My Integra Type S First Drive Review

[PicklesTheCat]

Sounds like the ITS might just not be the type of car you're looking for, I feel like this car is aimed at people who wants to maintain a satisfactory level of engagemnt in most of their driving while not sacrificing practicality. it will never make sense from a price/performace perspective.

Speaking of perspective, its funny how that changes your experence with a car. Having own a bunch of earlier BMWs like E39, E46, E90 and some later ones like a X3MC, and a MK5 supra. Every new generation of M cars just feel more dull and sedated. They are prabably still good by todays standard in their price bracket but they just don't do anything for me. A used Porsche is always the better options.

The S58 is one of my least liked engine out of the bunch, gutless down low and zero eagerness to rev. Makes tone of power for sure but that's about it.

Sponsored

 

[Rdrcr]

Oh absolutely. At-the-limit performance is very rarely observed by most drivers. That’s why I say that it does really excel at 7 10ths, which is where the vast majority of folks will be driving it. And it certainly does feel like a big step up from a more “average” car!

Sounds like the Type S is perfect for me.....7 10ths is my limit while on the track in any of my personal vehicles, lol.

Mike

 

[Lflouie]

Just returned from my test drive....and it was good!

Quick background, owned many different performance cars from muscle cars to street rods, and European high performance to Japanese AWD turbo rockets. My previous car was a 2016 Focus RS, and my current car is an Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio (500hp sedan).

I don't track my cars and my performance cars are primarly driven as aggressive street and mountain road carvers. The car must have great handling, good power, and an engaging driving experience to make the cut.

I drove the demo for approx 12-15 mi on an interstate and roughly 50 miles on twisty backroads that I know very well. The car was driven aggressively (never abused or launched) to determine if it would be a capable replacement for my RS, yet offer the option to be an occasional weekend get away car....ie, more comfortable.

Tested all off the drive modes and suspension choices, did not turn off the traction control, as requested by the dealership.

My take away.....yes, it is a keeper!

Driving aggressive back roads:

First impressions of the engine is that it is "softer" than my tuned RS was, with less torque and peak hp (no surprise). The engine is very flexible able to drive at low rpm or at near the top of the rpm range. It is less linear than the RS, but revs cleanly "'reminded me of my 2007, S2000"....although not frantic on the upper end like the Vtec.

The torque steer was far less than I was expecting, and it really didn't hamper very aggressive cornering. However, you could feel the front diff doing its magic to correct the car....it was in the background and not disruptive....just present.

Virtually no push on the lower speed hairpins (although the traction control light flickered) and the car cornered VERY flat at speeds under triple digits. It was very reminiscent of the RS with tons of grip and sufficient compliance to grip and handle bumps.

The rear was never moving about and remained tracking the front tires without any noticeable rotation...very confidence inspiring.

The biggest surprise was the suspension. I've read about how the Sport and Sport+ modes are stiff and that Comfort setting is the one most testers used. Well.......on an aggressive backroad drive the Sport+ setting was PERFECT. Remember I came from an RS which is on the stiffer side, but the ITS was exceptional in the Sport+ setting. Note, during the hwy travel this setting was transmitting some road texture and was a little stiff....but not horrible. Switching it to COMFORT setting was an amazing change, settling the car down and making it a very nice long distance driver.....great job!

I think that the Acura engineers did a great job of balancing the damper design and the sway-bars to give exceptional grip, compliance and roll control to this car.....one of the best factory setups I've driven on the street.

Driving normally:

The comfort setting is a very nice overall setup for general driving making it less aggressive...almost sedate, but a nice balance for a DD and long distance hauler. The shifter is nice but not as rewarding as the old S2000. I'd like a shorter throw and improved cable bushings to remove some of the "squishiness" and improve the feel...Acuity should be able to address these with their aftmkt accessories.

Nitpicking: other items

The passenger seat is a very basic seat, while the driver gets 12 way adjustable....seems inconsistent. The fact that passenger seat doesn't even have a height adjustment relegates the passenger to a compromised experience in an otherwise well appointed interior. I've heard of "driver focused" but this takes it to an extreme that will not please my wife.

