Hyundai Tucson vs. Santa Fe Pros and Cons: Two Spacious SUVs Face Off

When Acura showed the Integra Prototype in November of last year, the reaction was overwhelming. Some applauded the iconic sport compact's return, while others gave its style thumbs down. To the surprise of no one, based on Honda/Acura's history of presenting near-production-ready vehicles as "concepts" or "prototypes" before debuting their final renditions,  the 2023 Acura Integra looks just like last year's prototype. The only things missing are the prototype's graphics package, yellow paint, and the cool-looking dual exhausts also painted in yellow. Its swoopy roofline, liftback tailgate and classic five-door shape pay homage to the original Integra hatchbacks from the '80s, while its new powertrain and chassis are lifted straight from the latest Honda Civic.The 2023 Acura Integra takes over from the outgoing ILX as the gateway to the brand. And it's a smart strategy. While some Integra enthusiasts may be disappointed with the new car's design, others will see it as an opportunity to get a spirited, entry-level car without spending a fortune—or even just a more luxurious Civic with a sportier bent. The Integra will launch in three trims—Integra, A-Spec and A-Spec with the Technology Package—in the first half of this year, with a price tag starting around $30,000—pretty much where today's regular-grade Civic hatchback tops out.The Design Is Loaded With References to Early IntegrasPenned by Acura's studio in Japan, the new Integra carries Acura's design language first seen on the 2019 MDX. Despite sharing its platform and overall shape with the 2022 Civic hatchback, the Honda and Acura don't share any sheetmetal. In fact, the Integra is a massive 6.8 inches longer, 1.1 inches wider, and 0.2 inch lower than the Civic Hatchback, though both cars share the same 107.7-inch wheelbase.The Integra marks the first use of Acura's pentagonal grille without a frame, a feature we saw on the prototype that adds a touch of sharpness to the front end. Like other Acuras, the grille is flanked by kinked LED daytime running lights and jewel eye headlights. From the profile, the most attractive part is the C-pillar, where the roofline sharply drops down to give the Integra A a classic liftback design. The rear's soft character lines blend in nicely with the rest of the car, while its ducktail spoiler and dual exhaust lean hard into the sporty presence that Acura is hoping its Integra gives off.Like early Integra models, the Integra name is embossed in the front and rear bumpers under the driver-side headlight and passenger-side taillight, a cue that we saw on the prototype and was (thankfully) kept on the production model.A Roomy, Luxurious Space InsideThough the Integra's exterior design was previewed by the prototype, this is the first time we've truly seen the cabin. (We nabbed a brief look at a working prototype's interior recently, though it was mostly covered up at the time.) There's no masking the Honda Civic ties, but Acura took some of the best traits from the (admittedly excellent, surprisingly upmarket) Civic's interior and built on top of it, ladling on extra luxuries and some unique touches. Among the surprises? That the cabin design takes a departure from Acura's other current models by ditching those cars' big, bold rotary knob in the center console for selecting drive modes. The Civic's slim toggle switch on the console for handling the same task remains.Besides the soft leather and suede inserts on the seats, the one thing that will impress Integra drivers is the standard 10.2-inch digital dashboard display. Dubbed Acura Precision Cockpit, the screen takes place right in front of the driver, offering modern graphics and multiple display modes that make the instrument cluster unique (a similar feature is only available on top-spec Civics). A 7.0-inch central touchscreen is standard, though top trims get a 9.0-inch touchscreen. The smaller display comes with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while the bigger screen adds wireless connection with Amazon Alexa integrated. Those who select the A Spec with the Tech Package will also get a head-up display and four USB ports instead of one.We've praised the Civic's interior for its cool full-width air vent design, and Acura kept parts of it in the Integra. Although the vents don't run along the entire dashboard like in the Honda, its diamond pattern design is unique, and its functionality is the same.As far as equipment goes, the 16-speaker ELS Studio premium audio system is standard on the top trim, while an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat is standard on the base model. Those who get the base or A-Spec trims will get synthetic leather seats and a manual-operated passenger's seat.Thanks to the hatch body style and longer-than-Civic dimensions, the Integra is quite roomy. The rear seats fold completely flat, leaving a ton of space for large items like a surfboard, or even allowing short people to sleep in it. The drawback to that sultry roofline is headroom for the rear seat occupants is tighter, meaning tall passengers will feel the headliner touching the top of their heads.Body By Acura, Powertrain By HondaThe 2023 Acura Integra will be powered by a 1.5-liter turbo-four engine sending 200 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels. A CVT transmission is standard, though