My Integra Type S First Drive Review

[SolarTrans]

Yours started on the 20th, correct?

Correct

Sponsored

 

[bpebler]

Correct

Nice, thanks! My LCM began the same day, so just trying to gauge things before I hear back from my dealer.

 

[optronix]

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.

Fortunately it just lasted a couple hours, but it was intense. I'd never experienced anything like that before and it freaked me the hell out. Fortunately my wife had experience with vertigo for a few months previously and she talked me through it- otherwise it may have very well led to a panic attack on top of it. It was not fun at all and I feel terrible for anyone who has to go through that regularly. I genuinely hope it doesn't become more frequent because yes, that will severely dampen the fun I have driving if I know that's what I have to look forward to...

 

[bpebler]

Fortunately it just lasted a couple hours, but it was intense. I'd never experienced anything like that before and it freaked me the hell out. Fortunately my wife had experience with vertigo for a few months previously and she talked me through it- otherwise it may have very well led to a panic attack on top of it. It was not fun at all and I feel terrible for anyone who has to go through that regularly. I genuinely hope it doesn't become more frequent because yes, that will severely dampen the fun I have driving if I know that's what I have to look forward to...

I mean, as long as you know what to look out for and what to avoid, it's easier to deal with. But you're right, when it does happen it's basically debilitating. Definitely discouraging for an active person. A lot of tactical and self-defense training I can no longer do as much as I'd really like to, but just chores around the house and driving with the occasional ice hockey game is about all I can handle anymore. Really messes with your equilibrium & balance.

 

[bpebler]

Just got word from my salesman that my LCM which was also built on the 20th is finished and just waiting for pick up transport for any of those on this thread with that color who are also curious. Hopefully just one more week for most of us in the Midwest.

 

[lumper]

Today I was able to take a test drive of the ITS and it was great.
It wasn't quite what I had expected.
I drove there in my 07" 350Z 6 spd manual.
I was expecting a little more aggressive feeling in sport + mode but it seemed very light throttle compared to my Z.
Less torque as well, but it may have just been the short drive too.
The car had 33 miles on it so we weren't allowed to or able to push it much and we went on a relatively short drive, twice, but it was enough to get the feel.
I am still very much anticipating buying one in Dec, but it wasn't as exciting as I had hoped based on the hype, videos and reviews I have watched or read.
The car is amazing, very nice in and out and fun to drive.
I took a few pics.

 

[SolarTrans]

Today I was able to take a test drive of the ITS and it was great.
It wasn't quite what I had expected.
I drove there in my 07" 350Z 6 spd manual.
I was expecting a little more aggressive feeling in sport + mode but it seemed very light throttle compared to my Z.
Less torque as well, but it may have just been the short drive too.
The car had 33 miles on it so we weren't allowed to or able to push it much and we went on a relatively short drive, twice, but it was enough to get the feel.
I am still very much anticipating buying one in Dec, but it wasn't as exciting as I had hoped based on the hype, videos and reviews I have watched or read.
The car is amazing, very nice in and out and fun to drive.
I took a few pics.

Cheers mate. I would agree it doesn’t feel crazy aggressive, nor is it super fast. Neither was the goal with this car, I believe

 

[lumper]

Cheers mate. I would agree it doesn’t feel crazy aggressive, nor is it super fast. Neither was the goal with this car, I believe

100% agree.
I'm not sure what I expected, I have seen every video out on the ITS and so when I put it in custom mode and went sport + for engine, sport for suspension and I think sport+ for everything else, I think I just assumed it had more low end torque, the clutch felt very different than my Z which has a brand-new clutch maybe 800 miles ago.

Anyway, they have similar numbers, 300 hp or so in both cars, I think I was just figuring it would pull similarly, but it didn't.

I admittedly didn't push it very hard, only once in traffic, and it was quick enough to get a reaction from the others in the car, but to me, it felt lighter than I expected it too.
I still really enjoyed my time in the car and cant 2wait to buy one and get to know it better.

I am not even buying it for the quickness, I just love the whole package.

