Much like how few anime interest me outside of
Cowboy Bebop, few Japanese cars outside of the Acura/Honda NSX really grab my attention. Nissan GT Dash R or Lexus LF Dash A? I respect what they can do, but they wouldn't even make an appearance on my supercar wish list. It's even more true for JDM models for me. Say, "Toyota Corolla" and I think not of
Initial D but "Idiot going 50 in the passing lane." But back during the PS1 era of Gran Turismo, there was something I liked about the Honda Integra. I'm not sure what it was, whether it was the non-econobox styling, the speed and competitiveness it had while still having novice-friendly front wheel drive, or maybe just the tenuous connection it had with the NSX with that "Type R" badge.
Fast forward a decade and a half and this revisit of an old friend. I can say some of what I remembered about it wasn't merely optimist nostalgia. Plenty of power, quick and direct steering feel, and it still looks as good as it did back when all you needed to do to cause mass panic was utter, "Y2K." One thing that has changed though, has been me myself. As my skills got better through the iterations of Gran Turismo (as well as a one-console-generation fling with Forza Motorsport), and I've become more adept at keeping rear-drive cars under control, going back to the Integra now felt a bit like putting training wheels back on a bicycle. The Integra's understeer isn't horrible at all, but it will never fool you into thinking it's power isn't going to the front wheels. It's still a good car, still worthy a sleeper designation, but it's no longer one of the first cars I'd call upon for its PP level.
And part of the reason for that is a result of this week's Tuesday night races. It started as a Mr. Regular style riff asking "Which Type R is best Type R?" While I'm not sure we answered that question, it did cause me to turn this week's review into a comparison.
The '08 Honda Civic Type R. A decade newer than this weeks' car, if the Integra had gone to college, gotten married and a middle management job, it would've become the Civic Type R. It's grown older, matured, but there's still some of that excitable kid from high school left in it. Yes, I hear the purists now complaining it's too big and too heavy compared to the old Integra, but what I took away from the '08 Civic is that it can pretty much do whatever the old Integra could do. Buzzy, excitable naturally aspirated four cylinder? Check. Sharp and responsive steering feel? Check. Mild understeer as you chuck it through the corners? I felt the Civic handled every bit as well as the Integra, despite the extra weight.
The only differences I found with the Civic were both positive ones, more power and the premium treatment. In fact, for this weeks' time trial, I was unable to crack the 2:10 mark in 4 laps on the Integra at Tokyo. Hopped in the Civic afterwards (at full horsepower), and promptly laid down a 2:08.316 on the first try. The Integra then, is one of those cars whose biggest fault is having a better alternative sitting a few spaces down the showroom from it.