Review: 2024 Acura Integra Type S - In Defense of the Type S

[pomegranate]

I still think that people who criticize this car for cost are not the proper target demographic. There are so many cars that are better buys if you don't prioritize the driving dynamics.

i.e., if you're not routinely driving the car on twisty backroads or doing motorsports type things, you probably should look elsewhere. The money you're spending is on the engineering that went into making the car as fun to drive as it is, but if you're not realizing that and just using it to commute or run errands, you're better off with something else.

If I just needed to drive to work and the grocery store, there's no way I'd pick an ITS over an S4. NO EFFING WAY lol. But... I had an S4 for a bit and it's just dead inside when you try to drive it on a backroad.

If you do prioritize driving dynamics though, there's not a better sports sedan out there for DOUBLE the cost. You have to get to an M3C to even start having the conversation, and even then you're looking at such a different experience it's not impossible to still prefer the ITS (for example, I still would buy an ITS over a G80 M3, even if I could get one for $50k). But... my primary use case for this car is stress relief, not commuting. I'm the target demographic, and for me I think it's a killer bargain... but there's not many of us, which is why this car is not for everyone.

I love your passion for the ITS, but this just never made sense to me. The Type R is the tracking, racer's car where lap-times and driver dynamics matter the most. The S in Type S always meant street to me, but it's clear they started with the Type R and added some touches rather than how Acura typically does Type S's.

This is just a difference in vision for the car, obviously. I rather they cared less about weight and added more typical luxury features like ventilated seats, rear seat vents, memory seats, WHILE giving it the K20C + LSD. Instead it literally is just a Type R with some additional features, more akin to a technology package + different face than a separate model or identity.

Coming back to Demographics, the Type R is niche, and now it seems like the Type S is even more niche where I think they should've broadened the demographics, not made it smaller. This is where people typically argue TLX, but that doesn't make sense to me either. The TLX is bloated, it's not compact nor practical and they're not even in the same size class.

Honestly, a super perfect Integra to me, would've been more Acura-fied. Keep the aggressive looks, the liftback, the practical cargo capacity, even the body kit, and then add actual sound deadening, passenger + driver automatic seats, heated and ventilated seats, memory seats, ideally the Accord infotainment, rear seat vents, and maybe auto-folding mirrors and that'd be it. I'd say worth 60k at that point whether it was a manual and/or AT. Hopefully build quality that warrants 60k too

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[creaturemachine]

I'm all for renaming this place OptronixForums if everyone else is cool with it since he's obviously the best driver with the best car ever. We should be so lucky to share his car with him.

 

[grahm]

I'm all for renaming this place OptronixForums if everyone else is cool with it since he's obviously the best driver with the best car ever. We should be so lucky to share his car with him.

I've been thinking about sending all of my posts to Optronix before I post so he can edit them to include something about how my Type R is a True Driver's Car Better Than All Cars Twice The Price, And Trust Me Because Did You Know I Own A Porsche?

 

[optronix]

Just think, if I had just kept my car history to myself, I wouldn't have such adoring fans! @creaturemachine, a new member! Thanks so much for your valued contribution to the discussion.

I love your passion for the ITS, but this just never made sense to me. The Type R is the tracking, racer's car where lap-times and driver dynamics matter the most. The S in Type S always meant street to me, but it's clear they started with the Type R and added some touches rather than how Acura typically does Type S's.

This is just a difference in vision for the car, obviously. I rather they cared less about weight and added more typical luxury features like ventilated seats, rear seat vents, memory seats, WHILE giving it the K20C + LSD. Instead it literally is just a Type R with some additional features, more akin to a technology package + different face than a separate model or identity.

Coming back to Demographics, the Type R is niche, and now it seems like the Type S is even more niche where I think they should've broadened the demographics, not made it smaller. This is where people typically argue TLX, but that doesn't make sense to me either. The TLX is bloated, it's not compact nor practical and they're not even in the same size class.

