ITS owners -- what is your biggest surprise with the car so far?

[Integra23]

I’m certainly looking into seat swaps the way @Integra23 has done it. Problem is buying a set from wrecked cars isn’t that cheap and we’d never know what type of accidents those cars were in. I looked up OEM parts and there are many pieces I need to buy; don’t want to buy all the separate pieces and have to assemble it (quite pricey as well). But it’s something I’ll have to do eventually as there’s no way I’m putting a third car seat without proper seatbelts.

Lastly a bit sad I bought new car seats that are too wide so I’ll have to swap those out too. It’s a shame because I was so happy with them for just a few days lmao

There’s no denying how practical and spacious the Sienna is. But I love the ITS and don’t be letting it go. Just have to be patient with mods and plan for a sienna down the road…

I had a narrower car previously with 3 car seats. Diono Radian series fit well.
As for a seat swap there isn't any air bags integrated into the seats and only the middle seat comes with a seatbelt integrated. I don't think the seats would sustain damage in a crash but understand your concern.

 

[bpebler]

I’m certainly looking into seat swaps the way @Integra23 has done it. Problem is buying a set from wrecked cars isn’t that cheap and we’d never know what type of accidents those cars were in. I looked up OEM parts and there are many pieces I need to buy; don’t want to buy all the separate pieces and have to assemble it (quite pricey as well). But it’s something I’ll have to do eventually as there’s no way I’m putting a third car seat without proper seatbelts.

Lastly a bit sad I bought new car seats that are too wide so I’ll have to swap those out too. It’s a shame because I was so happy with them for just a few days lmao

There’s no denying how practical and spacious the Sienna is. But I love the ITS and don’t be letting it go. Just have to be patient with mods and plan for a sienna down the road…

Those Diono's look nice. I have a red 3xt plus ready to go when he's just a hair bigger. It is surprisingly very heavy though. Couldn't believe it actually. I wasn't aware of the other trim rear seat airbag though!

 

[Azkyrie6]

I had a narrower car previously with 3 car seats. Diono Radian series fit well.
As for a seat swap there isn't any air bags integrated into the seats and only the middle seat comes with a seatbelt integrated. I don't think the seats would sustain damage in a crash but understand your concern.

Just looked at the Radian series. They are all indeed 17” width. The Monterey are 21” so I’d save 4” each seat. Doing the A-spec seat swap would give me the integrated seatbelt I need for a third car seat.

I suppose this will have to work for now and increase total vehicle load rating as they get heavier with different tires and possibly suspensions

 

[Integra23]

Just looked at the Radian series. They are all indeed 17” width. The Monterey are 21” so I’d save 4” each seat. Doing the A-spec seat swap would give me the integrated seatbelt I need for a third car seat.

I suppose this will have to work for now and increase total vehicle load rating as they get heavier with different tires and possibly suspensions

I put on dws06+ 275/30/19 for the all weather purpose along with a much higher load rating

 

[Azkyrie6]

I put on dws06+ 275/30/19 for the all weather purpose along with a much higher load rating

I think I’ll have to do this for summer tires when it’s time to replace. Lots of snow in Colorado so not sure how much wider I can go but it’s probably worth it for potholes anyway

 

[Integra23]

Because there's no space in the chassis.

They could have completely removed the spare tire pan instead of reducing it. Plenty room for 4 or 5 gallons.

 

[norsairius]

Biggest surprise for me so far is how easy the transmission is to operate and drive.

The last time I had a manual daily driver was about 10-11 years ago but it almost feels as if I never stopped driving one. That car was a 2010 VW GTI. I loved that car and I've missed it ever since I traded it in.

I've had my Type S for about 5 days, including some stop-and-go traffic, and it's been amazing driving with three pedals again!

 

[spyder]

Biggest surprise for me so far is how easy the transmission is to operate and drive.

The last time I had a manual daily driver was about 10-11 years ago but it almost feels as if I never stopped driving one. That car was a 2010 VW GTI. I loved that car and I've missed it ever since I traded it in.

