Mild-mannered RSX sports a wild side

When I was but a young lad, with grime ‘neath my fingernails and a greasy smudge on my forehead, an enthusiast had to choose between his passion and his responsibility.

What’ll it be, young man, a sports car or a family car?

Choosing the former meant a lifetime of oil stains in the driveway. It meant leaky soft-tops, shaky syncros and scary looks from the father-in-law.

You propose to squire my daughter in that?

My, how times have changed.

Acura’s entry-level RSX Type-S sports coupe is capable of thrilling the inner boy racer, while satisfying one’s need for respectability.

It’s safe, reliable and quick. Put it on a track and it corners aggressively, with initial understeer, minimal body lean and loads of grip.

At the same time, the RSX is quiet, smooth and comfortable. Its understated (some would call it forgettable) styling lends it a dignity that’s handy when sharing your latest acquisition with the in-laws, and its heritage is unimpeachable.

Everybody knows Acura builds some of the best cars on the planet.

When Big Wheels were the rage, I envied my son’s generation. In my day, we had to be happy with Hula Hoops and roller skates.

Now, it’s cars that get my goat. What a lovely world of choices out there.

Take the RSX. Designed as the replacement for Acura’s esteemed Integra, the RSX is available in two flavors, base and Type-S.

Because it’s an Acura, even the base RSX (from $20,570, including destination) is well equipped, carrying such standard equipment as automatic climate control; power windows, mirrors and door locks; moonroof; cruise control; leather-wrapped steering wheel; and dash-mounted CD player.

In base form, the 2-liter, four-cylinder engine makes 165 horsepower.

The Type-S ($23,865) is the hot-shoe edition, with a 200-horsepower edition of the same engine, sport-tuned suspension and a six-speed manual gearbox. The S also gets leather seats, a rear-deck spoiler and 17-inch alloy wheels.

If there’s a flaw in this rosy boy-racer-cum-family-car scenario, it is this: the Type-S can be had only with the dandy six-speed, while the base RSX is available either with a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic with sport-shift mode.

Hard experience has taught me this alone can be a deal-breaker.

The rest of the particulars are in order — the RSX scores high in the various crash tests and comes standard with anti-lock brakes and side-impact airbags.

Like almost all cars in this category, the RSX is a front-driver, which may elicit a raised eyebrow among the enthusiast crowd but bodes well for year-round drivers.

Which is another big difference between then and now: Back in the day, sports cars were owned by a) the young and the foolish, who couldn’t afford to park their baby during the winter or b) the wise and the aged, who parked the baby from November through May.

There are two schools of thought on the RSX’s quiet good looks. Some feel a car of its bearing should sport flashier sheet metal; others prefer the understated look – in three years, it won’t look dated, and quiet looks means less attention from law enforcement.

I could go either way, although I’d like to see Acura step away from its sober design aesthetic. In its fleet, only the NSX supercar qualifies as out-and-out gorgeous.

The RSX interior is tastefully laid out and done up in quality materials. Black-on-white gauges and a smidgeon of metallic-look trim brighten up the works. Base models are upholstered in a fabric called alcantara, which looks and feels like suede, but is more durable.

The seats are deeply bolstered and contoured to provide excellent support and the controls fall easily to hand. Clutch take-up is silken and the shifter is quick and precise, making the RSX an easy car to drive.

Tall drivers say the RSX fits them well, but only up front. The rear seats are small and firm and not a great place for a big person to spend much time.

Because it’s a hatchback, the RSX cabin isn’t the quietest spot on the block, but it’s still a comfortable place to spend a few hours. Besides, there’s a killer stereo to quell distractions from the outside world.

Despite its short wheelbase, the Type-S rides well, even on choppy and broken surfaces. Even the sport suspension on the Type-S produces a comfortable ride.

Typical of Acura engines in particular, and small-displacement overhead-cam configurations in general, the 2-liter engine in the RSX doesn’t really get itself all worked up until it’s high in the revs. Power on the Type-S doesn’t really start to come on until about 7,400 rpm, or well past the point at which other engines have been shifted.

It feels odd to keep one’s foot into it until the tach hits 8,000-plus, but Acura builds these engines rock-solid and, like a motorcycle engine, this little overachiever is meant to be driven high and hard.

The world is a different place than the one in which many of us cut our sports-car teeth, with choices we couldn’t have dreamed of. Acura’s RSX bridges the gap between play and responsibility, between enthusiasm and practicality.

Oh, to be young again.