I started out wanting a reliable car, so I decided on a sport civic with the 2 liter 158 hp, a perfect economy car that is still fun to drive and great on gas, but then the Type R FL5 came out and I thought hmm I like that, still reliable yet with a little fun too, then the ITS came out and I realized this is the car I have been waiting for, enough torque and power to have fun in traffic, yet premium enough to upgrade my current experience with some modern touches, and comfortable and roomy enough to be much more practical than my Z.

I do really like the exterior styling of the Integra over the Civic, I like the civic as well, but I think the Integra has more personality and better body lines overall, but I prefer the interior of the civic honestly, if it had some of the other options you get in the integra.

Anyway, I do love the car, I plan to buy one, it was fun too drive and I'm sure given more time with it and getting through break in I would learn to drive the car better and enjoy the performance, it's just different than my Z.

I asked the sales rep about break in periods, and she shook her head no as if you don't need to worry about break in period restrictions ie: keep revs under a certain rpm, and speed, and to break it in slow then do a 1000-mile oil change and inspection that I am used to with new cars, does that seem right to you?

I plan to follow my gut and break it in as I have all my other vehicles.
My 2000 Silverado is my daily with 245k on it, and to me it has lasted this long because of the way I maintain it and broke it in, who knows.

 

[SolarTrans]

100% agree.
I'm not sure what I expected, I have seen every video out on the ITS and so when I put it in custom mode and went sport + for engine, sport for suspension and I think sport+ for everything else, I think I just assumed it had more low end torque, the clutch felt very different than my Z which has a brand-new clutch maybe 800 miles ago.

Anyway, they have similar numbers, 300 hp or so in both cars, I think I was just figuring it would pull similarly, but it didn't.

I admittedly didn't push it very hard, only once in traffic, and it was quick enough to get a reaction from the others in the car, but to me, it felt lighter than I expected it too.
I still really enjoyed my time in the car and cant 2wait to buy one and get to know it better.

I am not even buying it for the quickness, I just love the whole package.

I started out wanting a reliable car, so I decided on a sport civic with the 2 liter 158 hp, a perfect economy car that is still fun to drive and great on gas, but then the Type R FL5 came out and I thought hmm I like that, still reliable yet with a little fun too, then the ITS came out and I realized this is the car I have been waiting for, enough torque and power to have fun in traffic, yet premium enough to upgrade my current experience with some modern touches, and comfortable and roomy enough to be much more practical than my Z.

I do really like the exterior styling of the Integra over the Civic, I like the civic as well, but I think the Integra has more personality and better body lines overall, but I prefer the interior of the civic honestly, if it had some of the other options you get in the integra.

Anyway, I do love the car, I plan to buy one, it was fun too drive and I'm sure given more time with it and getting through break in I would learn to drive the car better and enjoy the performance, it's just different than my Z.

I asked the sales rep about break in periods, and she shook her head no as if you don't need to worry about break in period restrictions ie: keep revs under a certain rpm, and speed, and to break it in slow then do a 1000-mile oil change and inspection that I am used to with new cars, does that seem right to you?

I plan to follow my gut and break it in as I have all my other vehicles.
My 2000 Silverado is my daily with 245k on it, and to me it has lasted this long because of the way I maintain it and broke it in, who knows.

No hard break in limit, but some people like to keep it tame for 500-600 miles before really beating on it. No oil change for it either. Only certain cars are engineered this way. My G80 M3 has a proper break in service at 1200mi, but an M340i does not.

 

[David123!!!]

Picking mine up tomorrow. Only drove one for a very short period but the clutch felt great and the car did hug the road well.

 

[Lflouie]

100% agree.
I'm not sure what I expected, I have seen every video out on the ITS and so when I put it in custom mode and went sport + for engine, sport for suspension and I think sport+ for everything else, I think I just assumed it had more low end torque, the clutch felt very different than my Z which has a brand-new clutch maybe 800 miles ago.

Anyway, they have similar numbers, 300 hp or so in both cars, I think I was just figuring it would pull similarly, but it didn't.

I admittedly didn't push it very hard, only once in traffic, and it was quick enough to get a reaction from the others in the car, but to me, it felt lighter than I expected it too.
I still really enjoyed my time in the car and cant 2wait to buy one and get to know it better.

