2023 Acura Integra: Return of the Entry-Luxury Sport Hatch
We’ve been hearing a lot about the 2023 Acura Integra all year, and now the wraps are off, officially.
The entry-level luxury/sport hatch will, as rumored, offer a manual transmission, though it won’t have all-wheel drive.
Like the previous entry-level Acura, the ILX, the Integra appears to be heavily based on the Honda Civic, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Acura claims the Integra will be the only hatchback in its segment.
Pricing starts at around $30,000. Underhood will be a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (yes, it has VTEC, yo) making 200 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque. A continuously-variable automatic transmission with paddle shifters is standard, with a six-speed manual available. The manual will get a helical limited-slip differential.
Adaptive damping will be available and the car will have Comfort, Normal, and Sport modes. A-Spec cars will get an “Individual” mode, as well. That A-Spec package will also give the car gloss-black trim, a lip spoiler, unique badging, and special 18-inch wheels. For other trims, the Integra will come with 17s standard and 18s and 19s optional.
Standard on the interior are a 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster, 7-inch infotainment screen, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. A larger infotainment screen, wireless phone charging, Alexa voice recognition, head-up display, and premium audio are available.
AcuraWatch driving-assist is standard, with an all-new single camera being used to power features like collision-mitigation braking. A-Spec cars get low-speed braking control and front and rear parking assist. Other driver-aid features include traffic-sign recognition, traffic-jam assist (CVT only), adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert.
There will be LED lighting all around, including the fog lamps, and the rear gets dual exhaust finishers.
The Integra will be built in Marysville, Ohio, alongside the TLX.
Our initial “hot take” — or this author’s, anyway — is that the car will be a dressed-up Civic, and that’s just fine. The budget buyer will be just fine with the Civic/Civic Si, while luxury buyers or those who like the Acura’s looks better will be well-suited with an Integra. The Integra might compete well with the Subaru WRX and Volkswagen GTI/Golf R, depending on how the performance versions price out, though we can’t help but note the Civic Si offers similar performance for less than the Integra’s base price.
Acura is taking reservations now — and the first 500 folks get an NFT (barf). Deliveries are expected to begin sometime this spring.
[Images: Acura]
Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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Darn. I'd actually hoped for content. I get a CVT. That goes in the Nissan Rogue, that is aimed at payment buyers who don't care about driving. Another triumph of Acura marketers over Honda engineers. Really guys, a CVT ? You couldn't find real gears for the Integra ???? I puke every time I see a Benz with a lit star......talk about automotive insecurity.
I have to laugh at everyone opining on what the Integra was intended to be, citing examples that weren’t even the first generation. When my parents bought our 1986 Legend, I spent plenty of time sitting in the Integra in the showroom. It was nice, but it didn’t wow me like the Legend did… Fast forward to the 1992 model year, and I test drove an Integra. And ended up favoring the Mitsubishi Eclipse. The Integra was a good car, but it didn’t have the wow factor for a while. This current one looks to be the same. A good car, with good performance, that offers a nicer experience than a Honda. And that’s fine. What appeals to me is the hatch, and the available manual transmission. That being said, I’ll be waiting for an SH-AWD variant, preferably in a Type S….unless I can move to a warmer climate where I don’t need to mess with AWD.