Integra receiving interior and exterior updates for M/Y 2026 (Summer 2025).

[Victorofhavoc]

I don’t track, but I lean into my stuff. I’m about an hour away from HWY-129/Deals Gap/the dragon so I would get good value from the performance. I love my GTI, but I don’t like the unreliability and how small the back seats and hatch area are.

I will say in terms of equipment and fit and finish, the GTi punches above its price. I sat in an integra a-spec a few weeks ago, it felt nice but not on the same level as my wife’s RDX, nor my GTI.

Most people I see who have regrets on the ITS were hoping to buy a CTR but didn’t want to pay the ADM. I’m one of the few who loves just about everything the ITS does.

See the its was the only Honda option to me. Ctr is too boy racer and just downright ugly to me. The omission of heated seats in the Midwest is also a no go.

I've seen 5 or 6 ctr show up for sale in my area a few months back, and they're typically selling for 2-3k under msrp. Its is similar if adding accessories, but base sells for about msrp.

If you're doing more than 60% of what this car is capable of on the street, you're in the zone of scaring people around you. It pulls more G at 60-70% than most average cars are capable of. For street use, other cars have lower limits and would provide more fun before being dangerous. Namely, much sportier cars like the ft86 twins and miata.

Not trying to steer you away from it, I'm just being realistic. If you want 4 doors, a manual, "low cost", a very aggressive street alignment, and you think the ctr is ugly, then this is the car for you. There is nothing else that delivers this kind of package today... Except for the elantra N, which doesn't count for the same reason the ctr doesn't.

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[evanescent03]

[QUOTE="optronix, post: 877698, member: 40961"

... but I haven't even gone on a "fun drive" on the street since August. …. I'm not enjoying the car properly the way I should be, and that's circumstantial but also I just need to get tf out there and drive my car.

[/QUOTE]

I get the same way with my cars .. if I settle into the daily grind and commute with my car, I get bored FAST. Gotta do track days to reinvigorate the feelings. The ITS isn’t perfect but it’s more fun than an M3. M3 is a much nicer feeling car and way faster but so much more isolated … ITS is a cheaper, slower M3 but also more fun bc of its lightweight tossable feel. M3 is pretty lit overall though and if it’s time to move on, it’s not a bad place to go. Want an M4 CSL with buckets? $125ish 1 owner car near me. I’m tempted but holding out for another C8 Z06 or ZR1. Z06 has all the drama that the ITS is missing.

Honestly, you should keep the ITS and find a reallly nice Boxster GTS for yourself. I turned down an allocation on a new one recently … I’m sure it’s great but doesn’t quite make sense to me at the price a new one commands.

 

[StingertimeNC]

I would have gone for the CTR, but the ITS came in sooner and I was tired of waiting. Other than not having the CTR seats, the ITS is way better looking and drives exactly the same, outside of the slightly softer suspension tuning. (It is plenty stiff though)

Also has a nicer interior, heated seats, maybe nicer stereo, etc.

 

[evanescent03]

I would have gone for the CTR, but the ITS came in sooner and I was tired of waiting. Other than not having the CTR seats, the ITS is way better looking and drives exactly the same, outside of the slightly softer suspension tuning. (It is plenty stiff though)

Also has a nicer interior, heated seats, maybe nicer stereo, etc.

I prefer the ITS styling and stereo. And definitely seats. Wife hates the red interior and CTR was going for $5-10k over MSRP so I got the ITS and haven’t looked back. Now I just need some wheels/tires and brake pads for Watkins Glen..

 

[StingertimeNC]

Loving the Apex wheels, Paragon pads (R5 front, P3 rear) is a good setup. Motul RBF 660 fluid or Castrol SRF. Plenty of fun to be had with the stock PS4S tires or Conti Extreme Contact 02.

 

[porkster]

What are the thoughts about the CT4V Blackwing? Seems like you get the great steering, RWD, awesome seats, a little bit more power, and better ride quality with about a $15k premium. I don't care for how it looks, and find the car to be overly cramped even in the drivers seat when I test drove it (they only had the A10). They say the ideal small sport sedan is the G80 with the 4BW's steering feel, but I think the ride quality counts for a lot too. The ITS is fairly stiff around town esp if you live in an area with bad roads.

 

[whtciv2k]

For someone who has no interest in going to the track, would you recommend the integra?
It seems a lot of your frustration is the way the seats feel at the track. I’ve got an S2000 as a weekend car, so I feel like the CTR is a bit overkill. I really want an enjoyable sports sedan with a manual, good reliability, heated seats and feels more special than my MK8 GTI.

