Post Your Firsthand Thoughts on Dealer Demo Integra Type-S

Creating this thread so we can share our firsthand thoughts on looks at/drives in the Type-S...

I haven't driven one or ridden in one, but I just got done doing a fair amount of sitting in one, poking around at it, and even got to listen to it--here are some initial takeaways:

• First and foremost, I truly believe someone blindfolded would have a REALLY hard time telling the A-Spec + Tech seat from the Type-S seat--the bolstering is slightly larger in the Type-S, and I'm talking ever so slightly. If you're on the bigger/wider side, you might find they offer a slightly tighter hold, but as a Size Medium-man, there's essentially no difference.
• That said, the middle portion of the Type-S does seem to have more grip than the ultrasuede in the A-Spec + Tech--I imagine they'll add to an enjoyable spirited driving experience (the A-Spec + Tech seats are enjoyable enough, IMO), but the nominally larger bolsters plus grippier centers do not make these a faux Type-R seat.
• I like the perforated wheel with the dimpled shift knob--aesthetically, it's a nice match--change either one, and you blow it. Oh well.
• I'm not a stickler for fit and finish, nor did I go over the car with a fine-tooth comb... but I didn't notice any issues. The paint looked good, the car was dirty from transit. I'm not buying this particular one, but I didn't see anything that would've stopped me.
• I will say the rear fender additions that are add-ons are pretty clearly add-ons--obviously one wouldn't caulk such a thing, but if you look for the seam, you won't un-see it.
• On a cold start, while sitting idle, the exhaust note isn't that different from the A-Spec + Tech--switch it to Sport+, however, and there's a noticeable difference. I'm no exhaust aficionado... but it does have a nice deep, bellowing sound even at idle. And yes, when revved, it does pop and bang. Not an "exhaust person", but it did make me smile.
• The back seat feels no different than the A-Spec + Tech, but your rear passengers may complain about the lack of a center armrest--it does seem like an odd omission. The exhaust isn't loud enough to drown out those complaints, but the ELS Audio could drown out an actual helicopter landing on the car. Do what you need to do.
• The engine looks great, and it has a great-looking hood--I'm loving how angular it is in the front, but wondering if certain colors (Black) might hide some of that.
• Overall, the car does seem much wider, but only at the fenders, not at the sills--this is odd because the sills are technically wider to align with the fenders. See for yourself. The wheels look great. The Brembo calipers are awesome. I love the contrast of gloss black and Platinum White. This car has plenty of exterior gloss black. Consider protective film if you're concerned.
• Overall, it's a MUCH sportier-looking vehicle. I'm pleased.

That's all I've got--no test drives until it's been PDI'ed or Monday 6/19, depending on who I asked. Not sure if those two things are the same, but I didn't find anything that made me want to bail on this purchase during this particular tour. A drive/ride will be the deciding factor for me.

Dealer responded that they received an email today saying the cars arrived too soon, before the 19th. They won't even perform the PDI until the 19th. So now it just sits until then.

Integra23 said:

Dealer responded saying they received an email today saying the cars arises too soon, before the 19th. They won't even perform the PDI until the 19th. So now it just sits until then.

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I've had one dealership (Acura Columbus) tell me the car is fair game for test drives as soon as it's PDI'ed, and this one (Lindsay) said it won't be done with PDI until Monday 6/19--I assume the PDI process is fairly fast, but they do have accessories they're obligated to add to the demo model, so that adds some time.

Overall, it would make a lot of sense if Acura tells dealerships that test drives are forbidden until Monday 6/19 at 9AM--if nothing else, Acura probably wants people seeing their first impressions post-embargo before ours pre-embargo.

Thought I'd share these. I didn't take them.

Additional photos and videos

Someone jumped the gun. I wonder if the embargo applies to salespeople:

JC-RH said:

Someone jumped the gun. I wonder if the embargo applies to salespeople:

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Oooooooh man I can’t wait to watch! If it gives driving impressions, I’d be willing to bet somebody is in trouble!

Edit: For anyone in the Baltimore area wanting a test drive, it might be worth giving Rosenthal Acura a call to see if they'll let you get a drive too.

