Long Review for Those Coming from German Cars

[TacoShop]

I've been wanting to write this since shortly after I picked up my 2025 Integra Type S, and it's a slower day today, so I have time. This post is going to be long because I'm going to be as descriptive as possible. Part of the reason I'm making this post is because I was looking for something like this before buying my Integra, and couldn't find much. Hopefully it's helpful for someone else considering a similar move.

Back Story: https://www.integraforums.com/forum/threads/newcomer-2025-integra-types.56191/

Cars I own/owned:
2006 Lancer Evolution MR - Mostly stock - sold
2007 Scion tC - some mods - sold
2009 Mazdaspeed 3 - near full bolt-on - sold
2009 BMW 335d - piggyback tune - sold
2009 BMW 135i - full bolt on with big turbos (451/524 at the wheels) - sold
2014 BMW 550i - intake/Exhaust/Tune - still own
2017 BMW 328d x-drive - tune - still own
2025 Acura Integra Type S - New Car!

About six months ago, I realized I was in a strange place. I've been a car guy almost my entire life, but I didn't have much passion for it anymore. I never wanted to work on anything. I loved (most) of my cars, but realized I'd lost a piece of what I truly enjoyed about cars; working to build something and make it my own.

After some soul searching, I came to terms with the fact that I was ready for a new vehicle. The girl and I have our hearts set on a new BMW M5 wagon, but we're not quite ready to pull the trigger on that as we have some other investments we want to make prior to. She was also in the market for a new vehicle, so the priority was to find something nice for her, and maybe a fun one for me. I searched around a lot and considered many cars. I'm a huge BMW fan, definitely a fan boy (for better or worse). However, I finally decided to be honest with myself about something I've been internally denying and dodging for years; I fucking hate the way BMW manual transmissions feel. It's heart breaking because I love just about everything else about them, but the shifter feels like spongy bullshit.

Fast forward, in comes the 2025 Integra Type S. I'm hoping this post will help others make an informed decision on making a move like this in the future.

What convinced me:
This car is SEXY in person. Pictures just don't do it justice. I think if they could get more in-person visibility, they'd sell more cars. There was a tiger eye pearl one at Formula Drift 2025, which sparked this adventure for me. I can honestly say I don't think there's a better looking new car on sale right now.
The transmission and shifting feel isn't perfect, but it's close and better than most (and a few mods can make it ~perfect)
Good combination of sportiness with a touch of luxury
Unique - I think I've only seen one other Type S on the street in the ~three months I've owned it. The main reason I don't own anything American muscle is because you see five of them every time you leave the house. I don't like it when I can go, "Hey, someone else is driving my car!"
Mod support - Sharing a platform with the civic Type-R gives us the benefit of being unique, but still plenty of aftermarket parts (I can't keep my cars stock). This has been a big challenge for me with some of the other stuff I've owned.
Caters to my childhood love for JDM vehicles and style

What surprised me:
Light! I've gotten so used to driving heavier performance cars (>3600 lbs) that I forgot what it was like to drive a lighter car. You can really tell how light it is.
It corners like a dream. Even in stock form, there's almost zero body roll. This car is so fun to throw around that I sometimes forget I need to behave on the street.
Sound - I've got about 800 miles on the car now, and the exhaust has worn in a little. I planned on doing an exhaust, but now I don't want to. The exhaust noise is good enough for me, and I'm sure it will be slightly better with a downpipe and front pipe, which is all I plan on doing for now.
Looks - I know I said previously that the car is sexy, but damn if I don't love it even more every time I see it. I've only done a few exterior mods to my taste, but even in stock form it looks SO good. It's this strange balance of being more subtle but somehow more exotic than most other things on the road. It's so wide and low and has a lot of lines, but they did it right.
Interior - I like dark interiors in cars. With dark tint that I like to do, it makes it feel more enclosed, safe, and private.
Sound insulation - This car is noisy. HOWEVER, that doesn't honestly bug me. I was looking for a sporty car with a touch of luxury amenities (HUD, nice stereo, etc.) this car delivers. I like being able to hear my car more when I'm looking to have fun driving, which is almost always when I choose it from the driveway.

