We have known for months now that Acura is orchestrating the return of its Integra, an icon of the 1990s which allowed the brand to seduce a young clientele thanks to its dynamism and its precious link with the driver. The new opus was finally unveiled last week, on the sidelines of the Los Angeles Auto Show, in its almost final composition.
Here is the Integra of the XXIe century, officially presented in the form of “prototype”, but which gives us a foretaste quite close to its final phase if we judge by the strategy of the recent unveilings of Acura. As the sketches published in recent weeks have announced, the compact revamps its positioning with a five-door proposal featuring a low-sloping rear hatch reminiscent of the first generation of the model. It’s a visual hybrid between a coupe and a traditional sedan.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ACURA
The Acura Integra Prototype 2023 combines a coupe and a traditional sedan.
Moreover, it is pure Acura with the so-called multiple diode headlights jewel eyes and the inverted pentagon grille emphasizing a huge brand logo. Diodes describing a circuit baffle add originality.
Four-cylinder and manual transmission
We were treated to rather fragmentary information on the technical aspect of the product during the presentation. Acura specifies that the model will be powered by a turbocharged 1.5L four-cylinder, the first non-naturally aspirated engine in the model’s history. This engine, which should probably be the same as that of the Honda Civic Si, could gain some horsepower in the process to underline the more opulent status of the Integra. It produces 200 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque under the hood of the Civic.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ACURA
The Acura Integra will be powered by a turbocharged 1.5L four-cylinder engine.
As previously announced, the manual gearbox will be offered alongside another transmission which has not been detailed. The Integra should logically be entitled to an automatic transmission. A limited slip differential will take care of reducing the propensity to understeer.
Acura brand manager Jon Ikeda also argued at the end of the short presentation that “it was only a start”, suggesting the possibility of a Type S version. mechanical parts of the Civic Type R, which has not yet been unveiled in its latest version.
Acura will communicate more details about this highly anticipated model during the first half of 2023. The brand is quoting a starting price of around $ 35,000, which places it at the level of the current ILX in terms of accessibility.