I've had my Type S for about 5 days, including some stop-and-go traffic, and it's been amazing driving with three pedals again!

On my first full day with the ITS I got caught in lovely DMV area traffic and it felt so easy to drive in with this car. Reminded me of my 07 Si in how effortless it was to drive.

 

[nix6speed]

They could have completely removed the spare tire pan instead of reducing it. Plenty room for 4 or 5 gallons.

It's that easy right? Engineering, R&D, powertrain, new EPA testing, crash testing etc. Consumers thinking things are so simple have no understanding of what manufacturers have to do on the backend.

 

[Integra23]

It's that easy right? Engineering, R&D, powertrain, new EPA testing, crash testing etc. Consumers thinking things are so simple have no understanding of what manufacturers have to do on the backend.

It's different in the ITS so they had to go through this testing already.

 

[norsairius]

Already posted here, but adding another surprise (to me anyway): The comfort mode suspension setting.

I expected the car to be at least a bit jarring while driving on a lot of my usual roads, but it surprisingly isn't. I had a 2019 VW GTI whose ride felt rougher than the ITS's. It's even a bit more surprising when considering the fact that the ITS rides on 30-profile tires from the factory!

I knew that when I traded in my TLX lease for the ITS that I'd be giving up an appreciable amount of luxury and comfort, but the ITS hasn't left me missing those things that much. The ITS's ride does feel appreciably stiffer, but it's not what I'd call harsh either.

Edit: The adaptive cruise control is also WAY better than what the TLX had. It's smoother with slowing down to match the speed of slower traffic ahead than the TLX was. It actually seems to coast to slower speeds sometimes instead of using the brakes.

Also, when someone merges in front of me closer than the set following distance, the ITS is a lot better about maintaining its speed and letting that driver get further ahead (if they merge in front and are driving faster than my set speed) or gently slowing down with the brakes or coasting if the person that merges in front is going slower than my set speed.

The TLX would be relatively jarring with its use of the brakes to quickly match the speed of slower drivers as I approached them or if they'd merge in front of me. I almost preferred to not use it sometimes. The TLX's adaptive cruise would also frequently brake for cars that were in the lanes to the left or right, and not in my actual lane, for some reason.

 

[TypeSJ]

2 major things, but I could probably write a book on it; just look at my post count.

1 negative- the FRIGGIN WASTEGATE NOISE. I still believe mine is worse than most others, or I'm just more sensitive to it, but it does grate my nerves, badly at times.

1 positive- how it's continued to grow on me over the past month. I absolutely love this car, and the honeymoon has not ended. If anything, I love it more now than when I bought it.

(bonus- the ELS stereo isn't as good as I expected it to be based on YT and user reviews. Is there a separate control for the sub? Savagegeese said it was "bass heavy" and to my experience it most absolutely is not, at least not compared to many other stereos I've heard. The Fender system in my son's measly Golf TSI was better IMO.)

There are separate controls. Go to menu, and audio settings I think

 

[Murry101]

Not necessarily surprises but....

• The ELS stereo is good but not as good as I expected given the reviews. I like the Fender tuned stereo in my 2014 Jetta GLI Autobahn a little better. It sounds "cleaner".
• The last vehicle I purchased was my wife's 2019 Sienna minivan. It has a CD player. Not sure when they decided cars don't need CD players, but I am not a fan. How am I going to listen to my Pink Floyd live at Pompeii album now?
• The lack of a tow hook mount in the front. Would have been nice to mount the front license plate that way. I live in NH where the front plate if required. Not drilling the front bumper would have been better.
• The lane keeping assist feature. Seems a bit of a gimmick. What purpose does it serve if you have to provide input every couple of seconds. Either steer for me or don't. Why do I need a computer to micro manage my highway driving.
• The body panel gaps are inconsistent in places, particularly the area of the hood were it begins to narrow. I checked out a couple of TLX on the lot and they had this issue too. Thought Acura would be better.

