Xelloss
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Hi all, registered around when I picked up my new '26 ITS ~ but have held off on posting a review for a few reasons. One being to see how my opinion of the car changed after having it, after all the buzz and emotion of buying a sharp looking car started to wear off. Another being to see if the car developed any of the rattles or other minor acoustic gremlins some others had described with their MY24 and MY25 machines.
First, I'll start with the punch line - summary of my overall thoughts, for those who are just curious on whether I like it and how much, then expand a bit on various thoughts, observations, complaints (there are a couple), car background and my own considerations when purchasing for those looking more closely at picking up an ITS and looking for more detailed ownership opinions.
Summary ~
The ITS is a damn good car. So far it has lived up to and even exceeded my expectations for a practical driver's car. Knock on wood, I have had no major issues, nor been plagued by rattles, loose trim, or any known build quality issues. Note I'm not discounting what others may have experienced with these issues, simply stating they have not yet been a bother in my vehicle. Coming from AWD and FR, it took me a hot minute to get used to FF again, especially an FF that drives much differently than ones I had owned in the past. After getting acclimated, it has been a blast to drive. It's also very comfortable and ergonomic interior (for me), has a reasonably quiet interior*(1), the wireless Android Auto works well*(2), the safety features are mostly on-point*(3), the ELS3D sound system is excellent. And, did I mention it's actually fun to drive? Completely subjectively, I also think it looks as sharp as pretty much any car, at any price point. This is 100% personal taste, but I love the styling.
Simply, I'm pretty happy so far with my purchase, and after owning it for 6 months (and making 6 months of payments) I still don't feel like I missed out on anything else, wish I'd gotten something less expensive to save money, nor wish that I'd spent a little bit more on something 'better' - for me at least, I still feel like ITS is about the best car I could have gotten that I could *comfortably* afford. (comfortably means different things to different people, for me, I'm not sacrificing anything or feeling stretched or having to worry or pinch pennies or make difficult budget trade-off. )
To find another car I'd even seriously consider, I found nothing until ~70k and though price was a factor in ITS between them, it was the lesser factor.
--
Note the asterisks - let me cover them real quick
1) My last car was a 2021 WRX, so quietness is relative. Yes, an equivalently priced German cruiser is even (much) quieter but relative to my last car and my expectations, the ITS interior and road noise is not bothersome.
2) The Wireless Android Auto works perfectly except in certain areas, specifically close to some powerful cell/radio towers. It does cut out on occasion, but only in specific areas around LoS of a couple major radio towers. For me, as a practical matter, it never cuts out, except very briefly on a certain road section while driving my dog to parents acreage to run. I cannot speak to what levels of radio interference others might experience, but aside from LoS with specific major radio tower its been perfect for me.
3)The lane-keep assist is honestly dogshit, shaking your steering wheel at 50mph because of snow patterns on road or because you have to dodge a groundhog or something is not fun. Luckily its easy to turn off once you find the right menu on right-hand steering control. The other safety features work well and are useful.
--
So a bit about my car wants, expectations, history and such for context. So what was I looking for? What features matter to me, driving buying decisions? What things pointed me toward ITS versus alternatives?
Well, what I really wanted was a hot hatch. A fun, driver's car, that also had everyday practicality. My current driveway/garage configuration would make it a PITA to have two cars, not to mention I don't currently feel like paying for two - so I need one car for everything. Hatchback is best configuration for that (IMO) giving ample cargo usability while still being small and light enough to have real handling characteristics. I would and did consider standard sedans, including the '26 WRX, German cars, Elantra N. I would have considered VW Golf R despite DCT except for two things - primary being haptic controls, second being availability.
ITS won my vote because -
WRX: was tired of WRX a bit, price had gone up, and to get a decent (still inferior to ITS) sound system had to get a sunroof. Not sure why anyone thinks adding weight, raising center of gravity (low CoG being huge advantage for Subies), and lowering rigidity on a WRX while raising price is a good idea. Well, to me it isn't and cost them a sale. (They have brough back base models after tanking sales, because everything awesome about WRX is in base - maybe they should think about improving what people want in a WRX but I digress)
Elantra N: Fun car, but ITS is just better. The N can honestly be about as fun to drive, but the interior is much better in ITS, the hatch and space is more usable and practical, materials are better, ITS looks (to me) much, much, much cooler, sound system much better in ITS. Overall, ITS is just a better car. However, for anyone wanting a hot FF on a smaller budget, the Elantra N is worth a look. It's a nifty car.