I am not even buying it for the quickness, I just love the whole package.

I started out wanting a reliable car, so I decided on a sport civic with the 2 liter 158 hp, a perfect economy car that is still fun to drive and great on gas, but then the Type R FL5 came out and I thought hmm I like that, still reliable yet with a little fun too, then the ITS came out and I realized this is the car I have been waiting for, enough torque and power to have fun in traffic, yet premium enough to upgrade my current experience with some modern touches, and comfortable and roomy enough to be much more practical than my Z.

I do really like the exterior styling of the Integra over the Civic, I like the civic as well, but I think the Integra has more personality and better body lines overall, but I prefer the interior of the civic honestly, if it had some of the other options you get in the integra.

Anyway, I do love the car, I plan to buy one, it was fun too drive and I'm sure given more time with it and getting through break in I would learn to drive the car better and enjoy the performance, it's just different than my Z.

I asked the sales rep about break in periods, and she shook her head no as if you don't need to worry about break in period restrictions ie: keep revs under a certain rpm, and speed, and to break it in slow then do a 1000-mile oil change and inspection that I am used to with new cars, does that seem right to you?

I plan to follow my gut and break it in as I have all my other vehicles.
My 2000 Silverado is my daily with 245k on it, and to me it has lasted this long because of the way I maintain it and broke it in, who knows.

The type S power delivery is very linear once over 3k and surprisingly pulls to redline with minimal power fall off common on most turbo 4cyl cars. It clearly is not a high torque mid-range car, but suspect a mild tune could improve the torque curve.

What it is very good at is carrying speed into the corners while maintaining a stable and relatively flat chassis through the curve with minimal push.

The suspension compliance is well matched to aggressive street driving or casual driving....an uncommon flexibility that is very hard to achieve.

Like you, I really like the overall body design, 5 door flexibility, styling balance between sporty and a naughty sophistication.

 

[Azkyrie6]

100% agree.
I'm not sure what I expected, I have seen every video out on the ITS and so when I put it in custom mode and went sport + for engine, sport for suspension and I think sport+ for everything else, I think I just assumed it had more low end torque, the clutch felt very different than my Z which has a brand-new clutch maybe 800 miles ago.

Anyway, they have similar numbers, 300 hp or so in both cars, I think I was just figuring it would pull similarly, but it didn't.

I admittedly didn't push it very hard, only once in traffic, and it was quick enough to get a reaction from the others in the car, but to me, it felt lighter than I expected it too.
I still really enjoyed my time in the car and cant 2wait to buy one and get to know it better.

I am not even buying it for the quickness, I just love the whole package.

I started out wanting a reliable car, so I decided on a sport civic with the 2 liter 158 hp, a perfect economy car that is still fun to drive and great on gas, but then the Type R FL5 came out and I thought hmm I like that, still reliable yet with a little fun too, then the ITS came out and I realized this is the car I have been waiting for, enough torque and power to have fun in traffic, yet premium enough to upgrade my current experience with some modern touches, and comfortable and roomy enough to be much more practical than my Z.

I do really like the exterior styling of the Integra over the Civic, I like the civic as well, but I think the Integra has more personality and better body lines overall, but I prefer the interior of the civic honestly, if it had some of the other options you get in the integra.

Anyway, I do love the car, I plan to buy one, it was fun too drive and I'm sure given more time with it and getting through break in I would learn to drive the car better and enjoy the performance, it's just different than my Z.

I asked the sales rep about break in periods, and she shook her head no as if you don't need to worry about break in period restrictions ie: keep revs under a certain rpm, and speed, and to break it in slow then do a 1000-mile oil change and inspection that I am used to with new cars, does that seem right to you?

I plan to follow my gut and break it in as I have all my other vehicles.
My 2000 Silverado is my daily with 245k on it, and to me it has lasted this long because of the way I maintain it and broke it in, who knows.

Well for someone like me, the fastest cars I’ve owned are 2000 Integra LS, 130HP and 2006 TL automatic 240HP. The ITS would likely feel amazing to me to drive. I’m sure for enthusiasts who knows cars extremely well can tell why the CTR and ITS have great performance and handling.