I like the CTR, but the only thing that that I like about it more than the ITS is the price and the nameplate. Beyond that the ITS really fits what I want.

Yes, it is super daily drivable. I drive mine in traffic often, dc area traffic… and the clutch in these newer Hondas are so forgiving that it makes it ok.

 

[optronix]

Honestly, you should keep the ITS and find a reallly nice Boxster GTS for yourself. I turned down an allocation on a new one recently … I’m sure it’s great but doesn’t quite make sense to me at the price a new one commands.

I've though about this for a while now, but the sad part is that a 981 GTS is incredibly hard to find, and I'm right there with you about the price of the 718 GTS 4.0 cars. The one I traded in for the ITS carried an MSRP just shy of $115k... but honestly to me that's a far better value than an M4 for $125k. That's insane to me. An M3 used to be the attainable sports car for the upper middle class! I know it's the CSL which is like, a few pounds less and has a fancy badge but come on, it's basically a German Mustang.... for $125k. FML.

I'm not the only one who finds value in the 981 GTS. People are holding on to them, and if you can find one it won't be for less than $75k now and I'd be picky about spec. It's a gloomy outlook to try to replace it... but I will definitely try to someday. For now having both cars is out of the price range, but the kids' school should be paid off in a couple years and it's game on.

What are the thoughts about the CT4V Blackwing? Seems like you get the great steering, RWD, awesome seats, a little bit more power, and better ride quality with about a $15k premium. I don't care for how it looks, and find the car to be overly cramped even in the drivers seat when I test drove it (they only had the A10). They say the ideal small sport sedan is the G80 with the 4BW's steering feel, but I think the ride quality counts for a lot too. The ITS is fairly stiff around town esp if you live in an area with bad roads.

The cost and the fact it's a Cadillac kept me away from it when I was shopping for the ITS initially, but the BW has a lot going for it, and honestly a few weeks ago I was just about ready to go drive one. I'm glad I didn't because I do hear great things about the inputs for that car, which is something I love about the ITS and what's kept me away from BMW the past decade or so. I don't hate the way it looks, ITS wins in that department but just barely, and I vastly prefer rear-wheel drive. The engine even sounds pretty good in the CT4 BW...

But Zygrene did a comparison not too long ago on this car directly against his ITS, and I came away thinking I made the right choice- also keep in mind that similar to the M cars, price can vary WILDLY based on spec, and as evidenced by the MSRP of the last couple Porsches I've had, I would end up paying near six figures for a CT4V BW spec'd the way I'd want it:



Another thing I'll throw out there to anyone who happens to be considering buying an ITS and following the random thoughts in this thread, a LARGE part of my frustration with this car comes from the dealer experience which obviously isn't an issue until you've owned a car for at least a year or more, and it's very important to note that it's a conditioned response from owning Porsches and to a slightly lesser extent Audis and BMWs for many years. It is truly a dramatic drop off in terms of quality of service to the point it makes me want to drive through a damn wall every time I think about taking my car to the dealer. Literally bad enough to drive me away from the brand. And it's not like I miss the fancy coffee machine and snacks in the lounge- Acura more or less has that- it's just the amount of frustration just trying to communicate with them over nearly every damn thing. Oh, and the stupid "prerequisites" for just getting a loaner vehicle (basically you have to have your car towed in and immovable- for any German brand I've owned I didn't even have to ask for one). It's no better than Honda, in fact for many dealerships it's probably worse- and it would be no better with a Cadillac or Hyundai, I'm pretty sure about that!

 

[evanescent03]

I know it's the CSL which is like, a few pounds less and has a fancy badge but come on, it's basically a German Mustang.... for $125k. FML.

….and if you can find [a 981 GTS] it won't be for less than $75k now and I'd be picky about spec. …. but the kids' school should be paid off in a couple years and it's game on.



….the BW has a lot going for it, I would end up paying near six figures for a CT4V BW spec'd the way I'd want it:

CT4V BW seems like a great car but the engine sound has never excited me, otherwise seeems like a fun car. It probably sounds slightly better than an M3/4 (which is my least favorite part about that car too), but the CT5VBW is where I’d probably go if I chose Caddy. Wife says Cadillac is for old people and so I’ve never even test driven one. lol. As I’ve said before, the SS1LE is my favorite sports/track car for the money and that has a lot to do with chassis and motor (and 6MT and seats adjustable suspension and brakes). The caddy has a lot do that so I’m sure i would like how they drive. Interior design has also been a low point for me on the Caddy. I can accept it on the S1LE as a track toy but less accepting when it’s a do-everything purpose like 5VBW or 4VBW.

