply to  Wolfpack57

Maybe it’s time to learn some things:

https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/a29550897/acura-integra-type-r-race-car-driven-by-peter-cunningham/

Again, let me know when this modern piece of shit achieves even 1/10th of what the REAL integra did.

Dan Parker
Dan Parker
1 year ago
Reply to  ADDvanced

It’s an Integra, says so right on it. If you want a DC2 find one and enjoy, this was *never* going to be that. I’m an old honda fanboy and I dig it, but 50k for a gussied up civic is way too much for me.

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
1 year ago
Reply to  Dan Parker

Now look at the concept I linked. THAT would actually be worth getting excited about. This is Acura USA trash.

FlavouredMilk
FlavouredMilk
1 year ago
Reply to  ADDvanced

For anyone else who might have forgotten, this is also an Integra:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Acura-Integra-sedan.jpg/1200px-Acura-Integra-sedan.jpg

I’m sorry you’re so shaken by the existence of this car, but if Honda/Acura make it and it leaves the factory with an Integra badge, it’s an Integra and you don’t get to argue that, and in the age of the EclipseCross, maybe you shouldn’t be so hard on a car that is still fundamentally in line with the rest of its family.

Parsko
Parsko
1 year ago

I’m sorry, at this point in my life, when I can afford a new car, I just won’t. Anything over $30k is house territory to me. I just can’t stomach driving a car that costs nearly as much as a house. Makes no sense economically to me.

V10omous
V10omous
1 year ago
Reply to  Parsko

I hate to be the one who has to tell you this, but houses don’t cost $30k anymore.

Rad Barchetta
Rad Barchetta
1 year ago
Reply to  V10omous

Sure they do. But you wouldn’t want to live there.

V10omous
V10omous
1 year ago
Reply to  Rad Barchetta

Upon further review, you are correct, it is still possible to get an abandoned/trashed 1000 sq ft house in Gary, IN for $30K.

Boxing Pistons
Boxing Pistons
1 year ago
Reply to  V10omous

That is the new price standard. Whenever we are talking MSRP, we need to put it in multiples of an abandoned/trashed 1000 sq ft house in Gary, IN. Also, let’s stick to “Volkswagens” for weight.

V10omous
V10omous
1 year ago
Reply to  Boxing Pistons

Inflation has even come for the downtrodden real estate of Gary.

Houses like this one were $10-15k a few years ago.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4047-Lincoln-St-Gary-IN-46408/73344307_zpid/

However, a Mustang GT is still approximately 2 Gary homes, just as it was a decade ago.

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
1 year ago
Reply to  V10omous

I think he meant downpayment, and brudda, you do NOT need a huge downpayment. I had a small down payment when I got my house, and paid PMI. In 3 years the value went up by 50k, so I refinanced to get rid of PMI and now have a house I couldn’t have ever afforded if I had waited to have enough of a down payment to avoid PMI. Just sayin.

V10omous
V10omous
1 year ago
Reply to  ADDvanced

“I just can’t stomach driving a car that costs nearly as much as a house”

For most people, this statement is describing a Phantom, not an Integra. Don’t see down payment mentioned.

Goof
Goof
1 year ago
Reply to  ADDvanced

Check out southern Illinois, just over the Ohio River from Kentucky, in the first 40-50 miles of the southern tip of the state.

There absolutely are multiple towns where the average home price is $30-45K.

Though as v10omous mentioned, you wouldn’t want to live there. Lots of these places are down 50-80% of their population peak, which happened before 1970. Where there might be a Dollar General in the town, which aside from a liquor store is the only place to get food. This isn’t counting abandoned homes necessarily either, though when you drive through those places, the abandoned homes are quite literally returning to the earth.

Drove through it in 2011 when I went through 37 states, and was one of the saddest places in the entire US. From what I’ve heard from people who grew up there, it’s continuing its slide into nothingness.

Tristan Hixon
Tristan Hixon
1 year ago
Reply to  Parsko

Where are you buying a house for $30k in 2023?

BOSdriver
BOSdriver
1 year ago
Reply to  Tristan Hixon

Even $30k per year, at $2,500 per month, isn’t getting you housing in most places, let alone something decent.

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
1 year ago
Reply to  BOSdriver

Move out of the city, buddy. I have a huge house with enough garage for 4 cars, 5 if I get creative and my mortgage is $1600 a month. Best decision I ever made was to leave an overpriced metro area, and chase after a job with higher pay in an area with lower cost of living.

JDE
JDE
1 year ago
Reply to  ADDvanced

1600 a month even with PMI and/or Escrow is still a 200K plus house. 30K is about what I paid for a 4 square in a sleep town in the midwest in 1999 or so, but after two years that thing sold for 60K. prices have not gone down, even in the hood.

