2023 Acura Integra Manual First Test: The Honda Civic Si for Adults

2023 Acura Integra Manual First Test: The Honda Civic Si for Adults

2023 Acura Integra Manual First Test: The Honda Civic Si for Adults
acura integra Full Overview

Pros

  • Versatile hatchback form factor
  • Zippy and fuel-efficient engine
  • Uniquely positioned and priced within the segment

 Cons

  • Not necessarily better with the manual
  • Unimpressive at the test track
  • Can't escape comparison to the Honda Civic

Having now lived with and tested the new 2023 Acura Integra, we know it isn't a revival of the driver-focused, straightforward hatchback the internet commentariat yearns for. This may dismay Acura acolytes, and indeed we'd celebrate the arrival of such a car in our crossover-saturated market.

But don't forsake the 2023 Acura Integra because it doesn't meet your preconceived expectations. Even though it feels similar—perhaps too similar—to the Honda Civic Si, Acura sufficiently elevated the Integra to the luxury realm. It's a genuine rival to its European competitors, with some uniquely distinctive attributes. If you read on and discover it's not the Integra you wish it would be, well, maybe you need to grow up—the Integra certainly has.

How Quick? Not Particularly

One of those attributes—the one most crucial in this test—is its transmission. Automatics are prevalent among luxury subcompact cars, but choosing the Integra in A-Spec trim and adding the Technology package unlocks a no-cost option to swap the standard CVT for a six-speed manual gearbox. As in every Integra, it's joined to a 1.5-liter turbocharged I-4 that sends 200 hp and 192 lb-ft to the front wheels. In manual Integras, the power is regulated by a limited-slip differential.

Pauses introduced by clutch and shifter actuation are factors in the Integra's 7.7-second 0-60-mph time. All of its two-pedal rivals do the sprint in less than 7.0 seconds. Likewise, the Integra crosses the quarter mile in 15.7 seconds at 91.0 mph, trailing many of its adversaries in both metrics. Even so, the engine feels strong for its size, delivering a torquey surge on-boost that's accentuated by little wastegate whistles. What's more, its fuel economy rating of 26/36 mpg city/highway tops many of the 2.0-liter mills common in the set.

Manuals typically enhance involvement at the expense of outright acceleration, and the Integra's shifter justifies the trade-off. It moves between gates precisely and is weighted so it requires deliberation but not undue effort. Automatic downshift rev-matching is activated by default—don't worry, you can deactivate it, but don't knock it till you try it. The clutch is less tactile than the shifter; it's light and engages vaguely at the upper end of its stroke. In fact, it caught out a few of our drivers with unexpected wheelspin.

Fun-ish

The turbocharged, lightweight, manual 2023 Acura Integra embodies buzzwords that set enthusiast hearts aflutter. In most situations it's entertaining, moving with poise and pep that evinces the great engineering in its architecture. But the Integra is not a particularly sporty car, as proven by its test results and how it feels when driven hard.

A 60-0-mph braking distance of 123 feet is on the longer end in this category. Fade was generally a nonissue even under repeated heavy braking, but the pedal, soft at the top and requiring significant depression, doesn't seem tuned for dynamic driving. This setup disposes it to around-town use, as does the brake auto-hold function, which works flawlessly—not always the case in manual cars.

The Integra's 0.87-g skidpad average is about what's expected for the class, but the Acura's figure-eight time of 27.2 seconds at 0.63 g average doesn't impress, considering its rivals run the lap in the 26-second range. Our test team was frustrated by meddling traction control, which never seems to truly turn off and prevents full power unless the steering wheel is straight. Such interference negates the differential's benefit in on-limit driving.

Out on the road, the Integra is willing to play up to a point. Its tidy size and weight let it flow between corners, but the verve it initially presents evaporates if you ask too much of it. Instead, the Integra becomes overwhelmed by understeer and imprecision. Truly sporty cars come across as a vivid conduit between driver and road—the new Integra doesn't.

