2010 Acura Tl 3.5 on 2040-cars

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2024 Acura Integra Type S Road Test: Just our Type

It’s so often the case that a truly special driverÂ’s car reveals itself within the first couple hundred feet behind the wheel. The 2024 Acura Integra Type S is one of those cars. In fact, the Integra Type S doesnÂ’t even need that amount of road to show itself, because so much of what makes this car magical to drive can be felt standing still in the driveway. The fizz starts when you push the well-weighted clutch in, then hear the buzzy and vibrating 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder spring to life. It sends vibrations through the car and straight into your body thanks to the purposefully lacking balance shafts. Little turbocharged motors are typically lacking in character, but the Integra Type SÂ’ engine feels like itÂ’s alive and bumbling with energy at idle. Before you even start to find revs, this engine presents as one designed for performance. Take a spin through the six-speed manual transmission while stationary, and it quickly becomes obvious why Honda is the standard when it comes to manual transmissions. ItÂ’s a combination of the natural fluidity moving through the pattern – going both up and down, each gear seemingly selects itself as your wrist guides the stubby shifter along – and the mechanical click-clack connection you feel through your hand with each shift. The sheer amount of satisfaction it brings to make every last gear change is enough to make any manual enthusiast giddy. I ease off the clutch for the first time, and start to roll those thick 265-section-width tires forward, quickly revealing the perfectly weighted steering rack, clueing me in on how serious this chassis is. The view forward is spectacular past the thin A-pillars. The exhaust goes bang, ratta-tat-tat on the overrun as I ease up to the first stop sign. And the brakes only require a gentle whisper to the mega-responsive pedal to bring this hatchback to a stop. It only takes that couple hundred-foot stretch to realize that this Type S is exactly what I know it to be: a Honda Civic Type R in a different outfit. The comparison is impossible to avoid, and the Honda community may spend the next 50 years debating which one is better – trust me, there will never be a clear-cut answer – but itÂ’s undeniably great that we all get to choose between these two similar driving beasts.

Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

UPDATE: 2003 Acura NSX-T in Long Beach Blue hammers at Cars & Bids

UPDATE: This NSX-T sold today (Wednesday) for $72,500. Previous story appears below.   OK, we get it: There's really no such thing as "reasonable" Acura NSX ownership anymore, but around here, we're fans of cars that can be appreciated, and this 66K-mile automatic NSX-T finished in Long Beach Blue Pearl with a week to go at Cars & Bids has "driver" written all over it.  "But Byron, how can you call it a 'driver' when it has an automatic?" Honestly, we can't defend that particular choice on the original buyer's behalf, but what we mean is that this car isn't begging to be garaged for eternity. Between the visible signs of use on both the interior and exterior and the grunge present on the underbody, it's clear this car has spent its life being driven, meaning you won't have to feel guilty about doing the same.  This NSX is almost entirely original (the factory radio is included in case you want to eliminate the "almost") and its interior shows very little wear considering its mileage. The tan seat leather looks excellent, even on the bolsters, and all of the plastic and metal bits appear to be where they should. Outside, the paint shows signs of normal wear and tear, but certainly nothing that couldn't easily be corrected.  It may not be the best NSX to drive – or the one with the lowest miles or the least exposure to the elements – but that's why it might also be the right NSX for you. Why, you ask? Because it probably won't break the bank. But we'll see what a week of bidding says about that. Related video: