By reviving the Integra’s name, Acura opened the door for enthusiasts to draw a comparison between the new hatchback and its renowned predecessor.And Negative Nancy continues to focus on the fact that the new car is not a high-performance, low-volume direct successor. Type RThe truth is that the 2023 Integra is exactly what it should be.
Integra has most of its framework Honda Civic Si, And this commonality is traced entirely in the history of Acura. The Integras has always been crazy about the Civic, and the new car is essentially a Si hatchback (not offered by Honda) with a higher level of standard equipment and more sophisticated road etiquette. More importantly, the 2023 Integra is a very attractive entry point into the Acura lineup. ILX..
Sharing the foundation with the Civic Si, the Integra uses a 1.5-liter turbo I4 engine, producing the same 200 horsepower and 192 lb-foot torque as Honda. Unlike the Si, the Integra comes standard with a continuously variable transmission, but the 6-speed manual has also been taken over. Oddly enough, the sticks are only available on the top-trimmed Integra A-Spec with a tech package, but Acura says that more than half of all Integra pre-orders are optional this way. That’s good news.
The CVT does open the Integra to a wider range of customers than the manual-only Civic Si, but it obviously kills some of the fun elements of Acura. I think the Integra will be a great car for first-time manual drivers. The light clutch has a clear take-up point and the stick itself has a tightly meshed short throw. Like the Si, the Integra comes standard with automatic rotation matching, making the manual much more forgiving (and easier) to use while driving or stopping in the city. Yes, you can turn this off, but I never want to turn it off. The heavy traffic in Los Angeles is a kind of litmus test for the daily habitability of stick shifts, and the Integra is a fatigue-free experience.
Regardless of the transmission, the Integra’s A-Spec / Tech trim comes with adaptive dampers that explain why Honda removed them from the Civic Si. (Do I have to leave some unique features in Acura?) The Integra’s comfort and normal settings provide a more squeaky ride than the Civic, and the sport makes the dampers much stiffer and more uncomfortable. Achieves tense cornering characteristics without the required harshness.
The Integra’s large steering is fun to use. We can respond quickly and have a lot of feedback on the amount of grip available at the road level. The base car rides on 17-inch wheels, but the A-Spec and A-Spec / Tech models get 18 on 235/40 ContinentalProContact all-season tires, and the larger 19 is available from Acura’s accessories catalog. However, you cannot buy an Integra with high performance tires from the factory. This is strange. Especially considering that Honda will sell the Civic Si with Eagle F1 summer tires for an additional $ 200.
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The A-Spec model has 18-inch wheels, but some summer tires are good.
Acura incorporates active and passive safety technologies such as adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, forward collision warnings and lane departure warnings into Integra, regardless of trim. However, Stick Shift does not allow you to use Adaptive Cruise Control at low speeds. In other words, Acura’s congestion assist feature is not available on manual A-Spec / Tech vehicles.
The A-Spec / Tech model, on the other hand, comes with a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system to perform a carryover version of the CivicSi software.wireless Apple CarPlay When Android Auto As with USB-A and USB-C ports and charging pads, it’s standard. The base and regular A-Spec Integras downgrade to a 7-inch touchscreen compatible with wired smartphones, but regardless of model, there are 10.2-inch digital gauge clusters, but colors and graphics are rivals. A luxury brand that is a little less glossy than the system. (Audi virtual cockpit for victory.)
The Integra cabin is almost a carbon copy of the Civic cabin, with a wide range of colors and a slight increase in premium materials. My A-Spec / Tech tester has leather seats with micro suede inserts, but the rear benches clearly look low rent because only the front chairs make this fabric flourish. All in all, the Integra comes with a heated front seat and another curious Civic Si omission, probably to make Acura look more luxurious.
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There are a lot of Civics in the Integra’s interior, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Thanks to the hatchback body style, the Integra has much higher cargo capacity than the sedan-only Civic Si, with 24.3 cubic feet of space in the trunk. The rear seats can be folded flat for storage, but the loading height from the rear bumper is quite high, making it difficult to load bulky luggage.Boxer competitors like The Volkswagen Golf GTI is much easier to pack.
It brings me a simple soap box frustration: where is the rear wiper? Acura tells me that the Integra’s fastback design is smooth enough that the air moving over the roof while driving removes water from the glass. But when I want to get rid of morning dew and overnight rain as I retreat from the driveway, it doesn’t help me. Whatever the drag with the wiper added, it certainly doesn’t make sense to affect styling or fuel economy. After all, the Honda Civic Hatchback has a rear wiper.
The base Integra starts at $ 31,895, including $ 1,095 for the destination, while the top tier A-Spec / Tech costs $ 36,895 regardless of whether you choose a CVT or manual transmission. .. This saves about $ 3,000 compared to the loaded Volkswagen Golf GTI. This is more comfortable and fun, Audi A3 When Mercedes Benz CLA classAlthough their rivals are more luxurious inside.
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The Integra looks great and the hatchback design is pretty functional.
However, while the Integra looks like a great value compared to other luxury compacts, the tighter comparison is again the Civic Si. Even with all the added fantasy and functionality of the A-Spec / Tech trim, I’m not sure if it’s worth a $ 8,000 jump on Si with summer tires.And if you’re not looking at Acura in terms of performance, it’s hard to ignore what’s well appointed Civic Sports Touring Hatchback ($ 31,145 including destination) or even the Mazda3 with turbocharger ($ 32,915) as an alternative to the bass and midrange Integra.
Still, the 2023 Integra is a great car. It has a solid powertrain, excellent road etiquette, a lot of technology, and the peace of mind associated with Honda / Acura’s reputation for excellent build quality and overall lifespan. This is a good representation of what the previous Integras has always had. Even if the inevitable hi-po type S is definitely coveted in the future, it’s a good expression.