ITS still scratches the itch for me for most aspects of what I do, except track stuff.

bottom line for me is that There ARE cars that do some things better but the ITS is a great complete- package especially for the price. I’d have a hard time getting rid of it and thinking “yeah, that was smart”. I’ll probably add to it rather than replace it, I think.
Hold onto your it’s and add that GTS back once you get there kids’ school paid off.

 

[optronix]

CT4V BW seems like a great car but the engine sound has never excited me, otherwise seeems like a fun car. It probably sounds slightly better than an M3/4 (which is my least favorite part about that car too), but the CT5VBW is where I’d probably go if I chose Caddy. Wife says Cadillac is for old people and so I’ve never even test driven one. lol. As I’ve said before, the SS1LE is my favorite sports/track car for the money and that has a lot to do with chassis and motor (and 6MT and seats adjustable suspension and brakes). The caddy has a lot do that so I’m sure i would like how they drive. Interior design has also been a low point for me on the Caddy. I can accept it on the S1LE as a track toy but less accepting when it’s a do-everything purpose like 5VBW or 4VBW.

ITS still scratches the itch for me for most aspects of what I do, except track stuff.

bottom line for me is that There ARE cars that do some things better but the ITS is a great complete- package especially for the price. I’d have a hard time getting rid of it and thinking “yeah, that was smart”. I’ll probably add to it rather than replace it, I think.
Hold onto your it’s and add that GTS back once you get there kids’ school paid off.

Yeah- dealing with the wife's eye rolling and judgy smirks would be enough to keep me away from Cadillac as well. lol.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

CT4V BW seems like a great car but the engine sound has never excited me, otherwise seeems like a fun car. It probably sounds slightly better than an M3/4 (which is my least favorite part about that car too), but the CT5VBW is where I’d probably go if I chose Caddy. Wife says Cadillac is for old people and so I’ve never even test driven one. lol. As I’ve said before, the SS1LE is my favorite sports/track car for the money and that has a lot to do with chassis and motor (and 6MT and seats adjustable suspension and brakes). The caddy has a lot do that so I’m sure i would like how they drive. Interior design has also been a low point for me on the Caddy. I can accept it on the S1LE as a track toy but less accepting when it’s a do-everything purpose like 5VBW or 4VBW.

ITS still scratches the itch for me for most aspects of what I do, except track stuff.

bottom line for me is that There ARE cars that do some things better but the ITS is a great complete- package especially for the price. I’d have a hard time getting rid of it and thinking “yeah, that was smart”. I’ll probably add to it rather than replace it, I think.
Hold onto your it’s and add that GTS back once you get there kids’ school paid off.

SS1LE and any current camaro make terrible track cars.

Beyond being unreasonably expensive on basic consumables (and you're talking to a guy that drops $2k twice per year on slicks), you just can't get a helmet through the window. In the case of an accident with a fire, you're likely going to burn alive because the fire crew won't be able to extract you. The pace it can put down will also ensure it won't be a small accident.

As an instructor, I don't typically say no to riding along with anyone, even novices driving caged cars. However, if I see a "younger" guy with an SS1LE, I'm not getting into the passenger seat. Nope, nope, nope.

4bw was way too cramped. Made my gti feel like a palace. It wasn't the space per se, but the cabin layout. When I got the seat comfy (as a 6'0" guy that's mostly legs and arms), there was no room left for a kids carseat behind me. 5bw is the way with caddy. Insurance on it is wild if you're younger than 60. I was quoted twice what an m3 would have been for me. 3x the Integra and nearly 4x my gti . Other than that, and it's appearance, it's a muuuuch better car. Too much power for the street. I wish it had less.

 

[evanescent03]

SS1LE and any current camaro make terrible track cars.

Beyond being unreasonably expensive on basic consumables (and you're talking to a guy that drops $2k twice per year on slicks), you just can't get a helmet through the window. In the case of an accident with a fire, you're likely going to burn alive because the fire crew won't be able to extract you. The pace it can put down will also ensure it won't be a small accident.

As an instructor, I don't typically say no to riding along with anyone, even novices driving caged cars. However, if I see a "younger" guy with an SS1LE, I'm not getting into the passenger seat. Nope, nope, nope.

