Faults:

The seats have suede squabs, which have started to wear already. The drivers being the worst, although clearly this seat gets used more than the rest.

General Comments:

This is a car truly for enthusiasts, but what a car for us!

Handles like a dream, point it where you want to go and hold on tight.

Performance is incredible for an "unblown" engine, although it is hard to get all the power down onto the road in the first two gears.

Comfort is not the point of the Type-R, however I find it a pretty comfortable car to drive, although it can be somewhat bumpy on rough roads. You don't get the handling of this car with the firm suspension, I know what I prefer. If it's a toss up for soft suspension or good handling, good handling wins every time!

What can I say about the noise, you have to hear it to know it, and once you've heard it, you'll be hooked too! Fantastic. 8000rpm screaming :-)

Faults:

Poorly fitted air conditioning, dealer eventually repaired. But at a £245 cost to me, so much for that warranty!

General Comments:

All integras are known to eat front tyres! But come on, with 190bhp and go-cart handling what did you expect?

You should be able to offset the tyre costs to the superb fuel efficiency and reasonable servicing costs.

The car could do with just a little more sound proofing. If you ever have to use this car on the motorway for more than an hour, the noise will not go unnoticed!

Faults:

Nothing in 4000 miles.

General Comments:

This car is a wonderful antidote to the dull, dreary BMW 318 I previously endured.

It is about as raw a road car as is possible for someone like me who needs 4 seats and a proper boot.

The seats are very comfortable, and the controls are wonderfully tactile and I happen to like the fuss-free Jap-Car interior.

The suspension is very hard at low speed and I am glad that most of my motoring is on the open road!

The car has a wonderfully powerful and charismatic engine which revs to the heavens while delivering wild power and a soundtrack straight from the racetrack - a heady sensation for the driver!

The car handles and steers better than any other car I have ever driven including a MY98 Impreza turbo. I learn something new every time I drive this car.

Also in mixed driving I am getting more than 33mpg overall, which is stunning for a 187 BHP engine.

So- great performance, practicality, reliability and economy. Is it perfect?

Not quite - the rear spoiler cuts across your rear vision at EXACTLY the horizon level, so watching for police cars is tough! Also for some reason the car is noisy at exactly 70mph, so a 75-80mph cruise is required for comfortable distance work.

Not much wrong though, and I can recommend this wonderful, fast and charismatic car to anyone to whom the new WRX seems like a bloated compromise.

Faults:

Nothing. 3 sets of front tyres, 1 set of rears replaced.

General Comments:

I replaced an Impreza Turbo with this car as I tried the new WRX and hated its compromise.

The Integra is even rawer than the old Impreza, and handles even better. Inspirational at times.

The grip and steering feel, even in the wet is eye-widening for a FWD car.

It is also practical with a decent boot and OK rear seats.

I liked the Impreza engine better than this, but this one is more rewarding when it is driven properly.

After 9 months of ownership I am tiring of the noise during commutes, but this is a small price to pay for such a wonderfully involving car.

Summary - the old Impreza is dead - long live the Integra!