Vic Vinegar
Vic Vinegar
1 year ago
Reply to  Tristan Hixon

There are still places with very cheap housing, and it is cheap for a reason. Dead economy, place is a dump, good luck feeling safe. Can probably check all three of those boxes.

Michael Beranek
Michael Beranek
1 year ago
Reply to  Parsko

Well, okay. My parent’s first house was $22k. Their second house was $60k, and after they died I sold it for $165k.
I paid $147k for my house in 1998. It’s currently worth $300k.
As for cars, my dad bought new a ’67 for $2k; a ’74 for $3k; an ’80 for $9k; and an ’88 for $13k.
My wife has also bought new cars, a ’90 for $11k, a ’97 for $19k, and an ’04 for $28k.
The thing is, those are all the same size houses and the same size cars. They all fall in line with adjusted values over time.

J Money
J Money
1 year ago
Reply to  Parsko

Nearly as much as a house?

SlowCarFast
SlowCarFast
1 year ago
Reply to  Parsko

You might want to plug some numbers into this inflation calculator to readjust your expectations for the almighty dollar.
CPI Inflation Calculator (bls.gov)

Fueledbymetal
Fueledbymetal
1 year ago

Assuming it would come in around $50,000, it’s the only thing I would seriously consider as a daily against the manual M3 I have on order ( #savethemanuals ). The lack of heated seats w/lumbar are what knocked the CTR out of contention for me, but I’d prefer it to this if those were options. I hope it sells well!

Last edited 1 year ago by Fueledbymetal
JDE
JDE
1 year ago
Reply to  Fueledbymetal

G70 with the 3.3 Turbo six even with a DCT and AWD is superior in my opinion.

Fueledbymetal
Fueledbymetal
1 year ago
Reply to  JDE

Need a manual – my current daily has an auto
and it has been sucking the life out of me, which is why I’m replacing it.

Mr E
Mr E
1 year ago
Reply to  Fueledbymetal

If you are correct about pricing (and you probably are), it makes my Mustang GT look like the deal of the century. For that kinda dough, I’ll take a RWD coupe with 450hp over a FWD Civic with 130 less hp any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

That being said, it is a nice looking vehicle.

Last edited 1 year ago by Mr E
Bearddevil
Bearddevil
1 year ago
Reply to  Mr E

Having driven the non-S version, the interior is quite nice, the audio is fantastically clear, and the seats are very comfortable. The UI for everything is intuitive, and the controls FEEL very nice. Comparing that to the Mustangs I’ve driven, I’d MUCH rather spend time in the Acura for a DD, which is what either would be for me. For equivalent money, I’d take the Acura over the Mustang.

Fueledbymetal
Fueledbymetal
1 year ago
Reply to  Mr E

I need four doors and backseats that can reasonably accommodate my 6’ boys.

Josh Turner
Josh Turner
1 year ago
Reply to  Fueledbymetal

Yeah if you need 4 doors, this and the M3 are about it.

V10omous
V10omous
1 year ago
Reply to  Josh Turner

Both Cadillac Blackwing are 4 doors with manuals available.

Fueledbymetal
Fueledbymetal
1 year ago
Reply to  V10omous

Very true, but I’ve never been able to warm up to the Art and Science design of modern Cadillacs beyond the XLR – being able to stomach the current M3 front end over the Cadillac design language should give you an idea of the extent of my distaste for it. 🙂

Last edited 1 year ago by Fueledbymetal
Pappa P
Pappa P
1 year ago

So what I learned today is that a new Tesla is dramatically cheaper than a Civic or Golf.

I’ll take a Model 3 and 1 track rat Miata please.

This thing is kinda cool though thanks to the 265 tires, but i think it should be called GSR or ITR.

J Money
J Money
1 year ago
Reply to  Pappa P

Dramatically? Doesn’t the 3 start in the mid-$40s?

Nsane In The MembraNe
Nsane In The MembraNe
1 year ago

I mean the S3 has two important things this doesn’t though…all wheel drive and a DCT. I’ve said this a few times, but unless this is going to list for the same price as the CTR (it won’t) it’s going to be DOA. Honda fanboys aren’t going to be enough to keep it afloat in the 50-60k luxury sedan realm. The S3/4, M340i, and even Acura’s own TLX Type S have all wheel drive and good autos…not to mention there are rear wheel drive versions of the M340i and the CT4/CT5 V if that’s more your style.

The only leg this has to stand on is that it has a manual. That’s enough to sell 40k performance compacts to enthusiasts but it’s absolutely not enough to sell 50-60k cars to luxury buyers. Honda is being really arrogant with this product and is overplaying their hand. “We have the best manual and FWD platform in the game” isn’t going to sell cars at this price point.