4bw was way too cramped. Made my gti feel like a palace. It wasn't the space per se, but the cabin layout. When I got the seat comfy (as a 6'0" guy that's mostly legs and arms), there was no room left for a kids carseat behind me. 5bw is the way with caddy. Insurance on it is wild if you're younger than 60. I was quoted twice what an m3 would have been for me. 3x the Integra and nearly 4x my gti . Other than that, and it's appearance, it's a muuuuch better car. Too much power for the street. I wish it had less.

Agree to disagree. Of all the track cars I’ve had, the Camaro is the best. Plenty fast but not crazy. Easy to change brake pads (no new caliper bolts for a simple pad change like Porsche). Acceptable recaro seats. Ability to adjust front camber to like -2.7* without any crazy upgrades, track diff, lots of cooling (never overheating anything even at Thunderhill and Sonoma), crazy good mechanical grip with just supercar3 tires …


Consumables for any car but an MX5 or GR86 are gonna be costly. A reasonable consideration but highly subjective metric when it comes to what’s reasonable or not. For HPDE we see beat up Miata’s and custom Ferraris with a whole team of Ferrari mechanics sharing the same track time (Ben Sloss comes to mind .. talk about an HPDE budget lol). Spend as much or little as you want, it’s fun at any price.

5VBW is where I’d go if my wife wasn’t such a hater

all that to say I took my ITS for the power steering recall. Drove a loaner integra with CVT(?) and it was very uninspiring. Manual is mandatory on that car to be fun (I had an Si .. thought it was really fun despite being kinda slow).

 

[Victorofhavoc]

Agree to disagree. Of all the track cars I’ve had, the Camaro is the best. Plenty fast but not crazy. Easy to change brake pads (no new caliper bolts for a simple pad change like Porsche). Acceptable recaro seats. Ability to adjust front camber to like -2.7* without any crazy upgrades, track diff, lots of cooling (never overheating anything even at Thunderhill and Sonoma), crazy good mechanical grip with just supercar3 tires …


Consumables for any car but an MX5 or GR86 are gonna be costly. A reasonable consideration but highly subjective metric when it comes to what’s reasonable or not. For HPDE we see beat up Miata’s and custom Ferraris with a whole team of Ferrari mechanics sharing the same track time (Ben Sloss comes to mind .. talk about an HPDE budget lol). Spend as much or little as you want, it’s fun at any price.

5VBW is where I’d go if my wife wasn’t such a hater

all that to say I took my ITS for the power steering recall. Drove a loaner integra with CVT(?) and it was very uninspiring. Manual is mandatory on that car to be fun (I had an Si .. thought it was really fun despite being kinda slow).

I won't argue the camaro is capable. I'm just arguing the window is too small to extract a human in the event of an accident. I'm not sure I'd be able to get out of it on my trailer.

 

[Nerd-Vol]

SS1LE and any current camaro make terrible track cars.

Beyond being unreasonably expensive on basic consumables (and you're talking to a guy that drops $2k twice per year on slicks), you just can't get a helmet through the window. In the case of an accident with a fire, you're likely going to burn alive because the fire crew won't be able to extract you. The pace it can put down will also ensure it won't be a small accident.

As an instructor, I don't typically say no to riding along with anyone, even novices driving caged cars. However, if I see a "younger" guy with an SS1LE, I'm not getting into the passenger seat. Nope, nope, nope.

4bw was way too cramped. Made my gti feel like a palace. It wasn't the space per se, but the cabin layout. When I got the seat comfy (as a 6'0" guy that's mostly legs and arms), there was no room left for a kids carseat behind me. 5bw is the way with caddy. Insurance on it is wild if you're younger than 60. I was quoted twice what an m3 would have been for me. 3x the Integra and nearly 4x my gti . Other than that, and it's appearance, it's a muuuuch better car. Too much power for the street. I wish it had less.

Regarding the CT4. The small size removed it from my consideration. I’m 6’5” and I fit perfectly fine up front, no chance for anyone to sit behind me. Pretty much the same story in my GTI. Truthfully, the only car I’ve owned that actually sat 4 was my 10th Gen civic.

The generous size of the Civic/integra is a big plus!

 

[evanescent03]

I won't argue the camaro is capable. I'm just arguing the window is too small to extract a human in the event of an accident. I'm not sure I'd be able to get out of it on my trailer.

trailer would be an issue.. I pulled it straight on and climb out with the fender removed (enclosed with side escape door).

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