When you look at the spec sheets, the cars look pretty similar. Except Honda was able to extract more power from its 1.8-liter than Dodge could get out of a two-liter. And I'll be the first to admit that the build quality on the Integra Type R is typical Honda with uniform panel gaps and quality materials, while feeling solid despite a focus on lightweight. The Neon, meanwhile, is indicative of mid-1990s Dodge for better or worse. Consider, for a moment, that the $24,000 Integra Type R cost almost ten thousand 1998 dollars more than a Neon ACR, and you begin to understand the appeal. An American sports coupe buyer can live with a lot of creaky panels and terrible unbolstered seats for the equivalent of $19,619 in 2025 money. Unlike the ITR, the ACR didn't come with a wing or any badging. The only way to pick an ACR out of a lineup is by its foglight bumper with no foglights and the missing door rub strips. Aside from the DOHC engine, ACR models got four-wheel disc brakes, adjustable Koni shocks, thicker sway bars, stiffer bushings, better steering, upgraded hubs, and a shorter-ratio gearbox. Early models even ditched the factory speed limiter and ABS to save pounds. I don't think I buy that the Neon's engine was as far down on power as Dodge claimed, though. In-period the twin-cam engine was advertised at an even 150 ponies compared to the ITR's 195, but it ran a 7.2 second 0-60 and 15.8 second quarter mile against the Acura's 6.8 and 14.9. In any case, both were pretty damn quick for front-drive coupes in period, and both are slower than your average mid-sized SUV in 2025, so what does acceleration matter? What really matters is how they drive!