I put my order in 2 months ahead of time. The day it was released to the public, July 2nd, I played hooky from work and showed up at the dealer at opening. I was the first person in the Philadelphia suburbs to drive away in a 2002 RSX Type S.

I drove several other cars in the price range before landing on the RSX. Here are some brief reasons for not choosing them over the RSX:

Subaru WRX - No power until the turbo kicked in, no sunroof, no leather, butt-ugly, uncomfortable interior.

Audi A4 1.8 - An awful vehicle. I will never own an Audi after driving this thing. Zero power, smelly vinyl interior, mushy suspension, overpriced.

Mitsubishi Eclipse GT - Road and engine noise - fatigued after a 5-minute test drive.

Celica GT - Chick car.

The RSX Type S absolutely exceeded my expectations. I've been a Honda Civic EX owner for the past 7 years, and this car is a world of difference: handling, acceleration, stopping - it does everything better.

The first thing I noticed was the fantastic seats. Firmly bolstered with adjustable lumbar support, I was locked in place like a fighter pilot. I ride with the lumbar bladder fully inflated and my back has never been sore. Many passengers comment on them, "I feel like I'm being hugged."

The small, leather-wrapped steering wheel feels directly connected to the road - ultra sensitive, and actually took some getting used to. The lazy driver will not be accustomed to this kind of sensitivity. To the driving enthusiast, the steering is a dream. The steering on my girlfriend's 2001 VW Cabrio is slippery and overforgiving compared to this.

The second item of note, was the suspension. Again, the average driver will not be used to the sport-tuned suspension of the Type-S. I did not drive the standard RSX, so I can not offer s comparison, but the Type-S is, without question, a "sporty" ride. Every nook and cranny in the road is completely noticeable. Taught and stable. I've whipped around corners at twice the speed limit, cracked the tires loose, countersteered to keep it straight, and slingshot myself out and into the next turn. Too fun!

After the surprisingly small break-in period [500 mi.], I began to open it up more and more. My next discovery was not to happen until exceeding 6,000 RPM on a full-throttle acceleration: "iVTEC". If you've ever read about this Honda invention called "VTEC", and thought it was some marketing hype, think again. VTEC is a patented Honda system that continuously and variably advances and retards the timing of the valves over the entire RPM range. Along with this, somewhere close to 6,000 RPM, a larger, rounder set of cam lobes kicks in. The effect is exhilarating. As you accelerate, when you hit 6,000 RPM, the engine suddenly belts out a newfound throatiness, and you feel a burst of power. You can take it another 2,000 up to around 8,000 before shifting. The 6 speed makes it much easier to keep the car within this iVTEC powerban. On the Type-S, Honda put the VTEC system on the intake and exhaust valves, whereas the standard RSX only has it on the intake. This in combination with the higher compression ratio, tweaks an extra 40 HP out of the Type S, bringing it to a cool 200 HP. Power delivery is impeccably smooth through the entire range. It just winds up and keeps pulling harder and harder until you are screaming at 8,000. The gearbox is effortless, and the short throw shifter is fantastic. For the first month, my right hand kept slipping off the shifter from being so used to a shifting too far. Now, it's a light, fingertip *snikt* into every gear.

Interior controls are all within perfect reach in typical Honda fashion. Every knob, button, and lever are placed with utmost Feng-Shui, and move with the precision of the Swiss. The climate controls and 6-disc, in-dash CD changer are conveniently angled toward the driver to further reduce any temperature or music selection efforts. Japanese ingenuity abounds with multifunction cup holder/tray [for the cell phone], and fancy, round air vents capable of directing air in any direction or closing. The auto climate control is a welcome highlight, and seems very accurate. I set it on 72 degrees and forget about it. I don't think I've touched the climate controls since I bought the car. It even recirculates air on startup when it is very cold or very hot, to help in arriving at the target temp more rapidly.

Only a few small cons, the largest of which would be the tires. I'm sure Acura's intent was to strike a balance between performance, all-weather traction, and price, but I believe they could have done a little better in this area. The RSX comes stock with Michelin Pilots, which are nothing to shake a stick at, but they are a little squealy in the turns and on acceleration. Squealy means not sticking to the ground. Fine for the average driver, but the rest of us will want to throw something better on.

At first, I thought the interior light was not functioning correctly, because it did not illuminate immediately when I opened my door. I've discovered that this is completely by design. The light does not illumniate until the ignition is turned off. I assume this is a safety feature, designed so that you do not get blinded when dropping someone off or hopping out for a second yourself. Conversely, before entering the vehicle, the interiors lights pleasantly illuminate for you when you click your keyless entry clicker.

An interesting design choice is the material used on the dash on the driver's side. It is an odd-textured covering on the dash, and is not the easiest thing to clean. Paper towels will definitely leave specs embedded in the tiny cross-hatch pattern. The manual recommends using a brush of some sort, but I would rather just hit the entire interior with a soft cloth and my spray protectant, than have to use a separate cleaning tool for this material. Use Armour-All Wipes instead of paper towel. They seem to hold together better on this textured material.

My girlfriend was keen in pointing out that the visor mirrors have a nice, plastic cover, but no lights.

Aside from those two small things, there really isn't anything else deficient about the vehicle. The RSX Type S is a car for people who, like myself, love to drive. A spectacular driving experience!
Amount Paid (US$): 23650
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: Type S