The 2002 Acura RSX - Ride and Drive Review

Thursday, June 21. 2001

I'm just back from the Acura Ride and Drive introduction and I've got to say this is a very impressive new car. Our agenda was comprised of several "stations” including a street drive, test drive with slalom, emergency breaking, NVH test area, and a timed gymkhana (like an autocross course). There were also several classroom sessions that gave us more in-depth details about the RSX and the RSX Type-S. This review of the day is pretty long so I hope you have a broadband connection. Without further adieu...

The Classroom Sessions:
This is where things got pretty interesting (for a gear head like me), as the instructors would delve into some of the details of the new i-VTEC head and it’s application in the new RSX as well as the “improvements” to the suspension. In the standard RSX the cylinder head is a Dual Overhead Cam (DOHC) design. However, the VTEC and VTC only operate on the intake valves. A second camshaft drives the exhaust valves but this is a conventional design. This motor uses a 9.8 to 1 compression ratio and breathes through a new two-stage induction system. The net result is 160 hp @ 6500 RPM and 141 lb.-ft torque @ 4000 RPM.

The Type-S engine shares the same basic block, but the internals are beefed up for better strength at high RPM. This motor also uses a DOHC layout, but now VTEC is used on both the intake and exhausts. The VTC is used on the intake only. This motor uses an 11 to 1 compression ratio and needs premium gas to run it’s best. The cast aluminum intake runners are short and straight to maximize high RPM breathing and look very similar to the intake runners on the Type-R Integra and S2000. With a strong 200 hp @ 7400 RPM, and 142 lb.-ft. @ 6000 RPM, the engine is free revving and very smooth.

The overall project engineer worked his way up through the ranks and spent the years between 1988 and 1992 building the 1.5 liter V-6 Turbo that produced more than 1000 horsepower. He would later follow up with a normally aspirated V-10 and V-12 that powered Honda to six Constructor's Championships, five Driver's Titles and 71 Grand Prix victories.

We also discussed the suspension changes that make the Type-S a better handler (than the RSX), these include stiffer rate rear springs, more rebound and compression damping on all four shock absorbers, a larger front stabilizer bar, and a standard strut tower brace. Combine this with the new stiffer (over 100% stiffer in bending rigidity than the Integra) chassis, larger 16” alloy wheels and the new car has all the pieces to both handle better and ride smoother. I (like many of you) am still concerned about the use of MacPherson Struts in the front suspension replacing our unique double wishbone design. We reviewed the details of the suspension and the reasons for the change (improved safety and better space utilization) and waited for the driving to see for ourselves.

The Street Drive:
This allowed us to drive the car and pay attention to the things that make a car a good daily driver. The controls are easy to see, though the small diameter steering wheel may block the view of the gauges for taller drivers. They will, however, benefit from the additional headroom the new car provides. At first I had some reservations about the decision to move the mirror controls to the dashboard (instead of the easy-to-reach door location on the Integra), but this proved to be no problem since the bottom of the dash is angled and "pushed" out toward the driver. This is also true for the CD/radio and A/C controls. They are all very easy to reach. The "feel" of the A/C controls are remarkable, they are smooth, silky and have just the right amount of resistance to make them easy to use in a moving car.
The soft textures on the dash pod are matched in appearance throughout the interior including the headliner. The metallic faced gauges in the Type-S impart a high-tech appearance but they really come alive at night when you turn on the lights because they are backlit with a pleasing amber glow (naturally all the radio and A/C controls match the dash lights).

The car has two large cup holders in the front, two in each armrest area for the rear seat passengers, and one large cup holder where the drivers arm rest “should be.” I say, “should be” because this appears to be a glaring omission in a car so well equipped. While we're on the subject, I wouldn't mind the addition of a passenger grab handle to assist exiting the vehicle. The rear seat folks seem to have a bit more space than the G3 Integra coupe, but I still think that the G2 coupe was the best in this regard. I especially liked the longer rear seat cushion; this should allow the rear occupant to "slouch" down if they are hitting their head on the glass.
The standard moonroof seems to be an inch or two larger than the current Integra coupe and like the Integra it is an outward opening type. Other nice touches include a lighted glove box, a cancel feature on the cruise control, and the simple but effective A/C vents. These small things always impress me, but I really noticed that the new car is “miles” ahead of the Integra in terms of refinement. The new engines purr quietly below the VTEC threshold but take on a sonorous sound as the revs build. The wind noise is more subdued than in the Integra and this is aided by the curious little “dimples” in the inside of the side view mirrors. These disrupt the laminar flow over the side glass just enough to help quiet the car at highway speeds.

