{"id":29711,"date":"2022-08-25T10:01:29","date_gmt":"2022-08-25T14:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=29711"},"modified":"2022-08-27T10:02:13","modified_gmt":"2022-08-27T14:02:13","slug":"payne-the-legendary-acura-integra-is-back-but-faces-stiff-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/payne-the-legendary-acura-integra-is-back-but-faces-stiff-competition","title":{"rendered":"Payne: The legendary Acura Integra is back but faces stiff competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yuba, Michigan\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 Nostalgia is a powerful thing. I want to see Michael Jordan go one-on-one with Steph Curry. I want to see Pete Sampras vs. Novak Djokovic on Wimbledon’s Centre Court. I want Mario Andretti vs. Josef Newgarden.<\/p>\n

I want to drive the Acura Integra vs. the Cadillac CT4.<\/p>\n

Wait, what? I can? After a long walk in the woods, Honda\u2019s luxury brand has returned to its sporty roots and brought back its famed\u00a0entry-level hellion for the compact luxury segment. But a lot has happened since 1989 when Integra debuted. Like my sports legends of yore, could Integra ever live up to the expectations? What the heck, let\u2019s give it a shot.<\/p>\n

\"For<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

On adaptive cruise control talking with my wife via the Android Auto app (both alien, sci-fi technology to an \u201989 Integra) heading north on U.S. 31 outside Yuba (just north of Acme somewhere in northern Michigan) a\u00a0twisty country road loomed. I hung up the phone and hit the brakes hard \u2014 negating ACC \u2014 then downshifted the manual from 6th to 5th to 3rd.<\/p>\n

BRAP! BRAP! BRAP! Each downshift was perfectly executed thanks to electronic rev matching (more tech alien to the \u201989 generation). I rotated Integra beautifully, then smoothly put down power courtesy of the limited slip differential (no, they never heard of that in \u201989 either). Handling, power, tech. The Integra is reborn, yes?<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s just not the same,\u201d mused my friend Sean, who owned an \u201989 Integra.<\/p>\n

She remembers her Integra romance like it was yesterday. She loved the stylish\u00a0pop-up headlights, airy greenhouse and raw, lightweight, 2,400-pound chassis that was easy to toss around.<\/p>\n

The 2023 Integra is based on the Honda Civic (just like the original)\u00a0but 1989 was a different Integra\/Civic era. Sean\u2019s Integra had an eager\u00a01.6-liter fuel-injected mill that was followed by an 8,000-rpm\u00a0VTEC engine in 1992 that won customer raves. I have an evolution of that engine in my manual\u00a02006 Civic Si, and it\u2019s a blast to row at 6,000 rpm \u2014 the variable cam screaming for more power all the way to redline. Packaged in the sexier Integra, it must have felt like a little bit of Honda\u2019s Formula One racer DNA had been injected under the hood.<\/p>\n

By contrast, the new\u00a02023 Civic Si\u00a0boasts a turbocharged\u00a01.5-liter engine that has better low-end torque compared to its ancestor \u2014 but lacks its personality. The new Integra gets the Civic Si engine standard (not the Civic\u2019s base\u00a0152-horse mill) putting out the same 200 horses as the Civic mated to a manual transmission. Just like the original Integra, but …<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Sean immediately came to terms with the shifter (one of the best in the business\u00a0this side of a Porsche Cayman) and its sporty rev-matching, but she missed the original Integra\u2019s playfulness.<\/p>\n

The new Integra is 700 pounds heavier, after all, and accessorized to the gunwales with sound-deadening materials, digital gauges, wireless smartphone apps, and standard four-doors compared to her ol\u2019\u00a0Integra coupe.<\/p>\n

It also conforms to the 21st century stylebook, which means a shallow greenhouse \u2014 the better to show off the big 18-inch satin wheels and sculpted\u00a0side-and-rocker panel stampings. This new Integra has a gym-toned bod compared to the boxy builds of the \u201980s and \u201990s.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

No matter. To Sean, the Integra had lost its original, carefree character. Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Thus the risk of bringing back a legend.<\/p>\n

I know the feeling, having recently driven my first love \u2014 the 1984 Volkswagen Rabbit (aka Golf) GTI. Like the Integra of its day, my ol\u2019 GTI was light, airy, technically unsophisticated, yet alive with a bratty exhaust note.<\/p>\n

How far we have come in 40 years. And that\u2019s a key marketing challenge for the 2023 Integra.<\/p>\n