a six-speed manual with a limited slip differential is available. That comes with a bit of a catch, as the manual is only available in the top trim, but it will be offered at no cost. Automatic versions will get paddle shifters. If these setups sound familiar, it's because they're lifted from the Civic; however, the turbo engine is the version from the sportier Civic Si—as is the six-speed manual transmission—while the CVT is borrowed from the lower-output 1.5-liter turbo engine offered in the regular Civic EX and Touring models. Honda doesn't offer the Si with any automatic, making the Integra's entry-level setup (200-hp turbo and CVT) unique. Ditto the combination of Si power in a hatchback body; the Civic Si is only offered as a sedan.For enthusiasts, the A-Spec with the Technology Package will be the trim to get solely due to the availability of the six-speed and adaptive suspension (besides, of course, its attractive equipment). A-Spec models also get the optional 18-inch wheels (compared to 17s in the base model), though there will be 19-inch wheels available as dealer-installed options.Four drive modes are available—Comfort, Normal, Sport and Individual. The latter allows the driver to change the suspension, steering and transmission settings individually.So, How Much?Acura says the Integra will start around $30,000 and will max out in the mid-$30,000s. And from what we've seen in person, Integra will bring great value to shoppers. It will be a good alternative to those considering a Mercedes-Benz CLA, BMW 2 Series or Audi A3, and it might even steal some buyers from the Civic hatchback, which maxes out at $30,865. While some might bemoan the overall, well, Civic nature of the Integra, know this: The latest Civic is a premium-feeling, slick-driving compact. A version with power in line with the sportier Civic Si that also combines a ton of extra luxuries and even more upmarket styling with a practical hatchback body sounds pretty appealing, especially given it won't cost much more than the Honda.Reservations for Integra are now being taken, and the first 500 buyers will have a chance to get a limited-edition NFT. We look forward to driving Integra in May of this year, with the vehicle arriving to U.S. dealerships soon after that.

A member on the Bronco6G forum noticed something a little funny recently: The 2022 Ford Bronco configurator no longer features the image of the base level Bronco, and the entry-level model is no longer selectable at all. We took a look for ourselves and found that, indeed, the base Broncos are gone and only the price and wording remains above a grayed-out "image missing" graphic. That same Bronco6G forum poster also mentions that a user's local dealer explained their reasoning behind the move.Is There A Replacement?As it seems that Ford has removed the base Bronco from its configurator, we have yet to hear of any official new entry-level trim for the popular SUV. The post was made on January 11, 2022 and the last webpage crawl from the Internet Archive was back on November 19, 2021. We don't know when this was changed and how long it's actually been this way, though if you mess with the Ford website's url to force it to show the 2021 Bronco configurator, the base Bronco tile appears normally and you can build one. It could be that ongoing supply chain issues (and hardtop problems) are impacting the base-level 2022-model-year Bronco, so Ford is putting the kibosh on ordering one (it wouldn't be the first such limit or delay Ford has levied on Bronco intenders).At the time of this writing we have yet to get official word from Ford on the reason the Base model is gone. Either way, the blanked-out base Bronco leaves the two-door Bronco Big Bend version as the new price leader—though for 2022 it starts at $35,280, a far cry from the $30,795 listed for the two-door base version.A Dealer RumorHowever, the rumor mill is picking up where the base Bronco's faint scent trails off. On that same forum post, a member mentions talking to their local dealer about the loss and what was coming. (Again, we have no official word from Ford to verify this and so it should be taken with a grain of salt.) The explanation is that dealers were having trouble with selling the base Bronco for a profit versus other trims and weren't ordering as many.We find that somewhat hard to believe, given the popularity of the Bronco and the stories of people who were willing to fork over cash for one—any Bronco at all, really. Ford does not release monthly sales figures nor do they break down trims in their quarterly figures, so the base Bronco's fate at the hands of dealer ordering preferences or customer preferences are a mystery.A First-Gen Call Back?One interesting theory, on the other hand, was a mention of a "Heritage Edition" to replace the base model. It was described to a forum member as a standard Bronco with a white roof, calling back to the original, first generation Bronco. Given Ford's history of playing up its historic models, we can't say that isn't too far fetched. Again, we must stress that we have reached out to Ford for confirmation on all of this—the loss of the base model and the introduction of a Heritage model—and, as of press time, Ford has not responded to our questions. So don't rush to conclusions until we're able to confirm from Ford any of it is true. If or when we do hear back, we'll update this story.