GR Corolla: Only available unit was the automatic, and it was almost as much $$ as the ITS. Had a manual version esp with track package been available I certainly would have driven and considered it.
BMW: M340i was pretty nice, but I didn't want to pay 70+ for it, it wasn't as engaging feeling, was a sweet car but not it for me given price+paddles+sedan. M240i I would have considered if it passed 'dog test' (can dog hop in back seat of coupe) but no availability locally to do said dog test. If one of my key requirements for a car would have been driving around passengers I wanted to impress, converse with, and such - M340i would be more appealing.
Audi: Q5 sportback too SUV-ish. The S3 which is closest price/spec to ITS was a very decent car, a nice car for someone who simply wants a 'nice car' but didn't appeal to me personally in way it felt or drove, it wasn't 'fun' just nice. The RS3, for me fell into same area as the M340i - its a pretty sweet car. However specced out as available was around ~75k and though a sweet car, paddle shifting sedan at price premium just wasn't what I was looking for.
Benz: I drove some for curiosity, but not much appealing. More mild hybrid heavy meh, models I'd be interested in started around 100k. 100% lease-fodder for anything under 100k as far as I am concerned, and I'm not even convinced on the more expensive AMGs I didn't drive any because though I'd consider a 70k car I wouldn't a 100k car.
Noting the german cars did have their high points and advantages. I don't think anyone who bought an RS3 or M340i would be disappointed, nor would I have. They are more refined cars in some respects, particularly the interior, and carry greater 'badge presitige' if that's what you care about. I didn't, and the models I actually enjoyed weren't superior for me in regards to what I wanted, not at price diffrence of 15k-20k in reality. (Sure, RS3 is only 66k starting on paper, and also you can get a manual BMW M2 for ~72k in theory. But not in real dealer availability for me at the time.)
Also did check out some other cars/brands just nothing worth noting in any serious cross-shopping comparison.
---
Other general thoughts:
Generally I want a manual. I've basically never spent my own money on a car that wasn't a manual transmission - and though I have driven and considered some DCT, still prefer 6MT. Just like I don't want too much tech involved in driving - the point is I am the one driving the car. Some of the DCT w/paddle shift I drove were fun, I wouldn't have been "unhappy" with it, but manual is still a major positive for me. This did weigh on my shopping scales.
-- Interior thoughts
Physical buttons. This might not be thought about by many people, or appreciated by all - but it is by me. I *HATE* using car features such as HVAC, AndroidAuto, etc, via capacitive touch.
On forums and such, I have seen people say the ITS is "too Honda". I agree in many respects, the interior IS very Honda. But not giving much care to "prestige/differentiation" this is a bonus. Its very ergonomic and usable. The HVAC has very easy and convenient BUTTONS and DIALS. Heated seats - button. Sound system - buttons, on dash and steering wheel. Minor complaint the steering wheel audio controls dont have a MUTE feature. This is a minor annoyance, not a deal breaker by any stretch but seriously, program double-clicking 'volume down' into a mute feature.
The cup holders and armrest are great height/depth, very usable. Everything is pretty much where I want it to be, and you can even put a drink in the cup holders without them interfering with shifting. Its well thought out.
Honda makes very ergonomic, useful, usable interiors. If you don't care that someone else might see the "Honda" in your interior and judge your car as inferior to a German brand because of it, this is a good thing. If sharing parts with Honda, even the good parts, is a downside because it feels less prestigious (a valid opinion, just not one I share) then the interior quality has negatives. Personally, I absolutely love the way the Honda air vents and HVAC control work and wouldn't trade them. Superior to the modern German cars, which have IMO taken many steps backward in so many areas from the superb lightweight, ergonomic, stylish cars from mid 2000's.
