What the heck, Llama? You really expect us to read about some four banger rice burner?
Yes, bolded text, I do. I was planning on reviewing the Plymouth GTX, but lately I've fallen in love with the absolute opposite of a muscle car. It's front wheel drive (or as many would have you believe, fail wheel drive, wrong wheel drive, etc). The Integra has an inline-four as opposed to a V8. It has only 1.8-2.0L of displacement. It weighs almost one thousand pounds less than any muscle car. It has these special Type-R badges on it. It's a bloody Honda, which is probably the furthest one can get from a Detroit Iron. But that doesn't stop an Integra from being incredible amounts of fun to drive.

We started this blog to get the word out about cars that should be given a chance. My personal mission for the blog is to get everyone giving cars they never think they'd like a try. So many cars are underappreciated, or forgotten about, or hated on, or stereotyped for no good reason. The MX-5, for example. Many would like to think, mostly ignorantly, that the MX-5 is a girl car. Yet it's the most raced car of all time. It's a roadster, not a hypercar. It's not meant to go 200mph and run 9's flat. It's meant to be an affordable, fun, trackable car. Would you then still believe a Triumph, or a BMW Z8, are girl cars?

It's the same story for the FWD sports cars. From the MINI JCW to the Integra to Detroit's own SRT4 and Cobalt SS/SC, these cars are constantly made fun of for not having 16 cylinders, 20.0L of displacement and their drivetrain layout. Yet, you'd be hard pressed to find more enjoyable, cost effective automobiles, like my main topic, the Integra.

Type-R isn't just some ricey badge Honda throws on its cars. It's meant for track ready cars. The Integra Type-R, then, is definitely deserving of the badge.

Just yesterday I took the '00 and '02 ITR for a spin. And you know what? It's some of the most fun driving I've had in Forza. The cars are such a thrill to drive. The handling is absolutely amazing for a FF car. There is almost zero understeer, and the rear end stays put. The car practically listens to your inputs. You turn the wheel left, and the car immediately and willingly obliges. None of that silly oversteer or understeer stuff, it just goes. Power-wise, there's just nothing quite like a Honda engine with VTEC. Even with low torque, the insanely high-revving engine absolutely loves to be thrashed around. I would absolutely believe that there's no wasted power at any part of the powerband, save for extremely low revs. It's hard to believe Honda gets so much out of so little power and displacement. It's really a thing of beauty. While some V8s, V10s and V12s get 7000 or 8000rpm out of 500-plus horsepower, a tiny, 1.8L Inline-four, can get almost 9000rpm-and stay near that during shifting. It's amazing.

The ITR, or any track-ready racer, are, in my opinion, quite possibly more fun than any of the hypercars. They put a bigger smile on my face than the latest cars to come out of Maranello or Detroit. And isn't that the point ? Finding a car that makes you smile? Well, for me, that's what Forza's all about. I really urge everyone to step out of their pony cars, their super and hypercars, and try an Integra. Hell, try a MINI S or an SRT4. Swallow your pride and try an MX-5; it won't bite. I hope they too can make you smile as much, if not more, than your usual vehicles.

Well, that's it for now. Merry Christmas everyone!