The Acura Integra Has Returned as a Fancy Honda Civic Si

Don’t call it a coupe or a sedan.

Published March 20, 2022

·

Updated March 20, 2022

The Acura Integra was a 1990s motoring icon. Prime examples of the powerful, lightweight Type R version fetch bonkers prices in auctions. And Acura is reviving the Integra nameplate for 2023 to pick up the brand’s sporty baton from the outgoing NSX — at a dramatically more affordable price point. We saw the new Integra in concept form a few months back. Now, Acura has unveiled the production-ready sports car.

Here’s what you need to know about the 2023 Acura Integra.

Don’t call the Acura Integra a coupe

The iconic 1990s Integra was a coupe. Other automakers take an unbelievably broad interpretation of “coupe.” But the new Integra is a four-door vehicle that Acura insists on calling a liftback rather than a sedan.

The Acura Integra does have VTEC

The 2023 Acura Integra packs a turbocharged 1.5-liter VTEC inline-four engine that can put out up to 200 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque. It’s available with either a six-speed manual transmission or a CVT. And contrary to news from a leak that popped up, the Integra is front-wheel drive only.

So the Acura Integra is a fancy Honda Civic Si?

Pretty much, yes. The Honda Civic Si starts at $27,500 MSRP and has one trim. The Acura Integra will start around $30,000, where the next Civic Si trim would have been. And you can lux up an Integra with features not found in the Civic Si like adaptive dampers, synthetic leather seats with microsuede and a 16-speaker sound system.

Is Acura offering a Integra Type R (or Type S)?

Not yet. Acura offers high-performance Type S versions of the new TLX sedan and MDX three-row crossover. An Integra Type S would make sense. Honda has an upcoming Civic Type R that a Type S could base itself on. But Acura has neither announced nor intimated that such a vehicle will be forthcoming.