2005 Acura RSX Review East Greenwich RI

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Introduction

Acura RSX -- 2005 Review: Individuality is commonly expressed through automotive purchases. Take the typical mid-life crisis, for example. After years of commuting to work and taking the family on vacation in a common sedan or boring minivan, some people feel the need to proclaim a newfound sense of self with the latest sports car or convertible. Or maybe you know the owner of the "misunderstood" Pontiac Aztek. The Aztek's beauty is definitely in the eye of its beholder, one who likely chooses the path less traveled more often than not, unflinching at the judgments passed by the masses.

For those of you interested in expressing your inner self through a tool more exciting than a Ford Taurus and less flashy than a Hummer H2, may we suggest the Acura RSX Type-S. With a conservative design hiding a high-revving powerplant, the RSX promises to attract attention when you want it, or to play the perfect wallflower when you don't.

Model mix

Acura sells two versions of the RSX: standard and higher-performance Type-S. The standard RSX includes a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine generating a respectable 160 horsepower, a four-wheel-independent suspension with MacPherson struts in front and double wishbones in back, front and rear stabilizer bars, 16-inch alloy wheels, and either a five-speed manual transmission or a five-speed SportShift manually interactive automatic transmission. Of course, this being an Acura, power mirrors, locks, and windows; a power moonroof; a tilt steering wheel; cruise control; and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player are included in a base price just north of $20,000. For safety's sake, dual-stage front airbags, front side-impact airbags, and four-wheel-disc antilock brakes help to protect occupants. Leather interior trim and an automatic transmission are optional on the base RSX.

Performance junkies will want the Acura RSX Type-S, and it's what we used to cover hundreds of miles of highway, mountain passes and rain-soaked city streets during our road test. Priced at just over $24,000, the Type-S adds 17-inch alloy wheels, a sport suspension, larger front brakes, a low profile rear spoiler and ground effects, a Bose sound system with a six-disc in-dash CD changer and subwoofer, a six-speed manual transmission, and 50 extra horsepower.

What's new for 2005?

It might take more than a glance to notice what's different about the 2005 Acura RSX. Upon close inspection, you'll see that the front and rear fascias have been massaged a bit and the headlight and taillight housings have lost their round cutouts for a cleaner appearance. Inside, changes are nearly non-existent with the exception of a new accent color and more seat padding.

More significant are the updates to the stuff you can't see. Our Type-S featured an upgraded strut tower brace to stiffen the front end for sharper steering response and a stronger engine. To extract 10 additional horsepower for 2005, Acura tweaked the Type-S version's camshafts and bolted on a freer-flowing exhaust system. These modifications bump horsepower up to 210 at 7,800 rpm (it was 200 at 7,400 rpm in 2004) and the torque rating squeaks up one lb.-ft. to 143, but the peak is now reached among the clouds at 7,000 rpm (compared to 6,000 rpm in 2004). Not only is power peaking higher than before, which requires harder driving to extract maximum performance, but also a lower final drive ratio that helps to preserve the RSX's fuel economy rating (24 city and 31 highway) makes it harder to take advantage of the extra power.

If the power upgrade seems to be a wash, rest assured that all Acura RSX models feature improved brakes, more responsive steering, beefier stabilizer bars and firmer suspension settings for an overall boost to performance. Additionally, a reinforced body structure and more sound deadening material reduce noise, vibration, and harshness. Considering that maximum power is reached at a redline so high that it almost makes your ears pop, more sound deadening material is always welcome.