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| Photo Credit: American Honda Motor Co., Inc. |
In August, Honda’s luxury car brand Acura shared an intriguing teaser image accompanied by the revelation that a classic sport compact name would return. Included in a rather familiar close-up promotional shot capturing a headlamp and part of the Diamond Pentagon grille, the key focus was a nameplate reading “Integra”. A rear image of a five-door hatchback shape dropped in late September while a picture of a six-speed manual shifter released in mid-October clearly as a means to tantalize a modern premium sport compact crowd. After a 20-year hiatus, the Integra is once again part of the Acura lineup.
A five-door hatchback touting a coupe-like shape, the 2023 Acura Integra will give entry-level luxury car buyers a strong taste of performance attitude. As was the case with the previous Integra models, the Honda Civic platform serves as the basis for this latest premium compact. While the new Civic hatchback’s silhouette is found with the 2023 Integra’s five-door body style, Acura contributed many unique elements of their design language to their upcoming vehicle. JewelEye LED headlights employing daytime running lights assembled in a “Chicane” layout, a frameless Diamond Pentagon grille and rear end styling featuring single-piece taillights are some features applied to the Acura model.
On the 2023 Acura Integra prototype, the sport compact is coated in a Yellow Pearl paint colour derived from the NSX supercar’s palette. This electrifying colour of the show car is paired with smaller exterior components such as mirror caps, decklid spoiler and front grille finished in Berlina Black. The 2023 Integra prototype also included a matte finish is applied to the 19-inch split-five spoke wheels partly concealing Brembo high-performance brakes with Indy Yellow calipers.
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| Photo Credit: American Honda Motor Co., Inc. |
Acura has not gone into deep details on the 2023 Integra features or interior, but the premium brand did unveiled some technical features. Said to be a high-output engine, a turbocharged 1.5-liter powerplant using Honda’s latest VTEC technology will certainly be the heart of the new premium sport compact. The Acura Integra’s will likely use the same powerplant found on the new 2022 Honda Civic Si recently introduced with a 200 horsepower and 192 lb.-ft. of torque. A six-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential will be available on the 2023 Integra.
Introduced in 1986 as an early name launching of the Acura name, Integra was originally attached to three-door and five-door hatchbacks. Through three generations, Acura Integra models initially lured entry-level premium car customers. The name would reach the status of an icon when the sport tuner craze of the late 1990s and early 2000s fueled by the VTEC engine as well as four-wheel double wishbone suspension found on the second and third generation variants. Acura parted with the Integra name for 2002 but the Acura RSX was a spiritual successor that remained on the market until 2006. The revival of the Integra moniker is the first time in two decades Acura will sell a production car with a proper name instead of an alphabetical model nameplate.
Acura will announce more information on the 2023 Integra in the first half of 2022 ahead of the vehicle's introduction to the market.