The Acura Integra is coming back in 2022!

[ProjectWHaT]

 

[Gerarghini]

To give some perspective on the pricing of the new Integra, I wanted to see how it compared to the 3rd gen (since that's all people seem to care about tbh lol). I pulled the numbers from MotorWeek's Retro reviews of the 1993 Civic and 1994 Integras, and although they review higher trim versions of the cars, they do mention the base models' prices.

1993 Civic DX coupe base price: $10,350 (roughly $21,330 in 2022)
2022 Civic LX sedan base price: $22,550

1994 Integra RS coupe base price: $14,670 (roughly $30,230 in 2022)
2023 Integra base price: $31,895

At least with this generation, you're getting a more powerful car right off the bat compared to the previous generation Integras with their B18B1s and K20A3s. Nevermind the fact that you get a lot more car for your money these days anyways. The A-Spec TECH package I believe runs for $37,000 (and a 3rd gen GS-R ran for inflation-adjusted $39,000).

I am, however, confused as to why they decided to not introduce a Type S already like they've done with the GS-R and RSX Type-S. Honda does it with their Civic Si, but the 3rd and 4th gen Integras were introduced with the Type-S (ignoring the 2nd gen GS-R and 3rd gen Type R). I am also confused as to why they would lock the manual behind the A-Spec Tech package. You'd think people who are paying that much would just wait for the eventual Type-S version. (edit: and at that point, you'd need the buyer to be seriously attached to the brand or the name in order to shell around $40k for a Civic that doesn't have the excuse of being the Type R).

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Speaking of the original cars, I was watching one of the old motorweek videos and one figure stood out to me:



0-60mph: 6.4 seconds. For the sedan. That's faster than the new one, and not even by a little it, even with the 6 speed manual. To be honest 7.1 seconds 0-60mph is not very good for a quasi performance sedan in 2022.

I really struggle to see how people would buy an Integra over a Civic Si or a Mazda3 Turbo. I just don't see the value proposition there...it's worse looking than both and costs a lot more. What is the Integra's USP?

 

[Tornado]

lmao it's slower than the original BreezFrees, a (in)famously slow car. It's slower than the irrelevant-on-arrival ILX the Integra is supposed to replace, which at least still had a K24.




Great job Acura 10/10 I'm sure name debasement is the thing that was needed all along to lure people away from bottom tier BMWs; and that this time it will work. I'm sure the adaptive dampers and Sport mode and 6 speed manual is going to set enthusiast's hearts asunder when they can barely pull away from poverty spec CVT Nissan Altimas anyway.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Speaking of the original cars, I was watching one of the old motorweek videos and one figure stood out to me:



0-60mph: 6.4 seconds. For the sedan. That's faster than the new one, and not even by a little it, even with the 6 speed manual. To be honest 7.1 seconds 0-60mph is not very good for a quasi performance sedan in 2022.

Point taken, but that's the GS-R vs the current base model. And it doesn't seem like they ventured too far on the sporty side. That probably should've been expected after how they did the current TLX Type S.

I really struggle to see how people would buy an Integra over a Civic Si or a Mazda3 Turbo. I just don't see the value proposition there...it's worse looking than both and costs a lot more. What is the Integra's USP?

It's more use-able than and has more room than the Mazda 3, and it's more comfortable than the Civic Si. That said if you're getting a well spec'ed Integra you're bumping into the base TLX. It should appeal to the 13,000 people that bought the ILX in 2021.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Point taken, but that's the GS-R vs the current base model. And it doesn't seem like they ventured too far on the sporty side. That probably should've been expected after how they did the current TLX Type S.

It's more use-able than and has more room than the Mazda 3, and it's more comfortable than the Civic Si. That said if you're getting a well spec'ed Integra you're bumping into the base TLX. It should appeal to the 13,000 people that bought the ILX in 2021.

I think 95% of Integras sold will be base models, as it will be the cheapest way (pretty sure) to get into a "premium" badge - these are your ILX buyers. I would really love to have a conversation with the handful of people who will shell out ~$40k (manual) for a not very good looking, not very fast, and not really different car than the $28k Civic Si. I would really like to know why.

 

[Tornado]

It also likely has a lot less of a potential market after Honda repositioned the current Civic a bit more upmarket itself. Integra probably would have been a lot more interesting to a lot of people if the Civic still looked as extremely aggressive and boy racer-y as the previous gen.

Point taken, but that's the GS-R vs the current base model. And it doesn't seem like they ventured too far on the sporty side.

It's not really the base model though, is it? Because you have to tack another 20-ish percent over the starting price and move up a psuedo trim level to get the 6-speed as an available gearbox. An Integra that's 3 grand more than a Civic Si and comes with a stick is altogether different from what Acura is actually doing where you have an Integra that's nearly 10 grand more than an Si (and almost as much as the outgoing CTR).

