2005 Acura RSX Test Drives

All in the Family

This sporty little RSX is cut from the same stellar mold as larger Acuras.

From The Driver's Seat

An academic exercise you can play with the RSX is who, really, are the customers? Those slammed, ported, skirted RSXs you see on the boulevard with blacked-out windows weren't bought new by their current owners. They -- along with those slammed, ported, skirted and heavily customized Accords -- were purchased as used cars and are anywhere from one to ten years old.

That may help explain why RSX sales are off by 13% (through October) in 2004. Plainly said, new RSX buyers are much older than used RSX buyers. And the new buyer is likely a decade older than the kid buying one used, meaning he's a thirtysomething male and he's in the market for a fun, compact sedan/coupe -- like many other cars besides the Acura.

Enter the Mazda3, a great little car with scorching sales -- more than 66,000 sold so far in 2004. Or check out the newly redone Volvo S40, if you want to spend a little more. Then there's the Pontiac G6, also brand new; a redone Subaru Legacy; Nissan's recently made-over Altima; and if you want to stay a bit younger, the new Scion tC sports coupe. Did we mention the still hot-selling Mini Cooper? And, just in case you thought we overlooked it, there's Honda's own Accord, which once again is setting record sales figures.

Does that mean we favor all of those other cars over the RSX? No, but this car is an acquired taste, and with the Type-S, that's even more the case.

Start with the cockpit. Things are snug in here, more sports car than roomy sedan. Don't underestimate how much that matters. If you can buy a roomy Altima or Subaru Legacy for the same dough, maybe you'll look right past the Type-S. And remember, those cars are coming with some very powerful engine options that not only don't need to scream to redline for strong acceleration but because of that fact are more "grown-up" to drive the in-laws around in.

The styling of the Type-S cockpit is pretty slick, but spare. White-faced gauges stare back at the driver through a tri-spoke steering wheel that's chunky (for good grip). A trio of dials hang high at the center of the dash above the audio interface and allow easy adjustment of the automatic climate system. A six-speed manual shifter is the only thing that interrupts the flow from the dash down through the center console.

The driver and passenger seats have integrated headrests. This is a love it/hate it sort of feature. Some buyers may just be taken by the cool look of these buckets, but for us these perches are a bit uncomfortable. Yes, they're super-supportive on a twisting road, but on the interstate you might want to be in a more relaxed position.

If you're riding in the second row, don't worry, you'll be OK back here, if a little squeezed. Knee- and headroom aren't great, and a lot of cars in this price class -- the aforementioned Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy, Mazda3 and Volvo S40 -- have roomier backseats. Again, this is a niche car, one meant for sporty driving, but not necessarily for hauling people or great quantities of stuff.

It does do the sporty bit well, though. The '05 RSX Type-S has a lot of upgrades that make the road manners even more stable. The car has a stiffer body, a tighter steering ratio, stiffer springs, stiffer anti-sway bars and a slightly lowered ride height. All that contributes to roller-coaster cornering, and the Type-S has steering that's exceptionally sharp. Steer by the seat of your pants, and shift flawlessly, thanks to a splendid six-speed. Just remember, though, that the great steering can be marred if you get on the gas in a turn, since torque steer is plenty evident at higher rpm.

The motor has been upgraded to generate 210 hp, but again, that's at very high revs. Lean on the throttle and let that tach wind up to above five grand, and blammo, you're rocketing into orbit.