What I don't like after owning it (This will be the longest portion, but not because it's bad. Just want to be informative as possible here):
HVAC - While it actually cools the car down relatively quick with my dark tint, the fan speed just seems off. I constantly keep it on the second-highest setting, and I feel like that's probably ~40% fan speed in one of my BMW's. I know putting the fan on high doesn't cool the car the quickest, but it still could and should be a lot better.
Tires - Stock tires are great for cornering, but not for acceleration. My 2009 Mazdaspeed 3 with full bolt-ons and 245 tires didn't spin as much as these do. Hoping to change them fairly quickly.
Seats - I don't think they're as bad as some people make them out to be, especially after I got used to them. However, I do think they should've been a little more special and better designed. The bottom part where you sit feels oddly 'flat' towards the back. I know most seats are flat, but it feels flatter, somehow.
Drivers seat - The fact they put an electric seat in WITHOUT memory absolutely fucking baffles my mind. I don't understand why they would add the extra weight when the benefit of an electric seat really is the memory. I may differ here, because no one else drives my car... but it's added weight for no benefit imho.
Mirrors - No folding mirrors? Really? I feel like every luxury and many non-luxury cars have this. Kia, Hyundai, Nissan... cmon.
Interior lighting - No color change capability? Really? This would be SO easy and cheap to implement. Again, I feel like every luxury and many non-luxury cars have this.
Interior trim - I like the interior except for the dash trim. It's a weird textured silver/gray. It looks horribly out of place. If anything, I think they should've made it piano black like the center console. I will 100% be changing this as more options come on the market. Even if I have to do stick on carbon fiber
Rattles - Man, the interior rattles SO bad. It was fine the first few hundred miles, but it's continued to get worse and worse. I don't want to take it to the dealer just for this, so I will probably fix them myself as I add more of the factory accessories. I have a lot of experience doing this from when I worked at the dealers.
Lack of customizable interior - You get two color options. I feel like black with red is so overused, but both options are that for black exterior. I don't need ten options, but more than just two colors two different ways would be great.
Boost after shifting - When I'm on it, it feels like the car falls flat on it's face for like .5 seconds after shifting, like it has to build boost back up. I'm hoping this will go away with a tune.
Electronic parking brake - Normally, I like these. However, I have had issues with it not automatically releasing when I try to take off. It also doesn't seem to set automatically when you shut the car off. If it's not going to have more automated operation, what's the point of having an electronic unit? It also feels strange when you're shifting manually, but the brake is electric. This is another area I think they could've easily gone with the old tech (cheaper? Lighter?) and been just fine.
No home-link - You're telling me I need to retrofit a $160 rear view from a Honda Accord for home-link? Wild.
Sound system and electronics - I put this last because I don't necessarily dislike it, but there are a few things that just seem strange. The screen in my girls new MDX Type S is SO much nicer. The only argument I can see here is the bigger screen would be a little harder to reach in it's current spot. Also, the speaker system feels REAL gimmicky to me. It's very bright, so I have to keep highs and mids turned way down. I also think they could've achieved a stellar sound system with half of the speakers and put that budget elsewhere. I've also never been in a car with 8-12 speakers and said, "you know what this thing needs? More speakers!" It's a decent system, but I think they missed the mark.

So now, to the most important question; Is it worth it? Would I buy it again?
I think the answer is yes, but it's slightly complicated. My girl and I bought two cars at the same time (2025 MDX Type S and 2025 Integra Type S), so the dealer gave us what I felt like was a pretty insane deal considering you couldn't touch these even for MSRP most places 6-12 months ago. Also, if you're looking for luxury with a spot of fun, I don't think this is the car. This is more fun/sporty with a spot of luxury. Outside of the exterior design, the Integra doesn't really have a luxury/premium feel to it. This is fine for me since I was going for more sporty, but if you're comparing it to other luxury vehicles, you're going to be disappointed. The Integra was also one of the only vehicles I could get new with a manual transmission and leans a little towards luxury at this price point. Considering this thing is sexy and somewhat exclusive, it fit the bill for what I wanted, and I don't regret my purchase.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions before buying!