The overall fit and finish on the exterior is on the lower side of what is normal in today's cars. The paint and bumper to fender fitment is clearly below par and probably the biggest negative for me. I expect a $50k+ car to have great fit and paint. Further exacerbating these issues are that the dealer techs did a poor job of replacing the front bumpers after installing illuminated front emblem, leaving gaps and exposing unpainted edges of painted surfaces, and scarred the interior hatch plastic when swapping the CF rear lip....all inexcusable.

The interior is nice, although the selection of some of the materials on the dash and center console seems odd and not as well suited to the price point.

ELS sound system is above average and matches the capabilities of other mid-level lux-perf cars.

The infotainment system is simple and for the most part easy to use. A few settings require a deeper dive into the menu to set.

The car automatically resets to Sport drive mode whenever it is turned off, vs staying in the last mode used...inconvenient....but there is NO auto start stop feature to override ....yeah!

My takeaways:

A wonderful driving car for the enthusiast that will likely never take the car to the track, but that demands near track capabilities on the street. This is truly a multi-personality car and I want to get my hands on my own.

 

[AJTX11]

I will add that if you can get M2 the wait list at dealers is crazy at least in DFW the local one to me has almost 3 years worth of allotment spoken for but they are MSRP.

There is one M2 available locally in DFW 1 owners 450 miles and 78k, 11k over Msrp.

If the dealership hadn't pissed my Wife off I would probably have paid the extra 11k in assessories at least they were giving something for the money.

So at least in DFW M2s are probably hare to find.

A 5K ADM I would have definitely bought the ITS

 

[NOTLGUY]

I've spent about 90 minutes total behind the wheel of an ITS on two separate occasions, from normal city driving to absolutely beating on it. clutch dump launches, wheel-skipping shifts, slamming brakes from high speeds, overwhelming tires in the corners, etc. here are my thoughts.

At $52k, it's a great package, and offers incredible handling for the price. The transmission, clutch, and short-throw shifter are all top-notch. Power, grip and brakes are well-balanced. Engine feels healthy, but it's not a rocket. Comfortable suspension, but it's a bit too soft to feel as rewarding above 7 10ths as the CTR. There's a touch of torque steer and at the limit of lateral grip if you try to put too much power down in a turn, but in normal driving it's hard to tell you're in a FWD car. It's playful and does not complain about being abused. Frankly, beating on the transmission is where it feels most at home. It's a bit one-dimensional in that way. I'll talk more about this later.

Take your foot off the gas, start to drive like a civilized human, and you'll start to wish you were in an S3 or M240i. Speakers are good but too bass-heavy. The infotainment screen is functional, but too small and deserves to be angled a touch toward the driver. The gauges are bland and could use more customization, but they are easy to use, as is the HUD. The seat foam feels a bit hard, and they really pale in comparison to the FL5 or anything from Audi/BMW. They're too wide for aggressive driving, but at least the suede helps keep you in place. Total miss on the passenger adjustments—my girlfriend cannot get comfortable as the seat does not raise or lower. It's only 4-way. 6- or 8-way should be the bare minimum for a $50k luxury car, even if it's manual. I would call this pseudo-luxury, not full German-level luxury.

Back to the driving dynamics. Sure, it can hold over 1G laterally, stop like you hit a wall, and perfectly match your intension behind each shift. But, being FWD, it's not as fun as a RWD car at the limit. If you lose grip, you wash out/ understeer every time—consistently boring behavior. Slamming through the gears, feeling how the car respond across shifts. That's where the ITS shines.

Though, there's something so much more satisfying about finding the perfect balance between steering and throttle in a RWD car to help you rotate gracefully through a turn. You don't get that sensation in a FWD car, and it's a big part of what makes something like an intense canyon drive so engaging. It is plenty fun for 6 or 7 10ths driving, though, and as good as any regular Civic/Integra as an economy car for regular commuting.

NOTE. I can't stress this enough—please do not pay any markup on this vehicle. At $5k over, or with a few grand in accessories, it is far too close to a G87 M2 in price, unless you absolutely *must* have its nice manual transmission.. The ITS does not compete with M cars in performance or balance. S58 6cyl, RWD—they're just in a different league, and the M2 starts at $63k with only a couple grand in options to exceed the ITS' base spec. If you absolutely must have a manual, the ITS offers a more engaging shifter with better gear ratios for the engine's power band, so that is the exception. But it does not feel as buttoned down as any G8x M car, nor is it anywhere near as fast.

