Sportier drive w/no mods!

I had been falling into a bit of a driving rut. Things were getting a little mundane and I started imagining driving other vehicles (little, manual-transmission liftbacks) and thinking back to the previous Acura Integra--that nimble, energetic, sitting-on-the-ground feeling....

I hadn't driven in a few days (and had been watching some Top Gear UK in the meantime) and decided to try some things on the next drive.

Yesterday, I swung into the 2nd-genny in the garage and got a smirk on my face. I reclined the seatback a notch or two, moved the seat forward a click (and then re-adjusted the mirrors), raised the steering wheel a bit, for that good 9-and-3 racer's grip, bumped up the bass a little on the audio system...

Heading out on the dirt road had a completely different feel. I had a one-ness with the car that I didn't remember. I was carving the little turns and feeling the weight shift, taking a bit of a racing line 'round the corners (close at the apex, wider at the turn-in and lead-out).

One thing I've previously noticed myself doing regularly is tensing up my right foot and applying pedal pressure primarily with my toes. This has a way of lowering the perception of vehicle response, since I feel like I'm applying more pedal pressure than I really am. Yesterday, I made a point to relax the toes and apply pedal pressure more with the ball of the foot. That resulted in a completely different feel and a more engaging drive.

I noticed that this driver engagement didn't rely on speed. It was more of a connection, thinking of the car as an anatomic extension. Imagining some of the exotics the Top Gear crew drove on a regular basis, I came to the realization that one of those really would be mundane to drive on public roads--it would be difficult to safely and legally experience their capabilities without getting it on the track. A car like the Pri, on the other hand, is much better suited for tossing about a bit on public roads without raising law enforcement eyebrows or causing pedestrians to clutch their children close.

So around I flowed in a Magnetic Gray streak, feeling energized and connected, looking forward to the next time I had the opportunity to drive this car. It completely revolutionized the way I thought about driving.

On the ever-present fuel economy thread, I'm happy to report that the observed MPG was just as good (if not better) than in my previous, driving doldrums. The racing lines help preserve momentum and I found myself getting up to speed a little quicker, leaving more time for higher MPG steady-state and coasting. I also felt like I was driving more safely, as I had much more awareness. None of the "I just blanked out the last 5 minutes of driving--I hope that light was green when I went through!" of the mundane driving.

Disclaimer--this car does have a few important mods, including the wheel trim ring delete and a TRD sticker on the hatchback glass

Another disclaimer: No excessive speeds or close following distances were used in this experiment. "Racing lines" maintained proper lane placement.

 

I think so too. Too much time spend accelerating (however slowly) doesn't seem to do good things to the average.

It's kind of strange that there is such a perception of Priora being slow. I was just browsing the 2005 Consumer Reports auto edition and there are plenty of other models that have equal or longer 0-60 times than the 2nd-gen.