By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmrica.com

(October 23, 2022) Yet another auto manufacturer is resurrecting a bygone nameplate to capitalize on nostalgia like Chevrolet Blazer, Ford Bronco and Ranger, Jeep Gladiator and Grand Wagoneer, Toyota Supra and others. And now it’s Acura’s turn with the remake of the Integra that recalls some of the best driving Honda and Acura cars from 1986 to 2001. Acura made a few Type Rs and since that time the Integra has garnered a much-loved cult following that’s still a living, breathing thing.

The new Integra tested here is for the most part a tarted up remodeled Civic Si. What didn’t get resurrected though is the original Integra coupe however the new edition does adopt a 4-door liftback body with an attractive swooping roofline that Acura proudly insists is a nod to the original. The all-new Integra is a replacement for the ILX sedan that was arguably past its freshness date and never embraced by the car buying public.

Integra shares its underpinnings with the Honda Civic Si as a donor car sharing the same 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a disappointing 200-horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque between 1,800 and 5,000 rpm.

It’s a good engine, we just wished for more horsepower, something in the range of 241-horsepower that powers the VW Golf GTI, a legitimate hot hatch. Our tested 6-speed manual transmission Integra took 7 full seconds to reach 60 MPH from a standing start. That just isn’t quick enough. We have high hopes Acura has a performance-oriented Type S in the works soon. After all, the Integra has a starting price of $3,300 more than the Si and we would expect it would have had something with more oomph under the hood.

The new Integra is offered in a choice of three flavors, Base, A-Spec and A-Spec Technology with pricing ranging from a low of $31,895 to $36,895 before options. For this review Acura supplied us with the top-trim A-Spec Technology a $3,000 price premium over the A-Spec that easily justifies the price boost with added features like an adaptive suspension system, a larger 10.2-inch digital gauge display, an excellent 16-speaker ELS 3D audio system, wireless smartphone charging and other goodies.

All three models are front-wheel drive and come standard with a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). Moving up to one of the two A-Spec trims unlocks the availability to get a delightful 6-speed manual transmission with rev-matching down shifts. Sweet!

Open the front door and you’re greeted by swaths of faux red leather upholstery with black trim that looks convincing and quite attractive. While it is the premium auto division of Honda, the Integra should look more upscale and does when compared to the Civic, but we felt it falls short of competitors like the Audi A3, BMW 2-Series, Mercedes A-Class for example. There are soft touches like unique trim pieces, upper dashboard and upper door panels but there’s just too much hard plastic trim like on the door panels, rear back door windowsills and center console. Even the headliner seems completely lifted out of a Civic and feels cheap. Acura can do better than this.

Behind the wheel, the front seats in our test Integra have 12-way power adjustments, four-way for front passenger seat, and rear seat while small will accommodate two adults but because of the swooping roofline headroom is severely limited. We found the seats marginally comfortable but subpar for the class and the rear seat was spartan, void of extra amenities or niceties.

Integra comes standard with the AcuraWatch safety system of driver assistance features including forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, lane departure warning and lane keeping assist.

Standard in all three trim levels with the CVT is adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow and traffic jam assist. It is not available with the 6-speed manual transmission.

On the road we found handling sufficient for a daily commuter car with front-wheel drive. It doesn’t have the sport handling of say a Civic Type R, Audi S3, or even the Veloster N, but again this car isn’t designed for the track rather focuses for street commute experiences. We’ve already whined about the desire for additional horsepower, so I won’t mention acceleration.

We do like the manual shifter with its transaxle, also borrowed from the Civic Si. The clutch is light and forgiving but we felt the clutch grab point engaged a bit too late making starts on the jerky side. We also thought first gear was too short resulting in tire squealing take offs wheels-a-spinning. The span between first and second is quite wide and finally we found the brake and accelerator pedals too close together allowing at times both pedals to be applied. Better to have smaller feet.

Overall, we applaud the return of the Integra and does make for an interesting new vehicle in its competitive class but sticks too close to the Honda Civic parts bin to keep it from being a standout. It does come with an impressive amount of standard technology, but a limited color selection and nothing special beyond basic black, grays, red, white or blue. And while the cabin is noisy (we think it’s mostly the tires) the engine to too quiet and should have a pleasant sporty sound given it’s an Integra.

Finally, the only way one would consider the Integra would be to opt for one of the A-Spec models but that would require shelling out an extra fistful of folding money and quite frankly we’re not sure it might just be better to grab a Civic Si. The Integra just isn’t a unique enough offering….at least for now.

Vital Stats

Base Price: $35,800
Price as Tested: $37,395
Engine/Transmission: 200-horsepower 1.5-liter turbocharged four0cylinder engine paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission.
EPA Fuel Economy: 26/36/30 MPG – City/Highway/Combined
Seating: 5

Crash Test Safety Ratings: The Acura Integra has not been crash tested for safety by either the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Where Built: Marysville, Ohio

Competes With:
Audi A3
BMW 2-Series
Cadillac CT4
Honda Civic Si
Lexus IS
Mercedes-Benz A-Class
Volkswagen Golf GTI

Highs:
Attractive styling
Impressive list of standard features, technology, driver assist
Strong fuel-efficiency

Lows:
Needs more horsepower
Basically, a Honda Civic Si in prom clothes
Noisy cabin, quiet engine
Interior not upscale for an Acura