The ELS 3d is very good. No, it is not the absolute best, the Audi and BMW I tested were anywhere from almost as good to somewhat better. Depending on model/trim/price. However ELS3D was significantly better than any of the non-premium label cars I checked out (Subaru, Hyundai, mostly - so no shocker there)
---
Complaints:
I do have one, and that is the button opening for liftback. It has two buttons, one on left and one on the right. To open the hatch, its the left button. I'm not sure why the other button exists. But when I go to do curb-side pickups, literally noone can figure out how to open the hatch. They want to press the right button and it drives them mad, I have to get out of my car and open it for them. Should be able to pop the hatch from inside.
It's annoying enough, I'd consider an aftermarket mod to add a damn 'pop hatch' function. Acura, if you are reading this, please fix! (I know the aren't but one can hope.)
--
Last random thoughts.
No passenger electronic seat control, no memory function. Not a consideration for me, as I am not a taxi/uber driver nor act like one. I'm not married and my girlfriend has her own car, she's not driving mine (can't drive stick anyhow) and the passenger seat is reportedly comfy as the driver seat, and using mechanic seat control isn't a huge ask.
As for the back seat - I got the Acura dog liner, and my dog appears to get on with the back seat just fine, which is all I personally care about. Can haul dog around, and have plenty of space in the hatch to carry cargo.
No sunroof option, but why anyone would want a sunroof the lowers rigidity and increases weight on a fun car is beyond me.
Other peoples needs/preferences may vary, but for me when I say 'driver's car' I mean it pretty literally. The car is perfectly fine for carrying other people, but when determining how my car budget is spent, consideration of how much other people enjoy riding in my car isn't even a minor factor. But its perfectly fine, quite nice overall really. I've had passenger complaints about my driving, but never the car itself.
---
Car history of note ~
Last car was 2021 WRX
Prior car was E46 BMW coupe (not the M flavor sadly, but it was a great great car in every aspect except power, ergo perfect, visibility perfect, style perfect, handling perfect. I bought ITS largely because of all the things I missed about my E46 and have been super happy thus far)
Mazda MX-3 (think FWD Miata)
Mitsubishi 3000GT (Technically a Dodge Stealth, but ya. FWD biased)
First, I'll start with the punch line - summary of my overall thoughts, for those who are just curious on whether I like it and how much, then expand a bit on various thoughts, observations, complaints (there are a couple), car background and my own considerations when purchasing for those looking more closely at picking up an ITS and looking for more detailed ownership opinions.
Summary ~
The ITS is a damn good car. So far it has lived up to and even exceeded my expectations for a practical driver's car. Knock on wood, I have had no major issues, nor been plagued by rattles, loose trim, or any known build quality issues. Note I'm not discounting what others may have experienced with these issues, simply stating they have not yet been a bother in my vehicle. Coming from AWD and FR, it took me a hot minute to get used to FF again, especially an FF that drives much differently than ones I had owned in the past. After getting acclimated, it has been a blast to drive. It's also very comfortable and ergonomic interior (for me), has a reasonably quiet interior*(1), the wireless Android Auto works well*(2), the safety features are mostly on-point*(3), the ELS3D sound system is excellent. And, did I mention it's actually fun to drive? Completely subjectively, I also think it looks as sharp as pretty much any car, at any price point. This is 100% personal taste, but I love the styling.
Simply, I'm pretty happy so far with my purchase, and after owning it for 6 months (and making 6 months of payments) I still don't feel like I missed out on anything else, wish I'd gotten something less expensive to save money, nor wish that I'd spent a little bit more on something 'better' - for me at least, I still feel like ITS is about the best car I could have gotten that I could *comfortably* afford. (comfortably means different things to different people, for me, I'm not sacrificing anything or feeling stretched or having to worry or pinch pennies or make difficult budget trade-off. )
To find another car I'd even seriously consider, I found nothing until ~70k and though price was a factor in ITS between them, it was the lesser factor.
--
Note the asterisks - let me cover them real quick
1) My last car was a 2021 WRX, so quietness is relative. Yes, an equivalently priced German cruiser is even (much) quieter but relative to my last car and my expectations, the ITS interior and road noise is not bothersome.