Today, we have entry-level luxury hellions unheard of in the \u201990s. There\u2019s the aforementioned\u00a0whip-quick Cadillac CT4. And Mercedes CLA. And BMW 2-series. And Audi A4.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

That\u2019s a tough competitive brand set, and Acura competes with value, value, value. Load my sporty\u00a0A-Spec-trimmed tester with all the goodies \u2014 head-up display, red-leather-Alcantara seats, 18-inch wheels \u2014 and it clocks in at $37,395, a whopping $7,200\u00a0grand south of a comparable Cadillac CT4 Sport at $44.6K.<\/p>\n

Sure, the Caddy has rear-wheel drive, but the Integra has a stick. Nice.<\/p>\n

But look in the rear-view mirror and the vehicles stalking my Integra are mainstream makes like the $35,390 Mazda3 Turbo and $39,385 VW Golf GTI\u00a0\u2014\u00a0cars that are superior to Integra in performance, on par in tech.<\/p>\n

Maybe it was always thus. A look back at enthusiast magazine Car and Driver\u2019s 1992 archives finds Integra taking on seven other pocket rockets like the Eagle Talon TSi and VW Corrado in a comparison review.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Integra GS-R is not a hard-edged, seriously sporting car \u2014 its suspension is tailored for a forgiving ride, and the chassis delivers just 0.79 g of grip (both of which contributed to the car’s seventh-place showing around the racetrack),\u201d wrote Car and Driver back then. \u201cBut, in typical Honda fashion, it does nearly everything well at a reasonable … price.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sounds like our\u00a0Integra all right. It came in third overall.<\/p>\n

I would rate it the same for the 2023 model. Get the hot-looking Integra because it wears better duds than a Civic Si, but it\u2019s no hotter looking than the sculpted GTI or gorgeous Mazda3 hatches I’ve recently driven. Crucially, under the skin, Integra brings the same dynamics as the Civic Si: same 1.5-liter turbo-4, same electronics, same screens.<\/p>\n

The Golf GTI and Mazda 3 bring similar value, only better. The Mazda3 boasts an interior on par with a Mercedes, for goodness sake. The Mazda3 also brings standard all-wheel drive (which will woo all-season Michiganians) and a blistering 250 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque that will out-drag the Integra to 60 mph by a half-second.<\/p>\n

Enter Golf GTI, which goes to the top of the class with a sweet manual, 241 horses from a growly\u00a02.0-liter turbo-4, and moves to match the athletic Integra. Want more? There\u2019s the ridiculous, 310-horse, all-wheel-drive Golf R at $45K.<\/p>\n

\"On<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Which begs the question: Will we get more from Integra?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m betting yes \u2014 both to compete against the Golf R, as well as up-trim\u00a0luxury cyborgs like the Audi RS3 and BMW M2 and Mercedes CLA AMG 45. We\u2019ll see what else Acura has in its toybox.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, the base Integra is finally back. It may not be at the top of its\u00a0class, but it\u2019s a welcome dose of nostalgia for the Acura club.<\/p>\n

2023 Acura Integra<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger\u00a0sports sedan<\/p>\n

Price: $33,895, including $1,095\u00a0destination fee\u00a0($37,395 as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 1.5-liter turbo-4 cylinder<\/p>\n

Power:\u202f200\u00a0horsepower,\u00a0192\u00a0pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n

Transmission:\u00a06-speed manual or continuously-variable automatic<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.0 seconds (Car and Driver). Top speed,\u00a0135\u00a0mph<\/p>\n

Weight:\u00a03,062\u202fpounds<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA, 26 mpg city\/36\u00a0highway\/30\u00a0combined<\/p>\n

Report card<\/p>\n

Highs:\u00a0Fun-to-drive hatchback; Acura value compared to other premium brands<\/p>\n

Lows:\u00a0Engine lacks Acura thrills; lacks value compared to other mainstream hot hatches<\/p>\n

Overall:\u00a03\u202fstars<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yuba, Michigan\u00a0\u2014 Nostalgia is a powerful thing. I want to see Michael Jordan go one-on-one with Steph Curry. I want to see Pete Sampras vs. Novak Djokovic on Wimbledon’s Centre Court. I want Mario Andretti vs. Josef Newgarden. I want to drive the Acura Integra vs. the Cadillac CT4. Wait, what? I can? After a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29711"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29711"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29712,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29711\/revisions\/29712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}