If you're one of those types who "just doesn't want a BMW," or "only buys Japanese cars," please go test drive any G8x and actually push the thing. It's a very different beast from F8x, and genuinely one of the best cars on the road south of $150k. Reliability has proven incredible in the few years these engines have been on sale. If you have small kids and want a 4 door, see if they can make do with the M2's back seat until they're too tall, lol.

Conclusion time. The ITS is the best driver's car on sale for $52k, but for close to/over $60k, it is too expensive. An M car offers better value, whether that's a $65k M2 or $90k M3 Competition XDrive. Somehow I thought the ITS could feel like a less powerful M3, as they're about the same size and offer similar lateral grip. However, the ITS loses out nearly everywhere except against BMW's manual transmission. Worse, engine, steering, suspension, brakes, chassis balance, seats, gauges, infotainment, sound system, material quality, driver assist tech, etc. However, against a non-M car, the ITS" excellent tires and well-tuned suspension means it can carry more speed through corners than anything south of a proper M, RS, AMG, Porsche, etc. Value really is key here.

That said, as of now I'm keeping my LCM+red first 200 pre order. Starting to doubt that it could replace my G80, but I at least plan to give it a shot

I just finished spending a couple hours with the ITS. I’m taking mine home this Monday. My conclusion:

1. This car is a love letter to the manual transmission. The inputs are perfectly weighted and reward good manual driving. This is true at any speed.

This platform was designed around the manual and it shows. The G87/G80 manual feels like a numb afterthought which makes street driving with that much power downright dangerous.

2. The ITS is actually already at the absolute limit for street performance. You can probably avoid jail and still go hard through a few gears once in a while. If you’re driving fast enough to actually hit the limits of FWD in this car, you should probably slow down and take it elsewhere.

But to each his own. I’m at a place in life where I enjoy collecting older versions of the cars I love because the new ones are too fast and there is too much space between car and driver. For the track, I like stripped out cars with small power that are challenging to drive. So I don’t see the point of new, very high powered cars.

The ITS unfortunately still does drive like a modern car. It’s not exactly raw. But I wanted something I could jump in and enjoy year round; put a zillion miles on it without a care. And I wanted it to be manual. I need to drive a manual every day.

Oh and one more thing. The G8x does turn in a little sharper than the ITS, but it doesn’t steer better than the ITS. EPS on the Integra feels very good, and that slight bit of softness on initial turn in actually makes it more fun to toss into a turn without exceeding the speed limit by insane amounts.

I don’t care about infotainment at all, but everything looks good, it’s simple, and it works.

Overall this is a great car. We are very lucky to have it. It’s better to think of it as the absolute best enthusiast daily beater in the world rather than a super special car. All the special cars I love aren’t for sale anymore anyway.

Going to drive it a lot!

 

[NOTLGUY]

Sounds like the ITS might just not be the type of car you're looking for, I feel like this car is aimed at people who wants to maintain a satisfactory level of engagemnt in most of their driving while not sacrificing practicality. it will never make sense from a price/performace perspective.

Speaking of perspective, its funny how that changes your experence with a car. Having own a bunch of earlier BMWs like E39, E46, E90 and some later ones like a X3MC, and a MK5 supra. Every new generation of M cars just feel more dull and sedated. They are prabably still good by todays standard in their price bracket but they just don't do anything for me. A used Porsche is always the better options.

The S58 is one of my least liked engine out of the bunch, gutless down low and zero eagerness to rev. Makes tone of power for sure but that's about it.

Integra Type S + the best pre-EPS Porsche you can afford = hell yeah

 

[SolarTrans]

I just finished spending a couple hours with the ITS. I’m taking mine home this Monday. My conclusion:

1. This car is a love letter to the manual transmission. The inputs are perfectly weighted and reward good manual driving. This is true at any speed.

This platform was designed around the manual and it shows. The G87/G80 manual feels like a numb afterthought which makes street driving with that much power downright dangerous.

2. The ITS is actually already at the absolute limit for street performance. You can probably avoid jail and still go hard through a few gears once in a while. If you’re driving fast enough to actually hit the limits of FWD in this car, you should probably slow down and take it elsewhere.