Their move here was to either find a way to give it all wheel drive, a decent automatic option, or both. They chose neither and are basically saying “whatever idiots you’ll keep buying whatever we sell you”. I get playing to your strengths, and the CTR has reached absolute icon/god status in a lot of circles. But those circles aren’t buying luxury cars.

JTilla
JTilla
1 year ago

I don’t know if you are right. This car is right for someone like me though I just bought an accord v6 with a 6 speed. There are a lot of people like me who can afford something like this and want a manual. I am sorry but a DCT is not a positive to anyone who is an enthusiast. Just go buy an electric car if you want performance and don’t want to row your own.The all wheel drive thing is a valid argument but Honda’s thing has always been FWD.

GreatFallsGreen
GreatFallsGreen
1 year ago
Reply to  JTilla

SH-AWD as now seen on the other Type-S Acuras might disagree with you re: FWD.

V10omous
V10omous
1 year ago
Reply to  JTilla

Nsane is right. A luxury branded car with no automatic option is not going to be a big seller.

Enthusiasts may look down on that, but they don’t buy cars like this new. They will either “get a deal” by buying the Civic instead, or “wait to buy it used”, as you just did with your Accord.

The people who will provide a supply of these to buy used in 3-5 years are going to be urban yuppies with lease deals, and those people want an automatic.

Nsane In The MembraNe
Nsane In The MembraNe
1 year ago
Reply to  V10omous

This. Me and pretty much everyone I know socially or professionally in my area (late 20s/early 30s urban professionals low to mid 6 figure salaries) are the target demographic for this car and the only person I can think of who knows how to drive stick is me…and I had to go out of my way to learn because I wanted to. It’s just not a thing in a lot of places anymore.

Working class enthusiasts care about it and will save up and buy CTRs as a stretch purchase. Entry level luxury buyers (more likely lease-ers) are not going to be into it. It’s just the reality of the market.

Amschroeder5
Amschroeder5
1 year ago

I mean, I’m in the same demographic, and as much fun as rowing my own can be when I feel like it… A lot of the time, I don’t. I don’t want to have an imperfect shift upset the car driving into work. I don’t feel like tackling the same hills every single day riding the clutch/blipping. Yes I know how to drive manual. But for a subtle every day vehicle that presumably I’d bring my family in… no thank you. Thus I daily a MY, even though Elon can piss the off.

BOSdriver
BOSdriver
1 year ago

Same here, luckily I had a brother who let me borrow a 6MT G35 so I could learn how to drive stick before heading to Bondurant ~15 years ago. I get to drive a manual Vette about 20 miles per year to keep up my practice.

Nsane In The MembraNe
Nsane In The MembraNe
1 year ago
Reply to  JTilla

Jesus tap dancing Christ are we really resorting to the IF YOU DON’T DAILY A STICK YOU AREN’T AN ENTHUSIAST bullshit on this site of all places?

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
1 year ago

I mean that’s true tho? Only reason to get an auto is a tow vehicle/van/people hauler, or something like a prius that doesn’t offer a manual.

Nsane In The MembraNe
Nsane In The MembraNe
1 year ago
Reply to  ADDvanced

Pssssssh you’re not a hardcore enthusiast unless you daily a Caterham, bro

JDE
JDE
1 year ago

Do they even sell those piles in the US?

ADDvanced
ADDvanced
1 year ago

Strawman argument is strawman.

Pupmeow
Pupmeow
1 year ago
Reply to  ADDvanced

You can be an enthusiast and love driving a manual… AND not want to schlep your kids to and from school every day while on a conference call while dealing with a manual.

JTilla
JTilla
1 year ago

Yes because manuals have been dying for years and only enthusiasts are keeping them alive. So yes I am going there. I have 2 cars both manual. I refuse to drive an auto till I physically can’t because to me there is no difference driving a car with an auto and driving in my sim rig. I might as well just drive it in the game instead. I will die on this hill.

Nsane In The MembraNe
Nsane In The MembraNe
1 year ago
Reply to  JTilla

Well then I wish for there to be many clouds in the sky for you to yell at. I like driving stick but the absurd, cult-like following and enthusiast gatekeeping around them are never going to jive with me. My eventual weekend car will be a manual and that’ll be enough for me.

Citrus
Citrus
1 year ago
Reply to  JTilla

The problem is that the manual is the only option. Yes, it’s the one I’d buy, but if you’re selling to someone who wants a more posh Civic Type R they’re going to be looking for flappy paddles and convenience. It’s a kind of image split – the Civic can go hardcore, no holds barred, manual or nothing. The relatively posh Acura is going to get people who go “yes, lovely, but I don’t want to shift on the way home from golf.”

