Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Acura RSX (All years/types)
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
As for the European Honda type-R & type-V...it's an Acura TL in NA. The European Honda Civic type-R? Well, they imported the same engine and placed it into the body of an Acura RSX.
I think you're confusing the intent of Acura's future with Acura's past. Acura, since it's a luxury division, has no choice but to add leather and all the other luxury toys into the new RSX. It no longer wants to be compared to Toyota and Nissan. It wants to run with Lexus, Infiniti, BMW, Audi & Mercedes. And around here, a lot of people have no idea that Acura belongs to Honda.
Furthermore, the Toyota's Altezza is known as the Lexus IS300 in North Ameria. How come people don't complain that Toyota should keep the car as a Toyota so it would be cheaper for people to buy?
Now keep in mind that most of these people (including me) have modified suspensions and our GSR's handle pretty much like ITRs (I have my brother's Type-R to compare to since I 've driven it and raced it 40-50 times).
Now this is the conclusion(s) I have come to as to why the majority of current GSR owners have not run out and trade in for an RSX-S or why they "dislike" the RSX:
Now there 's no doubt that the RSX-S is faster and handles a little better than the previous gen. GSR. I believe it is because at least half or more of the GSR owners do not drive stock GSRs. Aftermarket parts are in abundance and they 're cheap! For under $1,000 you can install sports springs (or coilover springs) with decent adjustable shocks plus a larger rear sway bar (ITR size) to transform your GSR into a really nice handling machine. Add a $180 cold air intake and you got an extra 12-14hp at the wheels (14-17bhp). Of course you don't have the LSD the Type-R has (which can be added for $800), but handling can become as the ITR's if not better in most cases because of the better springs and superior adjustable shocks. That's just in the handling dept. A cold air intake alone drops the 1/4 mi. times to around 15-15.2sec (with header & exhaust GSRs run high 14's. GSR is still 100+lbs lighter than RSX-S). So what I 'm trying to say is that you have a much better car than stock for a misely grand give or take a couple of hundred which is why the Integra is so popular and so loved by their loyal owners. It is really a much more exctiting car to drive than it was STOCK, and that is the magic word. Most GSR owners don't drive STOCK GSRs. They compare their modified or slightly modified GSRs to a stock RSX-S.
Even in a stock GSR, you can throw out its factory Michelin tires, equip it with some slightly larger inexpensive 205-50-15 ZR rated summer tires and you have just increased your g's up to .85-.86g. Sports Compact Car magazine did this in an old comparison test in '96 I believe it was. All they did was swap out the GSR's tires and left the rest of the car stock in one of their comparison tests.. It went from like .82 to .86g!
Anyway, you see my point. How can I go out and buy an RSX when I now beat Type-R's in autocross racing? This would mean for me to spend $24K + tax, throw more money in it to bring it up to what my GSR's handling is/was, to enjoy that same thrill and adrenaline on my country back roads..(and in my case to beat Type-Rs in my local auto-x club races) well, no thanks. It just doesn't make sense.. That's how I see it and the only way I can make sense of it right now, why so many GSR owners are against getting an RSX-S.
Maybe this is what himiler was trying to say? :-)
'06 Civic LX coupe
'11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
'13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
I myself didn't like the look of the RSX when I saw it. But you just have to realize where Acura is trying to go. People shouldn't judge Acuras as Hondas. I know, they're the same mechanically, but Honda wouldn't have created Acura for no apparent reason. It wanted to join in with the luxury marques...how can it possibly do that if it doesn't offer what the other guys are offering (i.e. leather seats, automatic everything, etc.)?
All this badge engineering may come at the expense of the customers who would really prefer an 18G Integra instead of a 23G RSX, but don't forget that the last generation Integra was 8 years old. A lot has changed in that period of time, especially the price of a car.
It seems to me it all boils down to the fact that the Integra didn't really fit in as an Acura.
for ranald: If you thought the 3G "teg" looked just like the 5G Civic coupe don't you think the RSX looks like the current Civic coupe? Myself and many others do. It's just a fact that Hondas have a family resemblance. My '89 Accord HB looks just like the Integras of that age and frankly it looks very similar to Honda products of today (more than a decade later). I bought my Accord because it had a bigger engine, more interior room and was generally more luxurious (rather than sporty) when compared to the Integra. I really don't have that option today.