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[elh0102]

I've had a long list of German cars, several BMW M3s, 2 Porsche Caymans, one 911S, and one GT3. All were street cars with frequent club track days. At age 75 and long retired, I've quit the track stuff and have reconsidered the car thing. Front drive sucks, period. That said, I am very favorably impressed with the handling of the Integra Type S, given the inherent design limitations of front drive. The redesigned front suspension, along with LSD has a very favorable influence on the car's handling. I think it is a nearly perfect car for someone who enjoys some enthusiastic driving, but whose skill level might not be a good match with a high HP rear drive car. I would recommend it for the majority of folks who want a useful sedan with the capacity for some fun driving. If the person is interested in getting deeper into high performance cars and driving and is willing to put in the effort to learn how to drive it (on track), there are better options.

 

[Justpassedu]

Nice review and congrats also

 

[STi from DSM]

Had 4 Audi RS cars and 2 BMW M cars and can say there is always a tradeoff in switching. Your write up is pretty spot on though.

 

[creaturemachine]

For the HVAC check and clean your cabin filter regularly, especially if you park outside. Mine was absolutely full of crap after only a few months ownership. I bought some cheap knockoff filters off amazon to replace more often.

 

[slowcountry]

Front drive sucks, period.

Why don't you like FWD? I've only had FWD, so I'm a bit oblivious here.

 

[Justpassedu]

Drove the new M3 for about 45 minutes and did not find the shifter to be bad. The Type S feels better but I didn't mind it. I did like the way the type s feels though more as it is more connected to the road in almost everyway. It wasn't as fast at all but it feels faster in the way it's connected to the driver if that makes sense .

 

[TacoShop]

Drove the new M3 for about 45 minutes and did not find the shifter to be bad. The Type S feels better but I didn't mind it. I did like the way the type s feels though more as it is more connected to the road in almost everyway. It wasn't as fast at all but it feels faster in the way it's connected to the driver if that makes sense .

To be fair, I havent driven the latest M3, so maybe its better... but ive drive everything from e36 to e90 both M cars and non, and the shifter all feels the same, springy and spongy. Thats the main reason I decided to sell my 135i, even though I had put like $15k into it. Maybe the new one is better. Hell the F80 M3 is one of the best looking cars of all time IMHO, but if it has that same shifter, I dont think id enjoy it as much.

 

[TacoShop]

Why don't you like FWD? I've only had FWD, so I'm a bit oblivious here.

I grew up on fwd cars, and I had the same perspective as you do. However, after driving rwd and awd cars exclusively for like 10 years, I can say there's absolutely a difference. I personally dont think fwd sucks, but asking the front wheels to steer and be the primary mover is asking a lot, while the rear wheels are just kinda hanging out in the back.

If you think about it from a physics perspective, fwd almost doesnt make sense. When you accelerate, weight transfers to the rear of the vehicle, which essentially lifts the front of the car, meaning less potential traction on the fronts vs the rears. Fwd is also kind of a mind fuck if your rear tires break loose. In a rwd car, you let off a little and modulate the throttle to gain traction. In fwd, you have to lay into it harder to transfer more weight to the rear to gain traction. I had a buddy almost put his brand new abarth into the curb at 60+ mph because it was his first fwd car and he'd only ever driven rwd cars aggressively. Luckily, the road we were on was 4 lanes + emergency lanes + suicide lane, and he went nearly from curb to curb. Its just a significant different driving style, and many dont like it vs rwd or awd.

I like each for different reasons.

 

[elh0102]

Why don't you like FWD? I've only had FWD, so I'm a bit oblivious here.

It's way too much for a brief forum response, but it's about balance, steering feel, handling, power application, etc. But, there is nothing wrong with a well put together front driver (as the ITS) for general street and occasional enthusiastic driving. And for the driver who is not quite as good as he thinks, it's much safer. If the car is too hot in a corner, it will almost always push straight through it, so at least the driver can see where he's going. And the natural fright response for that level driver is to jump off the throttle, which is often the right thing to do in that situation, as it transfers weight (and hopefully some traction) to the front. If the front hasn't already lost traction, sometimes more throttle will have the same result. With rear drive, depending on a bunch of variables, working the brake, throttle and steering can keep the car neutral and transmit wonderful feedback to the driver. But again, these are really not issues for 99% of public road driving, and it's probably a can of worms that I shouldn't have opened. The ITS is a very good car that responds well to good driving.

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