2006 Honda Integra DC5 Type S review from Australia and New Zealand

These arent actually faults. These are my personal preference :)

- A little high for a sports car but lower than the AUSDM Integra Type R... (nothing wrong with that is there??).

- Cannot hear the VTEC engagement; instead can feel it.

- Softer clutch (good for some).

- No more race-style spoiler.

- No more Recaro body-hugging bucket seats.

- No more front double-wishbone suspension

I just recently bought an '06 AUSDM DC5 Type S (one of the last of all Integras which is a SHAME!) and it actually isn't too bad at all.

You're spot on with its "deceptive power", you actually don't really HEAR its VTEC switching (around 5,500 - 6,000 rpm?) but you can really feel it which is more important. I feel its VTEC kicking in as much as how the old DC2 ITR kicks in, perhaps maybe because it has more power and flow than the DC5 AUSDM Type R where they wanted to re-capture the "refinement" of a DC5 Type-R and the "hard-edge" of a DC2 Type-R.

Interior by far better than DC5 ITR with full leather bucket seats and plastics all round once again, luxury such as 5 cup holders, 6-stack CD/MP3 plyer, sunroof, Air-con (optional on DC5 ITR), Adjustable driver seat height, side-seats airbags, lightweight ceiling sound-deadening, Softer/nimbler/Quicker steering response than DC5 ITR (thats right!), Softer clutch pedal and most of all no more rear wing blocking the view (I actually prefer with spoiler to be honest)

Mechanicals and Engine is pretty much the same as the DC5 ITR except has stronger rear cross-members and engine mounts than previous DC5 ITR, stiffer suspension/ride (due to its lower profile perhaps), track-calibrated and revised suspension geometry still uses McPherson struts up front and Double-Wishbone at rear, revised upper front strut, higher flow catalytic converter and muffler, 10% larger throttle body, revised steering, stronger crankshaft. Engine churns out 154kw (approx. 207HP) but only 1 or 2 newton-meter of torque higher than AUSDM DC5 ITR. Redline @ a sky-high 8,100 RPM and cuts-off @ 8,600 RPM. All of that mentioned & now the weighing-in, the AUSDM DC5 ITR weighs 1160kg (without air-con) with air-con it weighs +70kgs more which brings it around the same weight as the Type-S at 1230kg (it puzzles me but that is the figure)

The first 3 gears are basically the same ratio as the DC5 ITR which also comes with an LSD then becomes insignificantly longer ratio on the last 3 gears but stock-for-stock the AUSDM Type-S is actually FASTER than AUSDM Type-R. I know it's a little biased and might receive hate replies so pretty much it's what you see is what you get with the new Type-S (both on paper and real-world driving). I too, am a huge fan of the DC5 & especially the DC2 but Honda has decided to move on to make room for improvement with the Type-S basically.

To conclude this comment, I find that it is the strongest, And yes - "DECEPTIVE", yet underrated Integra of all, since I have been test driven Honda Sports car range such as Civic Hatch VTi-R, CRX (del sol), DC2 ITR, DC5 ITR.

Friends asks me "why didnt you get a Subaru WRX/200sx S15/Focus XR5/Corrolla Sportivo/Golf GTi/Astra Turbo around the same price...etc". I was just lost for words