Acura dropped a bombshell at the 2018 North American International Auto Show on Monday morning, and it didn’t even need to show a fancy concept car to do it.
Laying the groundwork for a performance-focused play by Honda’s luxury brand is the return of Type S—Acura’s counterpart to Honda’s Type R—which was last seen a decade ago on the TL. Acura says it will use the designation on “multiple Acura models…in the coming years.”
But it’s how Acura plans to boost the brand’s excitement that has us in a tizzy.
“Acura will pursue a unique powertrain strategy that underscores the brand's rightful place as the performance division of Honda,” said Toshiaki Mikoshiba, president and CEO of American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
2002 Acura Integra Type S
What’s that powertrain strategy? A confirmed turbocharged V-6 engine for starters—and it’s probably derived from the turbocharged 500-horsepower V-6 engine used in the NSX. Honda is mum on that last detail, only giving the supercar a slight mention in its announcement release.
When Acura does get around fitting its models with the new engine, we (hopefully) won’t have to wrestle monumental torque steer as the engine will be paired with Acura’s latest generation of Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, which debuts in the forthcoming 2019 RDX. Other suspension, brake, and visual modifications will likely be combined with the new engine to create the Type S package.
Rounding out the news from Honda’s luxury stable is further emphasis on its recently introduced A Spec variant, first seen in the Acura TL and currently used by the TLX and ILX. Acura will again use the trim for 4-cylinder TLX models and its new 2019 RDX crossover, due at dealers toward the middle of this year.
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