5 Of The Fastest Acura Models Ever Made, Ranked
Acura is a division of Honda Motor Company that primarily makes luxury and performance cars for the North American market. This brand has several legendary marques under its name, like the NSX and Integra.
Although some may say that Acura is just an expensive Honda, its models are distinct and a class above what Honda offers. Although Acura's models may have the same underpinnings as its Honda cousins, the former often has better performance and refinement.
So, if you're looking for something fast and luxurious but reliable and has excellent value, Acura is one of the brands you should look at. Furthermore, if you want a recent Japanese supercar, Acura arguably made one of the only three options available in the past decade with the NSX. However, like the Lexus LFA, it's no longer available brand new, and the only one you can buy right now is the Nissan R35 GT-R. Given that, let's look at the five fastest cars Acura made and see how fast we can go driving this performance brand.
5. 2005 Acura NSX-T
The Integra and the Legend introduced the Acura brand to the United States, but the Acura NSX put it on the map. This two-seat, mid-engine sports car proved that the Japanese could make a supercar to beat the Italians at their own game.
The 2005 NSX-T is the last iteration of this generation of the Acura NSX, and even though it was 15 years old at that point, it was still a formidable vehicle. It had a naturally aspirated 3.2-liter V6 engine — capable of hitting 290 hp at 7,100 rpm and 224 ft-lbs of torque at 5,500 rpm — powering the rear tires through a six-speed manual. This gave it a 175 mph top speed and a zero to 60 time of just 5.6 seconds.
But more importantly, it had an all-aluminum monocoque body, meaning it was truly a light vehicle. The Acura NSX-T just weighed 3,197 pounds, about 1,000 pounds lighter than the Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster. And, when Acura launched it in 1990, this Japanese supercar did hold true to its NSX name.
4. 2024 Acura Integra Type S
The 2024 Integra is the latest iteration of the legendary Acura Integra, itself a more upmarket version of the venerable Honda Civic. And, if the Civic has the Type R moniker for its high-performance version, the Integra gets the Type S.
Although the 2024 Integra's interior may look familiar if you've already seen the Civic, it still offers a higher-quality finish and a more refined appearance. And despite its luxurious ride, the Integra Type S comes with a six-speed manual, allowing you to row your own gears as you speed through straights and corners. Its 2.0-liter inline-four turbocharged engine delivers 310 hp at 6,500 rpm and 310 ft-lbs of torque at 2,600 rpm to the wheels, giving it a 168 mph top speed and a zero to 60 mph time of just 5.2 seconds.
While the 2024 Acura Integra Type S is indeed a fast car, it's meant to be more than that. Instead, it's designed to be a fun car that will make you grin from ear to ear as you tackle the twisties of canyon roads.
3. 2020 Acura RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD
When looking for a fast, sporty sedan, mid-size cars usually don't come to mind. This is typically the territory of compact sedans like the 2023 BMW M3 Competition xDrive or the Audi S4. However, Acura decided to break barriers and introduced the RLX Sport Hybrid.
The RLX is a mid-size sedan Acura made from 2014 to 2020 to replace the Acura RL, itself a replacement of the Acura Legend. But what made the RLX Sport Hybrid so special was its hybrid powertrain — a 3.5-liter V6 engine paired with one front and two rear electric motors. It also had a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to help manage the engine's output with that of the motors.
This engine and motor combination allowed the RLX Sport Hybrid to reach 377 hp at 6,500 rpm and 341 ft-lbs of torque at 3,000 rpm, leading to a 173 mph top speed and a zero to 60 time of exactly five seconds — impressive numbers for a mid-size sedan. But what's more impressive is it can hit 28 mpg combined with all that power. This car will give you the speed you want while helping you reduce your carbon footprint, offering the best of both worlds. And it's one of the most reliable Acuras ever made, making its ownership experience a pleasant ride.
2. 2024 Acura TLX Type S
While the Integra is a legendary nameplate for the Acura, some people want a compact sedan that offers more refinement than that. That's where the 2024 Acura TLX Type S comes in. This sports luxury sedan faces off with the likes of the BMW M340i xDrive and the Mercedes-AMG C 43, allowing you to bring the kids to school during the weekdays and not break a sweat when you're on the track on the weekends.
Although the Integra Type S is the halo car many kids (and kids-at-heart) have on their bedroom walls, the Acura TLX Type S's 3.0-liter V6 turbocharged engine allows it to go even faster. It has a power output of 355 hp at 5,500 rpm and 354 ft-lbs of torque at 1,400 rpm going to all four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission, giving the car a 173-mph top speed and a zero to 60 mph time of 4.8 seconds.
Since the TLX is also designed to be more refined, it comes with Vehicle Stability Assist, Agile Handling Assist, and Super Handling-All Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) technology, helping you maintain control when pushing the TLX to its limits.
1. 2022 Acura NSX Type S
For nearly 10 years, Acura had a gaping hole in its lineup — the NSX. Finally, the company announced the second-generation Acura NSX. This supercar continues with the combination of a powerful engine and a light body. This time, it had a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 engine mated to two electric motors up front and a single electric motor at the back via a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission.
This drivetrain — delivering 600 hp at 6,500 rpm and 492 ft-lbs of torque at 2,300 rpm — carries just 3,750 pounds, allowing it to hit 60 mph in three seconds and top out at 203 mph. If you want a faster vehicle from Honda, you must drive its F1 cars or maybe get your pilot's license and take the Honda Jet for a spin.
Sadly, Acura has built its 350th and last NSX Type S in 2022, meaning you can no longer get one brand new from the factory. If you want one today, Car Guru shows that the cheapest NSX Type S you can get starts at over $217,000, with other units climbing from $250,000 to over $280,000. This is a far cry from its sticker price of a little over $171,000 in 2022 — but that's what you pay if you want something as rare and exotic as the Acura NSX Type S.
The iconic Acura models like the 2001 Integra Type R and 2005 RSX Type S didn't make the cut. But as cars and engines go faster, we will see fewer of them on the fastest cars list. Nevertheless, the latest models owe their tech to these icons. And even though they aren't as powerful, they're still great vehicles. After all, it's more fun to drive a "slow" car fast than to drive a fast car slow.