Our Civic Duty

At this point we'd be remiss to not mention how the 2023 Acura Integra compares to the Honda Civic Si. The chassis, powertrain, and amenities in these vehicles are largely identical, and perhaps unsurprisingly they drive very much alike. The shared shifter and clutch play a part in that. But our tests verify Honda's interpretation is the higher performer: It's quicker, stops better, and is grippier all around. Crucial to that are the optional summer tires equipped on every modern Si we've tested; all-seasons are standard on the Si and the only choice on the Integra.

Much more important than the Si's fractional test-figure advantages, though, is the fact the Honda is sharper, louder, and more direct—simply put, more fun to drive. At the point where the Integra falters, the Si stays hungry for the road ahead. It's remarkable how two vehicles so similar in hardware, performance, and general feel end up with such different personalities.

All Hail the Hatchback

This is not to suggest the Civic Si is necessarily better than the Integra. Aspects of the Acura make it more appealing than its platform counterpart, and—critically—cars in the luxury subcompact category.

Its hatchback format is high on the list. With a conventional small sedan, there will come a time when you'll size up its trunk opening, contemplating how you'll get some rather large thing inside. There's little such issue with the Integra: Lift the rear enclosure and revel in the big cargo area, made bigger by folding the second row. This setup makes Integra living realistic for anyone who carries bulky items or lifestyle gear. Its tall lift-over height is only a slight hindrance.

The luxury quotient is there, too. Adaptive dampers fitted on the Integra A-Spec bring a suitably smooth ride in Normal and Comfort modes and stiffen just so in Sport. Plush centers and firm, supportive bolsters make the front seats quite comfortable. Beyond a standard 10.3-inch digital gauge display, the 16-speaker audio system, wireless charger, and head-up display added by the Technology package qualify the Integra to run in today's luxury league.

Likewise, the cabin's layout and quality of materials are suitable for an entry-level luxury car. Yet the interior's similarities to the Civic are obvious. Acura could have done more to avoid such comparisons, particularly by distinguishing touchpoints like the steering wheel, shift knob, or infotainment system layout. But given how nice the Civic's interior is to begin with, how the Integra builds on it is no bad thing.

The same notion extends throughout the experience: that the Civic is its starting point bodes well for the Integra. If you recall, the Civic was a finalist in our 2022 MotorTrend Car of the Year contest, and we deemed it "one of the best vehicles on sale" in a comparison-test win. Most of the Civic's great things are present, if not enhanced, in its Integra transformation.

The Nicer Version of a Nice Car

Acura succeeded in creating a rival to starter cars from other luxury brands and offering a unique, practical vehicle to drivers who want something more upscale than a Honda. The Integra's pricing—slightly more than $30,000 to start and less than $40,000 in our fully loaded test car—undercuts the field by potentially many thousands of dollars to make it an undeniable value. It's luxury on the cheap that feels nowhere near cheap.

Yet even with its vaunted manual transmission, the Integra isn't the hot hatchback seemingly everyone across the internet insists it must be. That might be you. If so, accept the fact the Integra of 2023 isn't exactly like the Integras of yore. Time and progress ran their course, and Acura built a car that represents what it is now. If that's not enough, don't despair: This entry in the Integra tale is only at its beginning, paralleled promisingly by the reemergence of the Type S performance badge.

Looks good! More details?2023 Acura Integra A-Spec Specifications BASE PRICE $33,895 PRICE AS TESTED $37,395 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door hatchback ENGINE 1.5L Turbo direct-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4 POWER (SAE NET) 200 hp @ 6,000 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 192 lb-ft @ 1,800 rpm TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 3,040 lb (60/40%) WHEELBASE 107.7 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 185.8 x 72.0 x 55.5 in 0-60 MPH 7.7 sec QUARTER MILE 15.7 sec @ 91.0 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 123 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.87 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 27.2 sec @ 0.63 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 26/36/30 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 372 miles ON SALE Now Show All

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