Honestly, a super perfect Integra to me, would've been more Acura-fied. Keep the aggressive looks, the liftback, the practical cargo capacity, even the body kit, and then add actual sound deadening, passenger + driver automatic seats, heated and ventilated seats, memory seats, ideally the Accord infotainment, rear seat vents, and maybe auto-folding mirrors and that'd be it. I'd say worth 60k at that point whether it was a manual and/or AT. Hopefully build quality that warrants 60k too

For all those in attendance, ^this is how you articulate a point.

I get it. There is a ton of duplicity in the two models... but also enough of a difference that it makes sense. Driving dynamics mean a lot on the street too. Where I'm very grateful that the bosses at Honda decided to stick as close to the Type R as possible, is that there are just SO MANY watered-down appliances in this segment, and it's only getting worse. For those who would veer towards a "luxury-oriented" Type R, with Porsche-equivalent driving dynamics and a manual transmission- they would care less about Acura-fying it and just want a Type R that didn't have a giant wing on the back and maybe a few "upscale" features. In that sense they delivered a perfect fit. Yes, it's niche. And yes, they'll sell every one they make.

I still maintain that if that's what you want, you should deeply consider an A4. Better bargain, better fit for your use case of having a fun, sporty sedan that looks and drives great while having all the luxury amenities you could ask for- but doesn't quite deliver very well on a track day or canyon roads. If you absolutely have to have a manual transmission, but with memory seats, a sunroof, and rear usb, I think the base Integra fits the bill, right? Again, for those who insist on having a manual, they don't really care about those things as much. But there's not enough of us to justify a more luxury-oriented Type S.

I just don't think this thing would have hit the same notes if they cared less about weight, and added all those features which would in turn drive the price up even higher to the point it would rub up against an RS3, which would be very bad even for someone like me because the RS3 has a ton of merits but the price difference is enough to keep me more interested in the ITS (I'd still have one if it was available in a manual...). It's priced exactly as it needs to be, I've said that since the price was first revealed.

We keep coming back to build quality somehow but where's the data to back that up? What are they actually failing at? I know there were some early production issues but I think most of those have been more or less ironed out- if not at least on par with most other makes? Or did I actually get lucky with having a car that's been pretty much trouble free aside from the annoying wastegate rattle? I'm asking- are there truly build quality issues that we should be concerned about?

 

[PRDE5]

One other thing that’s better on the DE5 is the horn, we have a real horn not the beep beep of the civics.

 

[StingertimeNC]

Damn right our Horn is better!

 

[rui]

Just think, if I had just kept my car history to myself, I wouldn't have such adoring fans! @creaturemachine, a new member! Thanks so much for your valued contribution to the discussion.



For all those in attendance, ^this is how you articulate a point.

I get it. There is a ton of duplicity in the two models... but also enough of a difference that it makes sense. Driving dynamics mean a lot on the street too. Where I'm very grateful that the bosses at Honda decided to stick as close to the Type R as possible, is that there are just SO MANY watered-down appliances in this segment, and it's only getting worse. For those who would veer towards a "luxury-oriented" Type R, with Porsche-equivalent driving dynamics and a manual transmission- they would care less about Acura-fying it and just want a Type R that didn't have a giant wing on the back and maybe a few "upscale" features. In that sense they delivered a perfect fit. Yes, it's niche. And yes, they'll sell every one they make.

I still maintain that if that's what you want, you should deeply consider an A4. Better bargain, better fit for your use case of having a fun, sporty sedan that looks and drives great while having all the luxury amenities you could ask for- but doesn't quite deliver very well on a track day or canyon roads. If you absolutely have to have a manual transmission, but with memory seats, a sunroof, and rear usb, I think the base Integra fits the bill, right? Again, for those who insist on having a manual, they don't really care about those things as much. But there's not enough of us to justify a more luxury-oriented Type S.