2) The Wireless Android Auto works perfectly except in certain areas, specifically close to some powerful cell/radio towers. It does cut out on occasion, but only in specific areas around LoS of a couple major radio towers. For me, as a practical matter, it never cuts out, except very briefly on a certain road section while driving my dog to parents acreage to run. I cannot speak to what levels of radio interference others might experience, but aside from LoS with specific major radio tower its been perfect for me.
3)The lane-keep assist is honestly dogshit, shaking your steering wheel at 50mph because of snow patterns on road or because you have to dodge a groundhog or something is not fun. Luckily its easy to turn off once you find the right menu on right-hand steering control. The other safety features work well and are useful.
--
So a bit about my car wants, expectations, history and such for context. So what was I looking for? What features matter to me, driving buying decisions? What things pointed me toward ITS versus alternatives?
Well, what I really wanted was a hot hatch. A fun, driver's car, that also had everyday practicality. My current driveway/garage configuration would make it a PITA to have two cars, not to mention I don't currently feel like paying for two - so I need one car for everything. Hatchback is best configuration for that (IMO) giving ample cargo usability while still being small and light enough to have real handling characteristics. I would and did consider standard sedans, including the '26 WRX, German cars, Elantra N. I would have considered VW Golf R despite DCT except for two things - primary being haptic controls, second being availability.
ITS won my vote because -
WRX: was tired of WRX a bit, price had gone up, and to get a decent (still inferior to ITS) sound system had to get a sunroof. Not sure why anyone thinks adding weight, raising center of gravity (low CoG being huge advantage for Subies), and lowering rigidity on a WRX while raising price is a good idea. Well, to me it isn't and cost them a sale. (They have brough back base models after tanking sales, because everything awesome about WRX is in base - maybe they should think about improving what people want in a WRX but I digress)
Elantra N: Fun car, but ITS is just better. The N can honestly be about as fun to drive, but the interior is much better in ITS, the hatch and space is more usable and practical, materials are better, ITS looks (to me) much, much, much cooler, sound system much better in ITS. Overall, ITS is just a better car. However, for anyone wanting a hot FF on a smaller budget, the Elantra N is worth a look. It's a nifty car.
GR Corolla: Only available unit was the automatic, and it was almost as much $$ as the ITS. Had a manual version esp with track package been available I certainly would have driven and considered it.
BMW: M340i was pretty nice, but I didn't want to pay 70+ for it, it wasn't as engaging feeling, was a sweet car but not it for me given price+paddles+sedan. M240i I would have considered if it passed 'dog test' (can dog hop in back seat of coupe) but no availability locally to do said dog test. If one of my key requirements for a car would have been driving around passengers I wanted to impress, converse with, and such - M340i would be more appealing.
Audi: Q5 sportback too SUV-ish. The S3 which is closest price/spec to ITS was a very decent car, a nice car for someone who simply wants a 'nice car' but didn't appeal to me personally in way it felt or drove, it wasn't 'fun' just nice. The RS3, for me fell into same area as the M340i - its a pretty sweet car. However specced out as available was around ~75k and though a sweet car, paddle shifting sedan at price premium just wasn't what I was looking for.
Benz: I drove some for curiosity, but not much appealing. More mild hybrid heavy meh, models I'd be interested in started around 100k. 100% lease-fodder for anything under 100k as far as I am concerned, and I'm not even convinced on the more expensive AMGs I didn't drive any because though I'd consider a 70k car I wouldn't a 100k car.
Noting the german cars did have their high points and advantages. I don't think anyone who bought an RS3 or M340i would be disappointed, nor would I have. They are more refined cars in some respects, particularly the interior, and carry greater 'badge presitige' if that's what you care about. I didn't, and the models I actually enjoyed weren't superior for me in regards to what I wanted, not at price diffrence of 15k-20k in reality. (Sure, RS3 is only 66k starting on paper, and also you can get a manual BMW M2 for ~72k in theory. But not in real dealer availability for me at the time.)