Grabbed a couple stills from that video

RUNN1N said:

Oooooooh man I can’t wait to watch! If it gives driving impressions, I’d be willing to bet somebody is in trouble!

Edit: For anyone in the Baltimore area wanting a test drive, it might be worth giving Rosenthal Acura a call to see if they'll let you get a drive too.

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My understanding is that the embargo only applies to the media who were selected for early test drives. They probably didn’t count on someone making a video so soon within days of the car being on sale lol.

Midnight_VTEC said:

My understanding is that the embargo only applies to the media who were selected for early test drives. They probably didn’t count on someone making a video so soon within days of the car being on sale lol.

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video is now set to private. Honestly, I’ll be surprised if he didn’t get in trouble. Acura has worked hard to keep thingsunder embargo so to have their own employee break that… well

The cars are shipping and already showing up at dealers. They should just lift the embargo before the weekend. I’m sure all the reviewers already completed the edits on their videos. Would be a great thing to do going into the Father’s Day weekend.

Midnight_VTEC said:

My understanding is that the embargo only applies to the media who were selected for early test drives. They probably didn’t count on someone making a video so soon within days of the car being on sale lol.

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So I've read just as much of Acura's embargo guidelines as you have, but let's keep in mind--we're talking about the same dealership that said employees can't participate in the reservation system... the same company that took a bunch of money to fly their most brand-friendly journalists to Cali and put them up for a few days so they could have production-ready content by the minute the embargo is up in exchange for their secrecy beforehand... and you're thinking that same company's going to be cool with (and surprised by) one of their aspiring influencer salespeople or techs posting the first POV and driving impressions of this thing? Personally, I'm sure they thought about this type of thing and communicated about it.

meki22 said:

video is now set to private. Honestly, I’ll be surprised if he didn’t get in trouble. Acura has worked hard to keep thingsunder embargo so to have their own employee break that… well

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The best thing this guy could do now would be to say, "Whoops, I thought I set that video to go public on 6/19 at 9AM," because I'm with you, I'm thinking he's in some trouble. At least he didn't specifically say something like, "Hey, look at me here on 6/14 posting the world's first driving review of this thing," so he's got that going for him!

Bzal1122 said:

The cars are shipping and already showing up at dealers. They should just lift the embargo before the weekend. I’m sure all the reviewers already completed the edits on their videos. Would be a great thing to do going into the Father’s Day weekend.

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You're better off hoping for breakfast in bed, though I admit the gift of driving impressions would be great this year.

For anyone who didn't see the POV driving impressions video that was posted yesterday but since made private, here are my notes:

• Interior: He liked the shift knob and suede boot, as well as the perforated wheel, and noted the rest of the interior is largely unchanged.
• Shifter: He said the shifter feels exactly the same--not sure if any of us were expecting it to be any different, but seems this guy might've been.
• Steering: He claims the steering feels sharper in the Type-S.
• Power: He said the engine feels much more powerful--he owns an A-Spec + Tech, and I think we all knew the power difference would feel pretty obvious.
• Rev-Hang: He didn't drive it long before he pointed out there's still rev-hang and insists all turbo vehicles have it--he didn't go into detail, but also didn't seem to be pushing the car in a way that it exhibited any rev-hang (at least at that moment).
• Rev-Matching: He said the rev-matching is even better in the Type-S--I assumed they'd be the same, but might be wrong.
• LSD: He said something about feeling the LSD working, and seemed pleased.
• Digital Display: He pointed out there's a gear indicator in the tach screen, which is absent in the A-Spec + Tech.
• Sales: He was clear he doesn't like the pricing and wishes there was a sunroof, rear vents, and ventilated seats, but seemed to say it was a good vehicle and that people will still pay over MSRP for it. He said he won't be buying one.

Unfortunately, there was no mention of the seating or suspension feel. He didn't seem to be bouncing around like crazy in Sport+ mode (see any video of someone taking everyday roads in +R mode), but he didn't drive it long/far and said he wasn't going to push the car too hard.

He did mention suspension saying it was bouncy and switched it to comfort mode whichthere was a slightly softer feel but maintained that same firm bouncy feeling.