 

[Keef]

Speaking of the original cars, I was watching one of the old motorweek videos and one figure stood out to me:



0-60mph: 6.4 seconds. For the sedan. That's faster than the new one, and not even by a little it, even with the 6 speed manual. To be honest 7.1 seconds 0-60mph is not very good for a quasi performance sedan in 2022.

I really struggle to see how people would buy an Integra over a Civic Si or a Mazda3 Turbo. I just don't see the value proposition there...it's worse looking than both and costs a lot more. What is the Integra's USP?

Young urban professionals who prefer the attention-grabbing overstyling and want the few extra features available. But they'll probably all get automatics. The TLX seems fairly popular in my area and we've gotta admit that it looks damn good in person, better than the photos. I think the Integra will appeal to a similar crowd with a lower budget.

 

[Gerarghini]

I'm positive the base models will sell on the basis of Honda completely neutering some of the features of the Civic Si to allow this to exist. Then again, the Touring trim of Honda models are already so nice and pretty well equipped; for funsies, I spec'd out a Civic Touring hatch as high as it would go and it came out to 35k and some change, and you can get it with a stick too. Says it's rated at 180 horsepower compared to the Integra's 200.

Come to think of it, when (or if) the eventual Type-S comes, I expect it to be at least $45k and at that point, who's gonna buy this fancy Civic? Forget the usual mark-ups that will for sure happen once this car hits showroom floors, when I worked at a Honda dealer they sold a CTR LE for $90k. At that predicted price point (or even similar to the current/upcoming CTR), you start getting into "proper" sports car like V8 muscle cars, Supra, Z, and proper luxury cars. The CTR at least has the reputation of being a proper hot hatch, especially with the "Gundam" styling of the 10th gen. The new 11th gen Civic is more reserved (Jetta looking), and the current shots we have of the new CTR looks far better (in my opinion) than the 10th gen, a point that's been mentioned here before and one mark against the new Integra.

Then comes the issue of how much performance they want to give the new Integra Type-S. I don't think Honda would want it to outperform the Civic Type R if it's gonna use the K20C1 (or a variant of it), especially since I can't see them using the Type R badge again; that's Honda's thing now that the CTR exists on US soil properly. They didn't do an RSX-R and the RSX Type-S was identical to the base model except for the drivetrain. So they can do that and be a luxury CTR, but, again, at that price point, better choices exist.

Never mind the issue I feel that Acura has with the current Type-S cars; they are a bit of a let down and confusing; the TLX looks good but it weighs 940,000 tons and is big on the outside and small on the inside. The MDX will probably sell for someone that wants a quick SUV but doesn't wanna go to SRT Durango levels of power. Still, its an MDX so it will sell no matter what. What I don't understand is why there isn't an RDX Type-S.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

It's not really the base model though, is it? Because you have to tack another 20-ish percent over the starting price and move up a psuedo trim level to get the 6-speed as an available gearbox. An Integra that's 3 grand more than a Civic Si and comes with a stick is altogether different from what Acura is actually doing where you have an Integra that's nearly 10 grand more than an Si (and almost as much as the outgoing CTR).

I was trying to see what's in the A-Spec trim alone and there isn't much. It's just the appearance package and LED fog lights, so yeah tough to justify the ~9k. I can't see why anyone would opt out of the technology package.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

The new Integra is barely faster than the original Type R in a straight line

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

The Bronco off road vs Integra was pretty funny

 

[GranTurNismo]

The new Integra is barely faster than the original Type R in a straight line

And? Comparing one of the highest performance FWD cars to exist at the time to a car that doesn't even have a performance variant right now, despite the two making roughly the same amount of HP, is pretty bogus to begin with and is likely only done to prime "car enthusiasts" into bashing the new Integra even more.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

And? Comparing one of the highest performance FWD cars to exist at the time to a car that doesn't even have a performance variant right now, despite the two making roughly the same amount of HP, is pretty bogus to begin with and is likely only done to prime "car enthusiasts" into bashing the new Integra even more.

Not sure what's bogus about it? Acura is clearly positioning the Integra as a performance-oriented compact sedan - why else would the marketing focus so much on manual shifting and Integra heritage. What else would you compare it against if not the Elantra N or GLI? I suppose the Elantra N-Line or Civic SI might be more fair from a performance standpoint, but they are even further away in terms of price. Acura really, really should have launched the Integra with the 2.0T from the Accord as the standard engine (it couldn't have been much more expensive to do that, surely) to give it some USP versus the Civic SI, let alone it's segment competitors.

