2025 Acura Integra Type S vs. RSX Type-S: Two Generations, Two Very Different Thrills
Key takeaways
- The RSX Type S made you work for every ounce of speed.
- The Acura RSX was an Integra in everything but name.
- A lot has changed since Acura last put a Type S badge on a U.S.-market compact.
Why this matters: an automotive development that could shape industry direction or buying decisions.
The RSX Type S made you work for every ounce of speed. The 2025 Acura Integra Type S delivers it in waves of turbocharged torque—and completely changes the experience.
The Acura RSX was an Integra in everything but name. Acura rebranded the fourth-generation Integra for North America as part of its early-2000s shift toward alphanumeric naming, but when the original badge returned for 2023, it came back on a very different kind of car. In Type S form, the modern Integra is Acura’s most powerful current U.S.-market model—and as we can attest to, having lived with our long-term 2025 Acura Integra Type S for a year now, a far more serious performance machine than any compact Acura Type S before it.
A lot has changed since Acura last put a Type S badge on a U.S.-market compact. That got us wondering how the old cars stack up against our Integra, at least on paper; our chance to test a fresh RSX Type S closed when the model was discontinued after 2006. So how much has the front-drive luxury sport compact evolved from the RSX Type S to today’s Integra Type S?