But to each his own. I’m at a place in life where I enjoy collecting older versions of the cars I love because the new ones are too fast and there is too much space between car and driver. For the track, I like stripped out cars with small power that are challenging to drive. So I don’t see the point of new, very high powered cars.

The ITS unfortunately still does drive like a modern car. It’s not exactly raw. But I wanted something I could jump in and enjoy year round; put a zillion miles on it without a care. And I wanted it to be manual. I need to drive a manual every day.

Oh and one more thing. The G8x does turn in a little sharper than the ITS, but it doesn’t steer better than the ITS. EPS on the Integra feels very good, and that slight bit of softness on initial turn in actually makes it more fun to toss into a turn without exceeding the speed limit by insane amounts.

I don’t care about infotainment at all, but everything looks good, it’s simple, and it works.

Overall this is a great car. We are very lucky to have it. It’s better to think of it as the absolute best enthusiast daily beater in the world rather than a super special car. All the special cars I love aren’t for sale anymore anyway.

Going to drive it a lot!

Great summary! I'm excited for my LCM as well. Assembly finished today which color did you get?

 

[Estoril]

I just finished spending a couple hours with the ITS. I’m taking mine home this Monday. My conclusion:

1. This car is a love letter to the manual transmission. The inputs are perfectly weighted and reward good manual driving. This is true at any speed.

This platform was designed around the manual and it shows. The G87/G80 manual feels like a numb afterthought which makes street driving with that much power downright dangerous.

2. The ITS is actually already at the absolute limit for street performance. You can probably avoid jail and still go hard through a few gears once in a while. If you’re driving fast enough to actually hit the limits of FWD in this car, you should probably slow down and take it elsewhere.

But to each his own. I’m at a place in life where I enjoy collecting older versions of the cars I love because the new ones are too fast and there is too much space between car and driver. For the track, I like stripped out cars with small power that are challenging to drive. So I don’t see the point of new, very high powered cars.

The ITS unfortunately still does drive like a modern car. It’s not exactly raw. But I wanted something I could jump in and enjoy year round; put a zillion miles on it without a care. And I wanted it to be manual. I need to drive a manual every day.

Oh and one more thing. The G8x does turn in a little sharper than the ITS, but it doesn’t steer better than the ITS. EPS on the Integra feels very good, and that slight bit of softness on initial turn in actually makes it more fun to toss into a turn without exceeding the speed limit by insane amounts.

I don’t care about infotainment at all, but everything looks good, it’s simple, and it works.

Overall this is a great car. We are very lucky to have it. It’s better to think of it as the absolute best enthusiast daily beater in the world rather than a super special car. All the special cars I love aren’t for sale anymore anyway.

Going to drive it a lot!

Summary was well said, a collectible ferrari it is not but a fantastic do it all daily it most certainly is. This is partly why the markups on the R and S bother me so much, it takes away from the original ethos of the car

 

[Lflouie]

,........"Overall this is a great car. We are very lucky to have it. It’s better to think of it as the absolute best enthusiast daily beater in the world rather than a super special car. All the special cars I love aren’t for sale anymore anyway."

This is a great point. The ITS is built on the foundation of a sub-$35k car, with an exceptional power train and unique suspension design added. To expect a total transformation of the the car to the level of BMW, AUDI, MERCEDES, etc is unrealistic.

Virtually all the testers praise the drive train, suspension and drivability and compare it favorably to the other Eurpean brands. The "walk- around" reviews on the car were good but clearly weren't as enthusastic about its relative position. Here is where the design approach and manufacturing price points collide with reality.

I like the comment that basically says...enjoy driving it, use it frequently, and don't treat it as a $$$$ super car......bc that's not what it is!

For reference, my Focus RS MSRP was $37k, or $15k more than the base Focus MSRP of $22k (170%). This car is $20k more than the base Integra but has a much greater content of features than the Focus ever had...and the MSRP difference is ~ $162%.....sounds similar.

Since the RS mkt prices place them at near MSRP after 7 yrs, it was basically a deposit on the car that I drove without any out of pocket expenses ( except maintenance and tires) and throughly enjoyed it. I did spend approximately $2k on suspension tweaks and tuning to meet my expectations, but got about half of that back when I returned it to stock and sold the parts.

Owning a car like the RS, CTR, or ITS can be a relatively inexpensive ownership cost compared to the European brands based solely on depreciation, maintenance, repair costs....not to mention cost of aftmkt parts.

