The Acura Integra is back and fans of this famously-reliable nameplate have plenty to be excited about. Integras and Integra Type R’s were some of the most popular sports cars to leave factory floors during the 1990s. There was always plenty of things to love about the Integra. For example, the 1990 model drove more like a luxury car than a sports coupe, it was powered by a naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine in the 1998 Type R, and the list goes on.
First introduced in 1986 to North America, the Acura Integra has not seen production for years, but many of their 1990s and early 2000s models can still be seen on the streets to this day. If people are still driving your car several decades after they were discontinued, then you made a very reliable car.
10 It’s The First Integra Made In 20 Years
Acura ended production of the Integra in the US in 2001 after slipping sales and because Honda, Acura’s parent company, began to invest the Type R trims into their astronomically popular Honda Civic line.
So, while the Integra was no more, the Type R was still available, albeit on a different nameplate. Acura announced the car’s return in 2021.
9 Its Design Borrows From The Honda Civic SI And Type R
Like the previous iterations of the Integra, the car borrows a lot from its sister cars, such as the Honda Civic SI and the Honda Civic Type R. The most noticeable similarities can be seen in the Integra’s exterior. The curved roof and sloping, almost hatchback-like rear remind one of the current renditions of the Type R, and the car's overall frame borrows quite heavily from the Civic as well.
The car’s engine also borrows from its siblings. Acura has confirmed that the new Integra will share an engine with the current SI, a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder block with a turbo.
8 It Will Have The Integra's First-Ever Factory Turbocharged Engine
The turbocharged engine is something that every Integra fan should get excited about for one simple reason, no Acura Integra has ever been built with it before. Although Acuras, like most models produced by Honda, are relatively easy to customize, so many Acura owners do modify their engines with turbos and other aftermarket parts later on.
But no Acura has ever before has been sold with a built-in turbocharged engine. This important first could make the Integra the envy of its fellow sports coupes for years to come.
7 Manual Transmission Is Available
If you are worried that the Integra will only be available with an automatic transmission, put those fears to rest. Before practically anything else was announced about the 2023 Integra, Acura made it quite clear that manual transmission will be available with the new Integra. Sources indicate it will be a six-speed manual transmission, which was also available in the previous versions of the car.
6 It’s Affordable (priced to start at around $30,000)
Many want a sports coupe that is reliable but won’t break the bank and the new Integra will be that kind of coupe, setting it up to be a major threat to the competition. Although the number of trims has not been announced yet, Acura has confirmed that the base model for the 2023 Integra will start at just $30,000!
A sports car with a famously dependable nameplate starting at the same price as a basic family sedan! What’s not to get excited about!?
5 It Got A Very Cool Exterior
Although the car’s design does borrow heavily from the Honda Civic SI and the Civic Type R, the new Integra has plenty of stand-out features that make the car something special all on its own. For one thing, the front exterior is rather impressive.
The Diamond Pentagon grille is both sleek and efficiently designed for the car's performance, as it helps with the engine's natural aspiration that was mentioned earlier. Also, the car has trademark brand Jewel Eye LED headlights with automatic adjustments to conditions.
4 Its Interior Will Likely Match (Or Exceed) A Premium Honda Civics
Although highly speculative at this point, some lucky critics have gotten a few peeks at the inside of test models and so far the verdict has been a thumbs up. Critics describe the car as surprisingly spacious, comfortable with a leather interior and a standard 9-inch central computer screen.
Some have also noticed that the new interior is a vast improvement on the previous Integras, which were said to be a little too cramped.
3 It Will Have Top Of The Line Brembo Brakes And Other Reliable Components
Look closely behind the prototype and test model’s wheels and one can see distinct brake calipers from a famously reliable brand. In addition to the above-mentioned trademarked Jewel Eye Headlights, the 2023 Integra also features Brembo Brakes.
Another feature bound to increase the car's reliability is its dual exhaust manifold, which reminds one of the dual exhausts now available in some Honda Civics.
2 It Will Have At Least 200 HP
Remember that 1.5-Liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine we mentioned earlier? Well, we forgot to mention that this factory-charged engine block can hit upwards of 200 horsepower, a respectable number and one that can easily be increased with some aftermarket modifications, something that is quite easy to do for most Honda manufactured cars.
Also, while there are sports cars on the market that could easily exceed 200 hp, this is only an estimate that we know will be the car's minimum HP as this is the tested rate the engine has achieved on other models. The power could easily be much higher when the car is officially released, but buyers should at least expect 200 hp, minimum.
1 They’ll Be Ready To Order In March 2022
Now some reading this might be eager to buy the new Integra and are probably google searching right now when and where they can get one. Customers will be able to reserve their new Integras in March 2022.
At an affordable price, intense hype around the Integra's return, and specs and details borrowed from several reliable sister cars and brand name components, there is almost too much to get excited about with this car.