 

[FredS2000]

What I like:

Ride, mostly in comfort. I may run in sport with winters, they're noticeably softer.

Brakes! By far, the best feeling, operating brakes of any car I've owned. Makes my S2000 brakes feel terrible, by comparison.

Individual settings capability. Comfort ride; Sport+ engine; Sport steering and dash.

I love the ELS system, I use the 3D surround all the time and find the mids and highs great, out of the surround, it's a bit flat.

I didn't think I'd like the pops from the exhaust, which I really didn't get until the car crossed around 1000 miles (have been in S+ nearly the whole time). The exhaust is VERY loud at heavy throttle, especially when going by overpasses while merging, and the pops are as well. Open the windows and I was surprised at how loud it does get.

I hear the blow off valve whooshes at every shift (no audio on), as well as hearing the turbo spool, which was a surprise.

I find the seats fine, love the cloth centers, and they get warm so fast.

I get compliments about the color (TEP) and the car's looks often.

Fuel mileage is great, imo. I average 28 to 29.5 in my daily drive. But, tank is smaller than I'm used to.

Things that have disappointed me:

Inconsistent panel gaps, specifically, hood to front bumper, right rear door (looks like worn stamping die)

Slight paint mismatch (Honda issue for years) at top of RF fender to bumper.

A few rattles/plastic buzzes here and there.

No homelink. I'm on the fence about no memory seats.

They could have put an interior hatch release, that one blank near the vsa button would be nice for that.

I can't fault the dealership for this, as the sales person didn't have the car detailed. And no front plate bracket install, thank you!

There was significant glue marks from the protection paper, several small scratches and a TON of clear coat over spray down the middle to rear of the right side of the car.

It took me 12 hours over 2 days to get all the over spray off, scratches and marks off the paint. And to ceramic coat it.

Overall, I still love this car, and it's not going anywhere for a long, long time

 

[bruejam]

I've had my car less than a week, but coming from a year and a half of owning an ASpec Tech, here's my perspective so far. To level-set before I dive into this, I LOVED the ASpec. It was fun to drive, super practical, and easy to live with. It made the 5 month wait for the Type S more bearable.

Seeing as how both the ASpec and the Type S are essentially based on the same car, I was expecting the differences to be iterative - more power, stiffer suspension, better grip - basically a pumped up ASpec. After my first real drive, I realized my expectations weren't even close.

I truly can't believe this car is related to the ASpec. It feels like a totally different platform. I first noticed this before I even started the car... the seats. In pictures, the seats look identical to the ones I came out of. Honestly, when I saw "increased bolstering" listed as one of the changes I laughed it off as marketing. But they're very different. More supportive and more comfortable in my opinion.

Aside from a fair amount of track experience in Porsches, I've never experienced road feel like the Type S delivers. The suspension and steering make the car feel planted and athletic... ready for anything. Power is perfect and seems endless, and that sound! Once it's warm in Sport+ there is just the right mix of business and juvenile and I can't help but drive it with a grin on my face.

Negatives? Look, we can all nitpick but here's my take:

No memory seats - I'm the only one who drives this car. It's an odd ommission, but really no impact to me.

No Homelink - ASpec didn't have it either, learned to live without it.

No auto-tilt rearview mirror - This is a really strange one to delete, but honestly I was constantly fixing the mirror position on my ASpec because it never returned to the correct position.

Of the few things that are missing compared to the ASpec, one deletion that I celebrated was Alexa. It really was a first-world annoyance, but Alexa would activate with words spoken on the radio, any random phrase in conversation that sort of sounded like "Alexa", etc. Absolutely useless. I actually set it up to open my garage door by voice shortly after I got the car, thinking it would be an adequate substitute to Homelink. Turns out, it took longer to open it through Alexa than it did to reach for the button on my remote.

Finally, just a couple of early pics because, why not? Wheels/tires are Continental DWS06 on Niche Gamma 19x9.5. I'm really happy with them so far, plus I've got a fresh set of summer tires on the stock wheels to look forward to in the Spring.