How many people do you know buy a car right from the dealer brand new, and add a couple thousand for performance modifications (voiding some or most of the warranty)? If you know some of these people, great, send them to the Acura dealer, not today, but in a year when plenty of performance parts are out. I know some of these people, most are rich kids, and a few are really smart and wealthy college grads with nothing better to do with the new found wealth (like me). What you are comparing is people who bought their GSR's used (or at least waited till the warranty was out, or performance parts were out), and then modded their GSR's. Acura is not trying to sell you a new design without a warranty, used, with high miles (30k or more), and with performance parts companys to support, there's no such thing. Acura wants those people who bought their GSR's new to buy the RSX-S new. Wake up, there is no fantasy here.
In my view Acura took a great car that was 8 years old, redesigned it, made some things better, and made some things different (better or worse is for those who buy new designs to judge).
Here's an example for you. I bought a '95 Eclipse Turbo (GST) brand new. I am not into modifications, I'm not into voiding the warranty (if it's possible or not), but I'm into a great car out of the box, new designs from the factory. I waited Five Full years for the new Eclipse. The new one is no where near similar to the old, they improved on ride and smothness, and changed everything else. What's left is an overweight, underbalanced, underperforming, slow, flashy, chick mobile. I was ssssooooooooooooo disappointed. We should rejoice that Acura didn't do the same thing. I know Acura isn't as STUPID as Mitsubishi, but change is inevitable. Lastly, everyone in the world wants my Eclipse now, since it's an untouched-unmodded well cared for car with tons of potential. That's fine, I'll sell it, and lose very little money. Every under-25 year old I know can't wait till I give the word that it's up for sale... it's used, it's well taken care of, it could be powerful, it has no warranty to ruin, 0-60 in 6.4 today, it's cheap, "I saw it on the Fast and the Furious", it looks good and chicks dig it, it'll blow the doors off any other new or old FWD (by adding a few mods), etc..... I don't care what it can do (as long as someone pays me for it), I want something new that'll do the same, will be better stock, will have as much potential (I like the resale), and be updated with the latest greatest design ideas (i-vtec, efficiency, balance, whatever)
I like the RSX-S, and what it has to offer, and mine comes in next week.
I was taking issue with a self-styled "car reviewer" who chose to criticize the RSX as being inferior to the Integra because the RSX resembled a Civic while the Integra did not. That's silly.
I think mitsu was referring to 19 year olds and college undergrads who buy used Civics and Eclipses and modify those cars with the money that their middle-classed parents gave them. If they were really wealthy, they could've afforded a new BMW or Mercedes.
Good - It's very fast and I couldn't knock it loose on a corner. This was with the salesman in the back seat yelling for me to redline it The interior was very nice, and I loved the seat. It grips you and holds you in place. Might not be as nice for a larger person though.
BAD - Not sure if this has been discussed yet or not, but, doesn't the RSX seem exceptionally loud and rough? I'm not talking engine noise, I'm talking road noise. The engine noise is there(acceptable IMO), but it seemed to have a lot of tire noise, and a audible "thunk" when it's hit imperfections on the road. Also, the ride was very rough even compared to my 98 Civic. I wasn't on bad roads, I was on a good stretch of a local interstate. In the brochures, they say that they've spent all this time and energy working on soundproofing and smoothing the ride, but I sure didn't see it. Are other people noticing this on test drives? Was mine a fluke?
Other than that, the looks are a bit lame. I have to disagree with some of the opinions above, but it does look too much like a Civic. Now, I realize the family resemblance and all that, but the Integra had a distinct look that differentiated it from a Civic. You could take one look at the car, and recognize it. I can see people having to look a couple of times at an RSX to see what it is.
Thanks for any responses.
Price: I paid MSRP for my RSX-S in Long Island, NY.
Price:The salesman and I decided on MSRP. Actually, the salesman told me that that was the only price they were going to sell them for, no less no more (Austin,TX).
Tires: I agree with the above. Also, the reason someone would put larger tires in front than in back, is for drag racing (or 0-60) purposes. On a FWD, the more traction in front and the less drag in back the better.
I ask because from certain angles the front tires look just slightly bigger to me, too. Pretty sure it has something to do with the rising beltline, and the body of the car being bigger and taller in back, so the wheels seem smaller by comparison.
Thanks for the info, although it looks like it aired this passed weekend in my area .