I know I’ll love the ITS whenever my allocation comes up, but I’ll be losing Homelink feature, bummed about that

 

[optronix]

Today I was able to take a test drive of the ITS and it was great.
It wasn't quite what I had expected.
I drove there in my 07" 350Z 6 spd manual.
I was expecting a little more aggressive feeling in sport + mode but it seemed very light throttle compared to my Z.
Less torque as well, but it may have just been the short drive too.
The car had 33 miles on it so we weren't allowed to or able to push it much and we went on a relatively short drive, twice, but it was enough to get the feel.
I am still very much anticipating buying one in Dec, but it wasn't as exciting as I had hoped based on the hype, videos and reviews I have watched or read.
The car is amazing, very nice in and out and fun to drive.
I took a few pics.

Have you ever driven a turbo car before? Serious question, I'm not asking satirically. It's a different experience and the first time I drove one it literally blew my mind. But you might have to re-train your brain, and not everyone likes turbo power delivery.

I think you've posted earlier that you'd never consider taking your car to a track, and I think that mentality is what's happening here. You can't just breath on the throttle and expect this thing to put you back in your seat. It's designed intentionally to deliver power linearly as the revs increase. And you have to go into the throttle a little bit for the turbo to build boost. That will literally never happen if you don't get into the throttle more than you probably have to in your Z, and with the salesperson sitting next to you on a car with 33 miles, you didn't get the opportunity to experience what the engine is capable of.

I'd recommend finding an FK8 and actually getting on it a bit on a test drive before you buy this car. Don't take my word for it- go and experience this exact same engine but put your foot down. You'll know if you like it by the time you hit 5000 rpm in 2nd gear with your foot to the floor.

If you're still not convinced, don't waste your time with this car. Go buy a German car. Consider an S4.

 

[Lflouie]

Have you ever driven a turbo car before? Serious question, I'm not asking satirically. It's a different experience and the first time I drove one it literally blew my mind. But you might have to re-train your brain, and not everyone likes turbo power delivery.

I think you've posted earlier that you'd never consider taking your car to a track, and I think that mentality is what's happening here. You can't just breath on the throttle and expect this thing to put you back in your seat. It's designed intentionally to deliver power linearly as the revs increase. And you have to go into the throttle a little bit for the turbo to build boost. That will literally never happen if you don't get into the throttle more than you probably have to in your Z, and with the salesperson sitting next to you on a car with 33 miles, you didn't get the opportunity to experience what the engine is capable of.

I'd recommend finding an FK8 and actually getting on it a bit on a test drive before you buy this car. Don't take my word for it- go and experience this exact same engine but put your foot down. You'll know if you like it by the time you hit 5000 rpm in 2nd gear with your foot to the floor.

If you're still not convinced, don't waste your time with this car. Go buy a German car. Consider an S4.

The only 4 cyl turbo car that I know of that delivers that "old school" torque delivery is a Focus RS. Mine had a very mild tune and yielded 440 lb- ft of torque at 3000 rpm...an amazingly easy car to drive car without ever needing to go beyond 6000 rpm.

 

[lumper]

Have you ever driven a turbo car before? Serious question, I'm not asking satirically. It's a different experience and the first time I drove one it literally blew my mind. But you might have to re-train your brain, and not everyone likes turbo power delivery.

I think you've posted earlier that you'd never consider taking your car to a track, and I think that mentality is what's happening here. You can't just breath on the throttle and expect this thing to put you back in your seat. It's designed intentionally to deliver power linearly as the revs increase. And you have to go into the throttle a little bit for the turbo to build boost. That will literally never happen if you don't get into the throttle more than you probably have to in your Z, and with the salesperson sitting next to you on a car with 33 miles, you didn't get the opportunity to experience what the engine is capable of.

I'd recommend finding an FK8 and actually getting on it a bit on a test drive before you buy this car. Don't take my word for it- go and experience this exact same engine but put your foot down. You'll know if you like it by the time you hit 5000 rpm in 2nd gear with your foot to the floor.

If you're still not convinced, don't waste your time with this car. Go buy a German car. Consider an S4.

Great point, I have NOT driven a turbo before, hadn't really thought about that.

Sponsored