Also did check out some other cars/brands just nothing worth noting in any serious cross-shopping comparison.
---
Other general thoughts:
Generally I want a manual. I've basically never spent my own money on a car that wasn't a manual transmission - and though I have driven and considered some DCT, still prefer 6MT. Just like I don't want too much tech involved in driving - the point is I am the one driving the car. Some of the DCT w/paddle shift I drove were fun, I wouldn't have been "unhappy" with it, but manual is still a major positive for me. This did weigh on my shopping scales.
-- Interior thoughts
Physical buttons. This might not be thought about by many people, or appreciated by all - but it is by me. I *HATE* using car features such as HVAC, AndroidAuto, etc, via capacitive touch.
On forums and such, I have seen people say the ITS is "too Honda". I agree in many respects, the interior IS very Honda. But not giving much care to "prestige/differentiation" this is a bonus. Its very ergonomic and usable. The HVAC has very easy and convenient BUTTONS and DIALS. Heated seats - button. Sound system - buttons, on dash and steering wheel. Minor complaint the steering wheel audio controls dont have a MUTE feature. This is a minor annoyance, not a deal breaker by any stretch but seriously, program double-clicking 'volume down' into a mute feature.
The cup holders and armrest are great height/depth, very usable. Everything is pretty much where I want it to be, and you can even put a drink in the cup holders without them interfering with shifting. Its well thought out.
Honda makes very ergonomic, useful, usable interiors. If you don't care that someone else might see the "Honda" in your interior and judge your car as inferior to a German brand because of it, this is a good thing. If sharing parts with Honda, even the good parts, is a downside because it feels less prestigious (a valid opinion, just not one I share) then the interior quality has negatives. Personally, I absolutely love the way the Honda air vents and HVAC control work and wouldn't trade them. Superior to the modern German cars, which have IMO taken many steps backward in so many areas from the superb lightweight, ergonomic, stylish cars from mid 2000's.
The ELS 3d is very good. No, it is not the absolute best, the Audi and BMW I tested were anywhere from almost as good to somewhat better. Depending on model/trim/price. However ELS3D was significantly better than any of the non-premium label cars I checked out (Subaru, Hyundai, mostly - so no shocker there)
---
Complaints:
I do have one, and that is the button opening for liftback. It has two buttons, one on left and one on the right. To open the hatch, its the left button. I'm not sure why the other button exists. But when I go to do curb-side pickups, literally noone can figure out how to open the hatch. They want to press the right button and it drives them mad, I have to get out of my car and open it for them. Should be able to pop the hatch from inside.
It's annoying enough, I'd consider an aftermarket mod to add a damn 'pop hatch' function. Acura, if you are reading this, please fix! (I know the aren't but one can hope.)
--
Last random thoughts.
No passenger electronic seat control, no memory function. Not a consideration for me, as I am not a taxi/uber driver nor act like one. I'm not married and my girlfriend has her own car, she's not driving mine (can't drive stick anyhow) and the passenger seat is reportedly comfy as the driver seat, and using mechanic seat control isn't a huge ask.
As for the back seat - I got the Acura dog liner, and my dog appears to get on with the back seat just fine, which is all I personally care about. Can haul dog around, and have plenty of space in the hatch to carry cargo.
No sunroof option, but why anyone would want a sunroof the lowers rigidity and increases weight on a fun car is beyond me.
Other peoples needs/preferences may vary, but for me when I say 'driver's car' I mean it pretty literally. The car is perfectly fine for carrying other people, but when determining how my car budget is spent, consideration of how much other people enjoy riding in my car isn't even a minor factor. But its perfectly fine, quite nice overall really. I've had passenger complaints about my driving, but never the car itself.
---
Car history of note ~
Last car was 2021 WRX
Prior car was E46 BMW coupe (not the M flavor sadly, but it was a great great car in every aspect except power, ergo perfect, visibility perfect, style perfect, handling perfect. I bought ITS largely because of all the things I missed about my E46 and have been super happy thus far)
Mazda MX-3 (think FWD Miata)
Mitsubishi 3000GT (Technically a Dodge Stealth, but ya. FWD biased)
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