When Acura announced earlier in 2021 that it was bringing back the Integra, it sent a wave of excitement through a huge number of automotive enthusiasts. The Integra was one of the most popular cars to come from Honda, and the luxury Acura brand, with the Type R variant of the third generation, perhaps being the most recognizable and well-loved edition of the car. The last generation of the original Integra model made its debut in 2001 and remained in production until 2006.
This new, fifth generation of the Integra is somewhat different from the last. For starters, this model is being produced in the United States rather than being an imported edition from Japan. The new car is based upon Honda’s Civic Si, but unlike the last Integra, it will be marketed exclusively as an Acura. This probably isn’t something everyone is happy about, meaning it's unlikely the car will be easily available outside the United States. For many a JDM and Honda fan, this is going to suck. Clearly, Acura is trying to recapture the glory days of one of the brand's greatest cars.
The Glory Days Of The Integra
We have touched upon it, but the glory days of the Integra perhaps came with the third generation of the car. This edition of the Integra was in production from 1993-2001 and was introduced for the 1994 model year. The third-gen Integra provided a massive facelift over the second generation, featuring the four-headlight “spider eyes” design that became so recognizable, and the most powerful Si model produced 176 hp. In 1998, a further facelift moved the embossed Integra label to below the left headlights, but it was the Type R edition that has always been so loved.
The Integra Type R was first introduced by Honda in 1995 to the Japanese domestic market. This edition of the Integra had a 197 hp engine, a factory-tuned edition of the B18C engine, which of course had VTEC. The Integra Type R is rocketing up in value today, and it's easy to see why. Evo magazine at the time said the Type R was “the greatest front-wheel-drive performance car ever”, and in Japan it is often seen as one of the best sports cars of the 1990s, mixing it with the likes of the Nissan Skyline GT-R. The Integra Type R is 100% a modern classic.
An Integra For A New Generation
This new Integra, marketed solely as an Acura, perhaps isn’t going to have the same impact as the third generation Integra. The hype train went through the roof when it was announced in the summer of 2021, but that hype has definitely calmed down somewhat recently. The model is set for the 2023 model year, and Acura has said that it will be powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine with VTEC. We do not know as yet though what engine that will be exactly. But it will be the first-ever factory-turbocharged Integra and the car will have a six-speed manual gearbox and a limited-slip differential.
That means it could be a great enthusiast drive. And Acura has tried hard to not forget the car's roots. The paint that the prototype was revealed in was Indy Yellow Pearl. Whilst this has been borrowed from the outgoing Acura NSX, the color is actually an homage to the Phoenix Yellow that was on that iconic Integra Type R, available from 2000-2001 before the fourth generation Integra took over. Acura is at least acknowledging the car's past, and whilst it looks very different from that classic Integra, you wouldn’t say it’s a bad-looking car by any means as it really isn’t, and it's even been designed in Japan, not the United States.
An Attempt To Appeal To A New Generation
Reviving a name like the Integra is certainly a clever way of generating hype. The same could be said when Honda and Acura brought back the NSX name. But the NSX was never really able to capture a new generation of fans, as it was so different from the original NSX, despite that in itself being a fantastic supercar. Acura will probably be hoping that this new Integra can do what the NSX couldn’t, although not allowing the car to be available outside the United States, at least right now, feels like a bit of an oversight.
Can The New Integra Recapture The Glory Days?
The short answer to this is probably no. Underneath the new exterior is, in essence, the 2022 Civic Si. Again, in itself, it is not a bad car at all, but to many, knowing it's not really a true Integra isn’t probably going to sit well. It will just leave a weird feeling, much like that with Toyota’s ‘new’ Supra that uses BMW underpinnings. So no, the new Integra won’t recapture the car's glory days. But, it is nice to see the name return, on a new car, and Acura has tried to differentiate it from the rest of its range and honor the past of the car. It just remains to be seen how much of a hit it will be.
Sources: Acura, Honda, Road & Track, Evo