2001 Acura Integra Review

Price, performance, and refinement aren't always compatible attributes, but Acura has successfully combined all three in the Integra family of coupes and sedans. Smart-looking, comfortable, and fun to drive, any Integra represents a satisfying choice.

Our favorite is the GS-R: sport coupes don't come much better than this. The GS-R makes any driver feel like a hero, almost anticipating your wishes, filling your senses with delicious sounds and seat-of-the-pants sensations. Open the throttle, and the twin-cam engine growls with authority and revs like there's no tomorrow. The taut suspension helps it slice through corners with precision.

Buyers who prefer a less frenetic driving experience can save thousands by choosing an Integra LS or GS, in coupe or sedan styles. The former makes the most of the Integra's slashing-wedge shape but a four-door offers more practicality, and some drivers even prefer the handling balance of the Integra sedan.

Integra hasn't changed much lately, and an all-new model designed to replace it is just around the corner. Little more than some new color choices and new carpeted floor mats distinguish the 2001 models from the 2000s. Be on the lookout for special pricing and financing offers.The Integra lineup comprises coupes and sedans in various levels of trim and tune.

Three-door coupes include the LS ($19,300), GS ($20,950) and the high-performance GS-R ($22,200). There's also a limited-production club-racer coupe called the Type R ($24,350). Four-door sedans are offered in LS ($20,100), GS ($21,500), and GS-R ($22,500) trim.

Even the LS comes fully loaded. GS just adds leather upholstery to the coupe and sedan, plus a spoiler for the coupe and a special console, armrest, and interior woodgrain for the four-door. LS and GS Integras share a 1.8-liter dual overhead-cam 16-valve four-cylinder engine rated at 140 horsepower. It comes with a choice of five-speed manual or four-speed automatic ($800) transmission.

GS-R models get a 170-horsepower VTEC version of the same engine. The GS-R is available only with a close-ratio five-speed manual gearbox that's optimized for its more narrow powerband.

Stripped down and near race-ready, the Type R deletes weight-adding luxuries such as cruise control and the otherwise standard power moonroof in favor of a modified, 195-horsepower engine tuned to rev over 8,000 rpm; along with bigger brakes, high-performance tires, its own unique close gearbox ratios and a torque-sensing helical limited-slip differential.

The Type R comes in any color you like, as long as you like Nighthawk Black or Phoenix Yellow.