They actually have a very long and detailed reason behind why they went with a torsion beam as it was the best way to get the predictable handling they wanted. If the goal was handling and not "omg soft ride" then the beam is perfectly fine than a needlessly complicated and costly system.
To me if you have a black/CF piece on the back you NEED one on the front. For example, if you have a matte black spoiler on the rear, you then need a matte black lip on the front to balance out the color contrast. If you, have it on the rear between the taillights, then you need it on the grill...
I guess it depends on what you call a competitor. The base 27K Mustang has that feature, has for years. I'm actually amazed the Civic doesn't have it. I figured it would have had it for like 5yrs by now.
Other than at a drag strip I've never really found rev lights useful. I have them off on my Mustang. I'm so used to the car I can know by sound roughly what my RPM's are and when to shift. I only really use them due to how loud it is at the track.
That said, even my 2000 Escort had a shift light.
Expectations for the Type-S
272HP
Manual and DCT(possibly Accord automatic) options
Suspension based on the CTR, but tuned more for a softer ride than the CTR
What I'd LOVE/DREAM for:
Previous CTR engine, possibly tweaked to "only" be 290-300hp, a tune change to make it a little smoother for...
I get people that like to show off what their trim level is, I mean, they paid for it, why not brag some. I just prefer it to be a bit more subtle. People that don't know anything about Acura would know what Aspec or Type-S mean anyway, no matter how large the badge is.
It's likely the LE changes and maybe better tires. Probably a small power bump or change in the power band/gearing.
Either way I'm hoping this says a lot about the Type-S Integra suspention.
Personally, I'm not a fan of all the A-Spec badging. They look out of place in the Integra body lines. I much more like how Infiniti does theirs. on the Q50 you have Blue Sport(killed off after a year or so), Silver Sport or Red Sport. The difference? The Color of the S on the badge Q50S, Q50S...
I remember when Ford was asked about them persisting the answer was that it can't due to a regulation. The steering/ect has to be the same every time you start the car.
Honestly while I like the look, I really don't get why so many people care if a wheel is flat bottom or not. Which is funny as I see so many here saying it should have it, but then I see others on other sites saying they are so tired of the flat bottom wheel trend.
I'm mixed on struts, as how often do you need to pop the hood? Just to check/change fluids? I added hood struts to my Mustang, but really, it makes next to no difference IMO. Even 60K+ Shelby's don't have struts.
Maybe I'm odd but I fined the A-Spec badges on the fenders kind of feeling out of place. I think it's because the body line swoops instead of it being parallel. May have been better if they were up higher to parallel the hood line. For me I'd probably remove them assuming they are stuck on and...
Specs leaked.
300HP/273ft-lb 1.6T 3cyl
AWD
6spd manual only option
Could be a really fun/interesting car. With the STi, focus RS gone the only real competitor I think is the Civic Type-R and the Veloster N, but this also has AWD.
Thats a hard deal to pass in today market. IMO you made the right choice if a manual wasn't something you really wanted. I'd probably be in a 3 series right now if BMW hadn't killed the manual version just as I was starting to need a new car.