The Acura Integra is back. After a protracted hiatus, a concept, a trickle of details, and leaks, the production version is officially here.
Unsurprisingly, it’s almost exactly like the concept Acura showed last fall. Besides the parking sensors and a few adjustments, the final version is nearly visually identical to what we saw before. The big difference is that it won’t come with the graphics we saw on the concept and won’t be available at launch in bright yellow.
That’s in large part because Acura is not trying to compare this to the beloved Integra Type R that earned an invite to our Greatest Sports Car of All Time test. Despite that being the apex of the Integra name, Acura is now quick to point out that Type Rs accounted for just 8000 of the nameplate’s million-plus sales. The launch model is trying to recapture the everyday fun of the standard cars, not the dizzying heights of the enthusiast special.
That’s evident in both style and substance. The Integra will be available exclusively as a four-door liftback, with a design not entirely dissimilar to the Civic on which it is based. It’s handsome in person, but not captivating, similar to the five-door first-gen car Acura had on-hand for comparison.
Underneath, the Integra has a similar story. It uses the same 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-four from the Civic Si with no unique parts. Acura says the software is different, but output holds at 200 hp with 192 lb-ft of torque. That’s identical to the Civic Si. The six-speed manual is also pulled straight from its pedestrian sibling, and buyers who exercise the no-cost option for a row-your-own gearbox get a limited-slip differential as well. They’ll have to opt for the top-trim car with the A-Spec and Advance packages, as base cars will all come with a continuously variable transmission.
Opt for the A-Spec Package and you’ll get some black trim around the windows, 18-inch rather than 17-inch wheels, a black decklid spoiler, and some microsuede in the seats. If you do get the A-Spec Package, you also have access to the Technology Package, which upsizes the center display, makes CarPlay and Android Auto function wirelessly, includes adaptive dampers, upgrades the sound system to Acura’s ELS Studio 3D setup, and other gadgets.
Fully loaded Integras with both the A-Spec and Technology Package will retail somewhere in the “mid-30s” when they arrive this spring, Acura says. Those interested can pre-order starting now and, because it’s 2022, of course, the first 500 customers get a special NFT.
Arguably the most fickle member of the Road & Track staff, Reviews Editor Mack Hogan is likely the only person to ever cross shop an ND Miata with an Isuzu Vehicross. He founded the automotive reviews section of CNBC during his sophomore year of college and has been writing about cars ever since.