 

[CyborgGT]

^ But if they gave it the 2.0T, the inevitable Integra Type S wouldn't be special enough and the internets would rag on it for that, too - conveniently forgetting that the old Type R wasn't a massive leap over the GS-R. Personally, I think giving the base Integra the Si motor was the right call. Especially when you again look at Integras of old vs their Civic counterparts, this is an improvement over the past. My only real gripe is requiring the customer to pay another $5k to get a manual trans that's only attached to a Tech Package that they may or may not care for. For those who don't mind the CVT over a manual (which will probably be most Integra buyers once the enthusiast pre-orders are sold, let's be real), it looks like a base Integra doesn't really cost much more than a fully-loaded Civic.

Given the 500-ish pound weight penalty that A-spec Tech package had over the ITR, I was a bit impressed by the result of that drag race. As for the new Integra vs the other cars in the race... I know Honda a bit too well to expect the Integra to keep up. It's always been that way, but their cars are loved the world over anyway for still being fun to drive thanks to the engineering compared to other manufacturers. After all, the old ITR wouldn't still be so widely regarded as the best FWD performance car ever if power was that important. S2000 is another glaring example; many have called it a RWD Civic for all the guts those cars have, but that chassis combined with that frantic little engine is just something special.



Out of curiosity, to pull a random year out of the air...

1998 Integra prices:
Base, 140hp: US$16,200 > adjusted for inflation to 2022 money > US$29,450
GS-R, 170hp: US$21,600 > US$39,265
Type R, 195hp: US$23,500 > US$42,719

https://www.cars.com/research/acura-integra-1998/

Value of 1998 dollars today | Inflation Calculator

The 2.57% inflation rate means $100 in 1998 is equivalent to $193.66 today. This inflation calculator uses the official US consumer price index published by the Department of Labor.

www.in2013dollars.com

2023 Integra:
Base: US$31,895
A-spec: US$33,895
A-spec Tech Pkg: US$36,895

Given the FK8's pricing, I'm guessing the Type S would probably be sold around $40-45k. Maybe as much as $50k if they decided to go crazy and give it SH-AWD?

How Much Is the New 2023 Acura Integra?

Just a few hundred more than a loaded Civic hatchback. You'll have to spend big to get a manual transmission, though.

www.motortrend.com

 

[CodeRedR51]

 

[Keef]

Make it AWD, make it AWD, make it AWD...

 

[Veinz]

I will be very surprised if it's FWD.

 

[toastet]

I would be surprised if it isn't FWD. The engine package comes from a FWD including the gearbox and there isn't another Integra with AWD. So 2 main things chassis wise and gearbox wise which don't exist for a car which is also only sold in the US. Don't think that will happen to have such a special model.

 

[Keef]

So 2 main things chassis wise and gearbox wise which don't exist for a car which is also only sold in the US.

CRV much? All these small cars are on the same platform and it absolutely has provisions for AWD.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

CRV much? All these small cars are on the same platform and it absolutely has provisions for AWD.

I don't think they have an AWD capable manual gearbox. That would limit it to a CVT...

 

[Keef]

I don't think they have an AWD capable manual gearbox. That would limit it to a CVT...

 

[ProjectWHaT]

If this is indeed being called a Type S, then it would most likely slot below the Civic Type R in terms of performance.

From Savage Geese's TLX Type S video:

The TLX Type S was not anywhere near the levels of a track car like a Type R. So I would think they will try to slot it below the Type R and maybe have it be more luxury or grand touring focused than the Type R. Unless, they call it a Type R, then it may be similar to the Civic

 

[05XR8]

 

[CyborgGT]

^ I love Sara Choi, but that looks awful. The other two at SEMA looked pretty good, though. My main gripe with this car's looks is the lower half of the front bumper, I can't wait to see what the Type S does with it. Should look pretty mean with the CTR's wide fenders, too!

 

[05XR8]

^ I love Sara Choi, but that looks awful. The other two at SEMA looked pretty good, though. My main gripe with this car's looks is the lower half of the front bumper, I can't wait to see what the Type S does with it. Should look pretty mean with the CTR's wide fenders, too!

That top one would be cool as a super touring car. Wonder if Real Time Racing still race.

 

[Keef]

That top one would be cool as a super touring car. Wonder if Real Time Racing still race.

Here's a better photo. Dai Yoshihara and Evasive built it with Turn 14 being the parts supplier.

Seems pretty legit. Cage and everything.

 

[05XR8]

That’s pretty much perfect.

 

[CodeRedR51]

 

[CyborgGT]

The exhaust, I think, should have been a traditional split dual tip (one on either side of the car), but otherwise it's exactly what I expected. Love it. If not the centered exhaust, at least they appear to have ditched the wing for the more mature demographic. All this thing really needs to be, given what the car market is today vs the '90s, is something of a luxury package for the CTR.