The Test Drive Course:
This was our opportunity to compare the Type-S to the RSX in back to back drives over the test course. The first section was a straight-line run to demonstrate acceleration. There was a radar gun and display set up to show our speed and I managed to get the Type-S up to 48 MPH before I had to brake for the sweeping turn. My best run in an RSX was in the 44 MPH range. The ‘S felt much more stable in the high-speed sweeper probably due to the suspension improvements and better tires.
The track progressed over a strip of tires and rope to show the NVH improvements and the car really showed how rigid the new chassis is! There was no hint of flexing in the chassis or unusual vibrations through the steering wheel despite the rough pavement. The course then took us through a “4 cone” slalom to show the reflexes of the steering and suspension. There is lots of safe understeer in the RSX and a hint of understeer in the Type-S, though I think careful selection of tire pressures can help balance the car.
There was wonderful control and they were very easy to modulate if the ABS cycled on during the hard braking maneuver at the end of the test circuit.At this point, I must admit I could not detect any real drawbacks from the MacPherson struts up front, the car stayed planted and stabile during all the transitions we threw at it. I’d also like to say the new 11.8-inch front brakes really felt good!

The Gymkhana:
This allowed the participants to experience the handling of the RSX and use the Sport-Shift 5 speed automatic in a timed and competitive event. The facilitators set up a small autocross type course and we were allowed 2 timed runs to compete for the fastest time. The winner would get a RSX windbreaker and the runner-up a travel bag.
If you’ve looked at the rest of my web page, you know that I’m an avid Autocrosser, and the “sea of cones” sure looked familiar to me! The track was designed to be a 1st and 2nd gear track and the posted times were spread over a large range from a fastest of 23.01 seconds to well over 28 seconds for the slower drivers. There was a one second penalty for hitting a cone and a 5 second penalty for stopping out of the Stop Box at the end of the course. The track started with a straight that ended in a quick right-left-right kink. The last right hand fed into a sweeping 1st gear decreasing radius turn, followed by a very tight left. You only needed 1st gear from here on, a tight series of right-left-right and you were back at the finish line and the stop box. The new generation Sport-Shift does not perform an automatic up-shift in any gear until you’ve bumped on the rev limiter for 5 seconds! Five seconds! This seems like an eternity when your engine is “sputtering” along. This is welcome news to any enthusiast driver, since it gives you more control over the transmission than our other applications (TL, CL and NSX) of this technology.

Naturally, we were all disappointed that we were not racing the Type-S, but the RSX with the standard suspension was still impressive. To start my run, I settled into the deeply bolstered seat, gave the seatbelt a twist and buckled up. I tried to stage as far back from the timing light, unfortunately the instructor (Scott, a former race driver with experience in everything from karts to Indycars) knew what I was up to and kept moving me forward ;-). For my first run, I ran through the straight, and tried to hold first gear the entire way, even hitting the rev limiter at the end. I did this on the reasoning that it would be faster to try that, than up-shifting only to need an immediate down shift back into first. This strategy was not the best, but I still managed to run a pretty fast 23.25.
On my second run I got a better launch, and Scott suggested I could hold more speed through the kink, so I made a quick shift into second. I tried to hold it longer before braking for the sweeper and just managed to ride the ABS through the first part of the sweeper. I nailed the apex just right and got on the power and slipped though the esses and into the stop box. As I tooled back to the start, the time was flashing a 22.85! This was the fastest time of the day for both class sessions, faster than the best time from the two sessions the day before, and earned me an RSX jacket.

Since we had some extra time, Scott decided to take a run through the course and posted the exact same time, 22.85. I was surprised that he offered me an opportunity to beat our times of 22.85, so I strapped in again and concentrated on carrying speed through the sweeper and not overdriving the corners. When I came in, I saw a 22.65! It was too bad I hit a cone at the apex of the sweeper! Scott later told me that he managed a 21.70 during lunch. Oh well, so he beat me by a whole second, at least I beat the other four classes of fifty people each!
And Finally:

I feel this car is going to be impressive in the market place. The pieces are all there: great styling, impeccable build quality, and improvements in all the right places over the Integra it replaces, and a lot of value for the money. Please remember, although it is my job to sell these cars, I am an enthusiast at heart. If you’re in Hawaii, give me a call at 255-1255 or e-mail me at colin@satoauto.com. I’d love to meet with you to tell you more about this car in person, and provide an opportunity to see the car up close as our inventory arrives.