It’s all knowing your market.

JTilla
JTilla
1 year ago
Reply to  Citrus

I hope to hell you are wrong about this. I think there is a target audience for this now. Enthusiasts are turning back to manuals as cars go electric.

BOSdriver
BOSdriver
1 year ago

Agreed, thanks for saving me a lot of typing! At $46-48k w/ AWD and even a $1k auto trans option, they would sell way more.

SlowCarFast
SlowCarFast
1 year ago

All wheel drive is just an excuse not to hone your driving skills. A two wheel drive car with the proper tires doesn’t need to haul around that extra hardware. And no, adding AWD to the base civic to make a niche vehicle is not profitable.

Just my opinion.

Nsane In The MembraNe
Nsane In The MembraNe
1 year ago
Reply to  SlowCarFast

But how many 60k luxury cars are front wheel drive?

Pupmeow
Pupmeow
1 year ago
Reply to  SlowCarFast

All wheel drive is just an excuse to be able to get all the way into my steep driveway in the winter. Wait …

Bearddevil
Bearddevil
1 year ago

What I think about when people compare this to the S3 or whatever the equivalent BMW is called these days is reliability and maintenance costs. The S3 or BMW may be somewhat faster and growlier and AWD-er, but if I’m going to be keeping the car past the warranty period, the reputation of Honda’s build quality and the relative parts cost would definitely weight heavily on my mind and wallet.

Nsane In The MembraNe
Nsane In The MembraNe
1 year ago
Reply to  Bearddevil

You’re not wrong. If I was going to buy and keep long term in this class I’d probably go TLX Type S or IS500 (speaking of which give that car a damn manual option or the LC’s 10 speed already). But the average customer for these cars leases, and for them it doesn’t matter as much. Hell plenty of cars coming off leases don’t have a single service on their CarFax. I’d know as I’ve thought about buying one certified in the past.

I should maybe clarify a bit more: I don’t hate this car. I’m sure it’s going to be a hoot and if it fit my needs better I might consider it in a couple years. I just don’t see how this is going to appeal to the market they’re aiming for. I think their most consistent fans are just going to keep buying SIs CTRs…and I’d also imagine that the CTR is already a stretch purchase for a lot of its buyers. I’m not sure how many of them can throw down another 10k.

Josh Turner
Josh Turner
1 year ago

The good news for Acura is that they don’t have to find a lot of buyers, because this is hardly a mainstream car—and right now, other than an M3 (which is 20K more) if you want a four door with a 6 speed that isn’t a Hyundai and doesn’t have a giant wing on the back, this is basically the only game in town.

Are there 5,000 people like me in the US, who want a stick but don’t want a CTR? I bet there are.

Nsane In The MembraNe
Nsane In The MembraNe
1 year ago
Reply to  Josh Turner

If you’re willing to be pay an additional 10 grand for a wing delete and 10 extra horsepower that’s your prerogative I suppose. If the regular CTR still looked cartoonish I could see that making sense but with how restrained and, frankly, decent looking the current one is I continue to fail to see the point.

Josh Turner
Josh Turner
1 year ago

I don’t mind the CTR, but the Acura looks nicer. Heated seats are nice to have in this category, and I prefer the lack of a wing.

(And who knows with ADM where the actual price difference will be).

But honestly I’d pay 10k extra just to not have to interact with my local Honda dealers.

Don Mynack
Don Mynack
1 year ago

Just get a manual V6 Accord, put the modified J-Pipe on it, and you pretty much have this, at 1/4 the price.

Daniel MacDonald
Daniel MacDonald
1 year ago

Sort of want one but can’t see paying $50K for it, even if I had the money. Wish more journalists would push back on this being called a hatchback-it’s not a hatch in a useful way (neither was the original). I’ve owned two cars with this style “notchback” hatchback configuration and it’s the worst of both and gives up most of the advantages of either-heavy hatch without the separate locking storage and ease of use of sedan, but not nearly the cargo carrying capacity and versatility of an actual wagon body style. As near as I can tell the only advantage, and its why so many coupes were set up this way, allows a steeper rear glass which does look cool but imo its not worth it, and I say this as a hatch lover. Give me bread van or give me death!

World24
World24
1 year ago

I’d much rather have this over the CTR.
Even if the exhaust tips are from the same book titled “Dodge Does Corny Best: Here’s How to Be Just Like Them”.

Brandon Forbes
Brandon Forbes
1 year ago
Reply to  World24

Agreed, but I would likely go S3 over this, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being more expensive.

Arch Duke Maxyenko
Arch Duke Maxyenko
1 year ago

Can’t wait to see these listed for $70k after ADM

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