Wait...Here it is...i just found it on their site. Check it out, it's the car of the month:
http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/carofthemonth.shtml
and the road test,program#2046
http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/reviews/rt2046.shtml
The RSX-S is biased too far over on the luxury side of the equation for me, so I ordered a WRX wagon at 2% over invoice. After putting some test miles on both the WRX and RSX-S, I found that the WRX offers much higher levels of ultimate driver control and is quieter(!) than the RSX. The RSX is more relaxed-feeling on the highway and will deliver 3-4 mpg more, but it would've cost me (age 30, married, no points or claims in 9 years) 35% more to insure than the WRX.
Since neither car is much of a looker, I didn't let exterior styling enter into the decision-making process. (Although, the wagon is a very practical package.)
Factor in the RSX's poor rearward visibility, hard plastic interior, lack of traction control of any sort, and the fact that you cant touch it for less than MSRP, and my decision became pretty simple.
Because of my driving habits, I didn't factor in projected resale values, but would expect that both cars will remain very desirable on the used market.
In terms of ultimate reliability, the Acura will clearly have the edge over the Subaru, simply because there's less to go wrong with a NA/FWD setup than a turbo/AWD. I did factor this in, but decided that there is a large enough difference in the cost of parts&labor between the two (based on my experience, Acuras only break expensive pieces) to still feel smart about going with the WRX.
Good luck with your decision.
The Acura dealership around here is selling a black GS-R, a carry over from last year's model. How do the GS-R's compare to the RSX's? The only thing I don't like about the Integras is that the console looks like my present Accord. From what I've heard, people really seem to like their GS-R's.
Pocahontas
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards
Running an octane higher than 91 in an RSX will do nothing to increase performance. The vehicle is tuned and optimized for 91 octane. However, under heavy engine loads at high operating temperatures, 91 octane may be insufficient to prevent fuel detontation. In this case, you can either trust the engine's knock sensor to retard timing (resulting in decreased performance), or go with a higher octane.
In 206,00 miles I have used only 91 octane in my GS-R, and it has never knocked.
yhippa--The GS-R is a terrific car, particularly if you really enjoy driving. However, when compared to the RSX, a GS-R will beat you up pretty badly on the highway. But, then again, for about $2500 you can throw some parts onto it that'll leave a stock RSX-S gasping in the GS-R's wake.
It contains more technical information about the rsx. (78 images). I like the soundproofing sketches.
I've read somewhere that the rsx-s get 0-60 time of 6.1-2 sec. Yet I checked the Motorweek review, it states 6.9. Does anyone know which one is right?
Pocahontas
Host
Hatchbacks / Station Wagons / Women's Auto Center Boards
http://www.newcelica.org/ubb/Forum4/HTML/012181.html
An RSX totally stock ran a 14.34 @ 97mph at the strip!! This is in a Celica forum discussed by people that were there and saw it. That's faster than a stock ITR! The fastest totally stock Type-R I 've seen ran the 1/4 in 14.49 at 96mph!
Go read those posts. They said the guy was spinning the tires a lot on takeoff so he could 've been faster. With Intake, header & exhaust this car could be in the high 13's or a 14-flat car! They also said a new Mustang GT had a best trap speed of 96mph, so the RSX is right up there with the GT's like the GSR used to be with the old 5.0s that were running low 15's 6-10yrs ago.
RSX: the new GT killer? :-) Although I think that GT driver probably sucked a little, with I/H/E the RSX would be a good match for the GT and the WRX. Hek it's very close to the WRX now. This is what I was talking about before. These magazine editors are not the best drivers and if you notice the C&D show on TV (TNN? they had the best 20 cars for '01 on TV a week ago), most of them are old and overweight. Although 14.8s that they got is not bad for the RSX we all know from the GSR & ITR, that they get faster with time and more mileage on the motor. I wouldn't doubt it if this guy that got the 14.34, had at least a couple of thousand miles on his RSX. There's this guy on one of the Acura-Honda forums (not on Edmunds) that got a 15.0 with his ITR when it had 1500mi. on it. He then went back with 4k mi. and got a 14.7. Then back to the strip again with 11k mi. and gets a 14.5x (these are best times out of several runs)!
I think the RSX-S can give the WRX a run for its money. I now see that the RSX is very well priced compared to the WRX. It has similar performance #s with more luxury minus the AWD. And I can see Celica sales declining sharply.. since a moderately to fully loaded GT-S goes for $23-24K and can't hold a candle up to the RSX.
