The Honda Civic Type R is arguablly the hottest hot hatch money can buy at the moment, at least if we judge by the definition of the segment—getting the thrills of a performance vehicle without neccesarily hitting the big-trouble area of the speedometer. Well, in a couple of months from now, Acura will introduce its (more refined) version of the formula, the 2024 Integra Type S. But why wait for the camo to come off the spied prototypes when this rendering can pretty much show us the final form of the Acura right now?
We’ll get to the deets of the 2024 Acura Integra Type S in a moment, but first we want to zoom in on the 3D work showcasing the spicy compact.
The pixels we have here come from Jon Sibal, an automotive design consultant who has penned multiple body kits and liveries over the years, with the most recent example involving the SEMA 2022-showcased StreetHunter widebody for the Toyota GR86 and second-gen Subaru BRZ.
With Acura being kind enough to provide official spyshots of the upcoming model, the digital artist lifted the camo for us, even though he has yet to complete the posterior work (more specifically, the rear bumper). And you can easily compare his 3D effort with the said spy pics in the gallery below.
Update (December 14, 2022): The renderings showcasing the posterior of the 2024 Integra Type S are now here (check out the gallery), with the artist having also beefed up the fender flares a little.
What sets the 2024 Type S apart from the standard 2023 Acura Integra?
The all-new Gen V Acura Integra standard model has brought mixed feelings. For one, old-school performance enthusiasts comparing this to the legendary Gen III Integra Type R, which made for Honda’s spiciest FWD offering back in the day (1997-2001), were let down by the 200 hp of the 1.5L engine and the lack of an all-out performance setup for the vehicle. Besides, the production vehicle is a five-door hatchback, so we had to turn to artist renderings to see it as the winged coupe of our dreams.
Regular buyers (whatever that adjective means)? Well, the 2023 Integra Type R sits $7,700 above the comparable 2023 Civic Si. And with the Acura badge not quite having the same premium image as some little-known German brands, we’re not expecting this to be a hot seller.
The 2024 Acura Integra Type R won’t have an easy mission either. That’s because Honda already went big by pushing the starting price of the 2023 Civic Type R to $43,990—here’s how the 2023 Honda Civic Type R (FL5) compares to its 2017-2021 Civic Type R (FK8) predecessor.
Does that mean that the upmarket Acura sibling will be offered for $50,000? Even with the ravaging inflation we get nowadays, that’s serious money and will get you bona fide sportscars like the Toyota Supra and the 2023 Nissan Z, as well as V8-wielding muscle cars from all of Detroit’s Big Three.
Still, when the go-fast bug gets to you, the buying decision isn’t always made based on numbers and comparisons. And there’s a serious chance that the 2024 Integra Type R will have quite a charm.
For one, Acura has announced that the newcomer will feature a 300+ hp turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder, a six-speed manual and a limited slip differential to make the most out of that FWD.
And while that is precisely the recipe used in the CTR (yep, that means just what you think it does), the Acura won’t just offer more luxury features, but will also trade the boy racer look of the Honda for a more chiseled appearance.
For one, the prototypes showcased by the mothership skip the super-sized rear wing of the Civic Type R. However, there are still plenty of bits that set the Type S apart from the standard Integra.
With multiple magazines having enjoyed prototype drives of the 2024 Integra Type S over in Japan (here’s Road & Track’s take), it seems the vehicle features the same 265/30 ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires as the CTR. The wider wheels and tires (compared to the base Integra) have mandated a sexier body, while the triple exhaist tips at the back show this car means business.
We’ll get the complete specs of the 2024 Acura Integra Type S in the first part of 2023, with customer deliveries set to kick off in the summer.