The RS was only imported for 3 yrs, which capped its availability and helped retain its value. Ford imported less than 5k per year avg, which is in line with the CTR ( 400/ mo) and stated ITS expectations in the 50 to 100 cars per week range.

As long as you treat this purchase as a commodity and not an investment, the fact is these cars should hold their value with the depreciation primarily made up of the cost of any ADM and money spent on pricey non-functional dealer options/add-ons.

The old adage that it's not what you pay but how much you get when you sell ( or trade) determines your true costs.

So....as stated, enjoy your car, don't worry about the MSRP or wringing your hands over the $52k MSRP bc you will most likely get a large portion of it back, even in 5 yrs. The key is this should be a wonderful car if you treat it as a "driver".....a very capable driver....and use it.

It is nearing the end of the age of ICE cars that are fun to drive....it is now or never to extend your joy of old school driving into the next decade and the ITS is a rare opportunity to own a soon to be extinct breed.

 

[NOTLGUY]

Great summary! I'm excited for my LCM as well. Assembly finished today which color did you get?

White!

 

[NOTLGUY]

,........"Overall this is a great car. We are very lucky to have it. It’s better to think of it as the absolute best enthusiast daily beater in the world rather than a super special car. All the special cars I love aren’t for sale anymore anyway."

This is a great point. The ITS is built on the foundation of a sub-$35k car, with an exceptional power train and unique suspension design added. To expect a total transformation of the the car to the level of BMW, AUDI, MERCEDES, etc is unrealistic.

Virtually all the testers praise the drive train, suspension and drivability and compare it favorably to the other Eurpean brands. The "walk- around" reviews on the car were good but clearly weren't as enthusastic about its relative position. Here is where the design approach and manufacturing price points collide with reality.

I like the comment that basically says...enjoy driving it, use it frequently, and don't treat it as a $$$$ super car......bc that's not what it is!

For reference, my Focus RS MSRP was $37k, or $15k more than the base Focus MSRP of $22k (170%). This car is $20k more than the base Integra but has a much greater content of features than the Focus ever had...and the MSRP difference is ~ $162%.....sounds similar.

Since the RS mkt prices place them at near MSRP after 7 yrs, it was basically a deposit on the car that I drove without any out of pocket expenses ( except maintenance and tires) and throughly enjoyed it. I did spend approximately $2k on suspension tweaks and tuning to meet my expectations, but got about half of that back when I returned it to stock and sold the parts.

Owning a car like the RS, CTR, or ITS can be a relatively inexpensive ownership cost compared to the European brands based solely on depreciation, maintenance, repair costs....not to mention cost of aftmkt parts.

The RS was only imported for 3 yrs, which capped its availability and helped retain its value. Ford imported less than 5k per year avg, which is in line with the CTR ( 400/ mo) and stated ITS expectations in the 50 to 100 cars per week range.

As long as you treat this purchase as a commodity and not an investment, the fact is these cars should hold their value with the depreciation primarily made up of the cost of any ADM and money spent on pricey non-functional dealer options/add-ons.

The old adage that it's not what you pay but how much you get when you sell ( or trade) determines your true costs.

So....as stated, enjoy your car, don't worry about the MSRP or wringing your hands over the $52k MSRP bc you will most likely get a large portion of it back, even in 5 yrs. The key is this should be a wonderful car if you treat it as a "driver".....a very capable driver....and use it.

It is nearing the end of the age of ICE cars that are fun to drive....it is now or never to extend your joy of old school driving into the next decade and the ITS is a rare opportunity to own a soon to be extinct bred.

If the ITS were auto only and had worse EPS, it wouldn’t be as good as an S3 or M240i. Fact. However the drivetrain (you know, the thing you interact with every second behind the wheel) actually makes it more desirable than many more expensive machines today.

If this were 2010, and you could go out and buy a 6MT 335i or S4, this ITS wouldn’t be as special of a machine. Personally I’d go back and daily a 6MT E60 M5.

How special this car is reflects more on the time we are living in than the car itself. But there is one important takeaway to remember- the drivetrain sort of allows us to go back in time with the driver input (most important) aspect of a car, while being spoiled with some of the modern less authentic stuff (drive modes, etc).