I just don't think this thing would have hit the same notes if they cared less about weight, and added all those features which would in turn drive the price up even higher to the point it would rub up against an RS3, which would be very bad even for someone like me because the RS3 has a ton of merits but the price difference is enough to keep me more interested in the ITS (I'd still have one if it was available in a manual...). It's priced exactly as it needs to be, I've said that since the price was first revealed.

We keep coming back to build quality somehow but where's the data to back that up? What are they actually failing at? I know there were some early production issues but I think most of those have been more or less ironed out- if not at least on par with most other makes? Or did I actually get lucky with having a car that's been pretty much trouble free aside from the annoying wastegate rattle? I'm asking- are there truly build quality issues that we should be concerned about?

The ITS is in fact a more softly-suspended, quieter (in terms of sound deadening), and better equipped CTR.

Perhaps not as much as some would desire, but there are other cars out there that cater to that. Including the TLX Type S...

I kind of struggle to picture the client who wants a manual transmission but also a super cushy luxurious isolation chamber. I don't think they exist in any meaningful numbers.

 

[bvanlieu]

I kind of struggle to picture the client who wants a manual transmission ... in any meaningful numbers.

FIFY.

El Manual can't be saved, and why I got the ITS. Likely the last of its kind. Sad, but we also lost the dodo...

 

[creaturemachine]

Damn right our Horn is better!

Not just any driver can handle a horn like this. Only the purist, MSRP-paying DE5 owner can wield such a honk.

 

[egxflash]

I kind of struggle to picture the client who wants a manual transmission but also a super cushy luxurious isolation chamber. I don't think they exist in any meaningful numbers.

You struggle to picture someone wanting a little extra sound deadening, maybe a mirror and ventilated seats in a more “street” oriented car with a luxury badge?

I don’t think anyone here is looking for lexus-level but it should at least beat something like a Mazda….

 

[egxflash]

FIFY.

El Manual can't be saved, and why I got the ITS. Likely the last of its kind. Sad, but we also lost the dodo...

Hard to save when fewer and fewer people care about it now.

Just look at all the people suggesting TLX Type-S, RS3, S4, IS400 as alternates to the ITS…none of those have a manual.

That was THE dealbreaker for me when I was shopping around: manual or bust!

 

[BatesMotelXIV]

Good stuff, great pics. Still won't convince someone who's consumed by the Type R "aura".

There's an active thread going on civicxi right now, where some dude that clearly wants a Type R test drove a DE5, and it is kind of shocking to see the relentless trashing.

Whatever, if people who probably paid $10-20k over MSRP for their Type R is the only group who can't come to grips with this car, I can live with that.

Also, RS5 owners REALLY seem to hate this car.

For what it's worth, an RS3 owner gave me a nod of approval as we passed on the highway a few weeks back. Obviously, he didn't have an RS5 specifically, but at least *some* Audi owners have an open mind...

 

[optronix]

For what it's worth, an RS3 owner gave me a nod of approval as we passed on the highway a few weeks back. Obviously, he didn't have an RS5 specifically, but at least *some* Audi owners have an open mind...

Lol, I was saying it tongue in cheek. That's good to hear that as auto enthusiasts we can appreciate other cars... but I had a guy run up on my ass the other day and sure enough it was an RS5.

 

[creaturemachine]

Hard to save when fewer and fewer people care about it now.

And electric motors don't need gearboxes.

 

[porkster]

The majority of comparisons are ITS vs CTR, but they should also include the Accord. I have a 10th gen Accord 2.0T Touring, and one of the value questions for me is how the Accord 2.0T Touring retailed for over $10k less but feels more premium and has more luxury features. Moonroof, cooled seats, power passenger seat, memory seating, Homelink. The infotainment system seems better, the steering wheel is thicker and shaped better, and all the buttons and switches feel great. Still has the 2.0T turbo motor and adaptive dampers. My wife often says I now have two Accords. They drive totally different so there's that.

The single oddest thing to me is that the Accord Touring HUD has a S2000 style rev counter with a gear indicator, and the ITS does not.

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