'06 Civic LX coupe
'11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
'13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
I'm guessing that the RSX's luxury bits won't help to keep it between the lines. At least with a limited-slip it might have a chance...
So the 6 In-Dash is definitely available in the base RSX? Acura.com doesn't even mention its price, let alone its availability as an option in the base RSX. But, as I previously mentioned, the brochure says it is an option. The 6 disc trunk-mounted changer is mentioned in the brochure & on the website, but I don't want that. I want the in-dash convenience. Yes, I know it'll be a ripoff, but I really want it.
People say the WRX is ugly. At least it doesn't look like a Cavalier! Let me see, Yeh I think $23,500 for a Cavalier is fair.
Admittedly the RSX has a similarity to the Cavalier in profile; when you are trying to get a low drag coefficient and a modern look it is no surprise that vehicles of a certain size may share profiles somewhat. The WRX looks like??? Driving a wolf in sheep's clothing can have satisfying aspects. Driving a wolf in ugly duckling's clothing.... just a personal choice.
I currently am leasing a '99 Integra (LS, stick), which expires next May. That means I can get a '02 RSX-S (if I choose that over Celica GTS, Eclipse V6, Focus SVT, and a couple other cars I'm considering) at that time. In fact I just got a letter from Acura encouraging me to check out cars, including "the exhilarating all-new RSX coupe". But I digress.
I'm thinking of asking Acura to prolong my lease another 6 months, so that I can check out the '03 models. Would it be worth it for me to do it? Have any of you lessees done that, to extend the lease? (With extra, prorated mileage allowed and perhaps a lower monthly payment since the car has depreciated from when I signed the 36 mo. lease.) This might be even more worthwhile if other cars in the RSX's class do a major redesign in '03. If '03 RSX-S addresses the neglected niceties, I'd be just as encouraged. Any opinions? Thanks.
I have the second Type-S in all of Austin Tx. The first Red one as well (the other one was white, so I was told). First of all, the salesman called me from the list, took credit for being the salesman who sold it to me, and then sent me on to the accessories/options department while they requested a credit report. They tried selling me a bunch of overpriced junk, including leather treatment, tint, and exterior paint protection using Dupont Teflon. It all sounded good, but after thinking about it, I was not convinced. I had previously decided to get everything I need from www.clubrsx.com. Finally, I went off to the financing department. I also thought they where taking me for a ride by offering me an interest rate of 8.99% (after looking at my credit report). I told them that I would look around at other banks and look for a better rate. In response, they also said they would search around. I then did just that, I went to my bank (Bank of America), and the best they had for anyone regardless of credit was 9.15% (so I didn't waste my time with an application and credit report). Next I called back to David McDavid Acura and gave them the update, they also told me they found one at 8.49%. Still not convinced, I then went to People's First (the edmunds endorsed internet Auto loan company, which stated I was a gold tier 8.23%-9.23%), and they came up with 16.95%! (after the on-line application, and the credit report they acquired) Finally, I went to the bank that I have my mortgage through (thinking they might have a deal having Home&Car with them), and they came up with 9.54% (they stated their lowest possible was 7.5%, with a credit score of 700).
At that point I had to give up. The Finance person told me that the paper work was good for three days (Friday 7/27-Tuesday 7/31). Therefore, I went back to them, and took the 8.49% (through Honda Financing). What I learned, was that the rate they gave me was actually a good deal. I guess car companies really do have good rates (for new cars specifically), and if you pressure them just a little, they can budge a good amount, and try not expect that anyone else could do much better (my experience though). What did hurt me, was that three credit reports where drawn from the Credit Reporting Agencies, and now my credit is even worse (the more you inquire about someone, the more the credit is effected (I've heard that you shouldn't have more than one or two inquiries per six months)). Oh well, I guess I am good for another six months (at least).
Last but not least, I called my insurance company to insure it, and all they needed was the vin number of the car and the finance company name, and the car was insured!
Oh yeah, I asked about the break in period, and how I should drive it, and they said that I should drive it normally while having the "break-in oil" and change it at 4500 - 5000 miles.
.
.
Anyone looking for a MitsuGST (Eclipse GST, for those unfamiliar with MitsuGST), let me know, mines for sale.
I know this is off topic but we bought a 2.0ES Protege this weekend at about 100 over invoice and they gave us 0% interest for 48 months. We used to be HONDA/ACURA all the way but we couldn't pass that up.