 

[optronix]

I just finished spending a couple hours with the ITS. I’m taking mine home this Monday. My conclusion:

1. This car is a love letter to the manual transmission. The inputs are perfectly weighted and reward good manual driving. This is true at any speed.

This platform was designed around the manual and it shows. The G87/G80 manual feels like a numb afterthought which makes street driving with that much power downright dangerous.

2. The ITS is actually already at the absolute limit for street performance. You can probably avoid jail and still go hard through a few gears once in a while. If you’re driving fast enough to actually hit the limits of FWD in this car, you should probably slow down and take it elsewhere.

But to each his own. I’m at a place in life where I enjoy collecting older versions of the cars I love because the new ones are too fast and there is too much space between car and driver. For the track, I like stripped out cars with small power that are challenging to drive. So I don’t see the point of new, very high powered cars.

The ITS unfortunately still does drive like a modern car. It’s not exactly raw. But I wanted something I could jump in and enjoy year round; put a zillion miles on it without a care. And I wanted it to be manual. I need to drive a manual every day.

Oh and one more thing. The G8x does turn in a little sharper than the ITS, but it doesn’t steer better than the ITS. EPS on the Integra feels very good, and that slight bit of softness on initial turn in actually makes it more fun to toss into a turn without exceeding the speed limit by insane amounts.

I don’t care about infotainment at all, but everything looks good, it’s simple, and it works.

Overall this is a great car. We are very lucky to have it. It’s better to think of it as the absolute best enthusiast daily beater in the world rather than a super special car. All the special cars I love aren’t for sale anymore anyway.

Going to drive it a lot!

Integra Type S + the best pre-EPS Porsche you can afford = hell yeah

If the ITS were auto only and had worse EPS, it wouldn’t be as good as an S3 or M240i. Fact. However the drivetrain (you know, the thing you interact with every second behind the wheel) actually makes it more desirable than many more expensive machines today.

If this were 2010, and you could go out and buy a 6MT 335i or S4, this ITS wouldn’t be as special of a machine. Personally I’d go back and daily a 6MT E60 M5.

How special this car is reflects more on the time we are living in than the car itself. But there is one important takeaway to remember- the drivetrain sort of allows us to go back in time with the driver input (most important) aspect of a car, while being spoiled with some of the modern less authentic stuff (drive modes, etc).

So many excellently articulated points I can't even keep up. Nailed it.

Context is a fickle thing.

I just got back from a day of autocross in my 718 yesterday (and woke up with the craziest bout of vertigo... wonder if they're connected??)- I have to admit, it was pretty bittersweet as it might be the last time I do a "motorsports event" in this car, and right now it's tough for me to imagine a Type S being able to replicate the sensations I just went through.



But that's not what this car is about! The fact I can even have that thought about it attempting to compete with my $100k+, dedicated 2-seat mid-engine sports car- while being able to put my dog in the back, have an arguably better manual transmission, far better standard stereo, and less than half the price point? That is what this car is about.

 

[NOTLGUY]

Hahahaha that’s amazing. One of my more frequently quoted movies.

The slight ‘play’ in the shifter vs. the 718, as well as the better gearing, will have you shifting more often in the ITS. And you can use the change to grab a well preserved Miata or 986 to thrash around at topless motorsports events

 

[bpebler]

Great summary! I'm excited for my LCM as well. Assembly finished today which color did you get?

Yours started on the 20th, correct?

 

[bpebler]

So many excellently articulated points I can't even keep up. Nailed it.

Context is a fickle thing.

I just got back from a day of autocross in my 718 yesterday (and woke up with the craziest bout of vertigo... wonder if they're connected??)- I have to admit, it was pretty bittersweet as it might be the last time I do a "motorsports event" in this car, and right now it's tough for me to imagine a Type S being able to replicate the sensations I just went through.



But that's not what this car is about! The fact I can even have that thought about it attempting to compete with my $100k+, dedicated 2-seat mid-engine sports car- while being able to put my dog in the back, have an arguably better manual transmission, far better standard stereo, and less than half the price point? That is what this car is about.

I can't even my head left to right too quickly anymore - at least multiple times, without having vertigo issues. Could definitely be related. A co worker told me there's a medicine for it that works fast & I remember looking online that you can do certain movements/exercises to get back on track.

Hope you get over it quick. I hate it so much.

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