Vehicle Type: Sports Coupe and Sedan

Retail Price Range: $21,400 to $25,000

Invoice Price Range: $19,300 to $20,293

Transmission: Five-speed manual transmission

Safety Features: Driver and passenger side Airbags and ABS anti-lock brakes are standard

Engine: 1.8- liter , 170 or 195 horsepower I4 Front Engine/Front Drive

Fuel Economy: 25 mpg city/31 mpg highway

Features: Acura challenges the bragging rights Germany has held in the mid-priced sports coupe/sedan market. Integra defines fun-to-drive, but is almost as small inside as many sports cars.

Firebird Raceway, Arizona--When I learned that Acura planned to pretty much restrict our driving of their new Type R to the race track, I was disappointed. Sure, flogging such a sprightly machine around corners gets my blood coursing, but I usually like to see how cars work on the roads and streets where they are usually driven. We only had a few miles on boulevards and freeways to and from the track. How smart Acura is!!

This car is the most fun for the buck on the market today! The Type R makes every twist in the road a challenge. Every gap in traffic is an invitation. Sudden surprises that would crumple less capable car bumpers are handled without concern, even a little verve. The biggest danger when driving this modified Integra is to my driver's license.

The Integra is much more oriented to sport than luxury, and as a result it appeals to more young people and women than the rest of the line. It's much more than the entry Acura product. The GS-R and now the Type R create images and a strong statement.

Most people lust after the pure sports cars, but few can afford the cost or impracticality of Corvettes, Supras, and Porsches. The Integra sports coupe blends the style and performance of those designs into a package that can live in city traffic, carry reasonable baggage or groceries, and squeeze four friends inside for short trips (very short!!).

Honda has excelled in fitting form to function. When they had the buying public hooked with the Civic and Accord, they launched the Prelude and CRX to address sporty spirits, and the Acura division to seek the deeper pockets.

The Integra lives between both these worlds.