to both, from Consumer Reports long term car make reliability reports and some personal observations many Germany cars are not best for long term ownership especially out of warranty. YMMV

 

The Elantra N is pretty quick but I dont like the styling at all, looks ugly to me.

 

Worth watching as both driver's show what the new Integra is about.

 

This was useful, but I think these guys are misinformed a bit about what the original Integra was. We owned 2 2Gen coupes (not GSRs). They were fun, upmarket and reliable as could be and looked good. Neither of them "revved to the moon" (I recall about a 6500 redline). They did 0-60 in 9.3 seconds (decent for the day). This car is a fast-forward version of those LSs, but it's better in almost every way -- faster, more comfortable, better handling, more room, more amenities and better mpg. I could make the case that our 90 and 91 coupes were better looking, but the 2023 is a good-looking car.

 

One thing I noticed in these YouTube Integra reviews is that many folks in the comments have purchased or plan on purchasing one. Say what you want about the Integra, Acura appears to have produced a vehicle that people want to buy.

 

 

Yes, we are in that group, but the big problem is finding a car. Acura does not seem to have done a real production run yet on our first choice (Performance Red/Orchid with 6MT), and as they ramp up CVT production 6MTs are hard to find. (Autotrader listed about 125 of them nationwide as of yesterday -- about 2 per state). Of the lucky people who have taken delivery of their cars so far, they seem very, very happy with them. When we test drove an Apex Blue/Orchid 6MT back in May, people were lined up to test that sole demo car at our dealer (which is now the remaining Integra in stock there).

Our sales guy says it could be November before they get one in for us, but I'm guessing it won't be until 2023.

 

FWIW, my wife (g/f at the time) bought new a 1986 Integra 5MT 5door LS. It's D16A1 motor rev'ed to 7k, not the moon but significantly higher than most 4 cylinders of that period. And like you wrote it certainly was a fun, upmarket and reliable as could be and looked good as we keep it for 18 years and 240k miles. Overall it was a great car. And totally agree how you described the new Integra, it's not a track day car (that may be the probably future Type-S or Type-R variants) but a fun to drive sporty daily driver. And keeping to the hatchback of the original 1G body configuration.

Curious to see how it sells but I expect it to do very well.

 

We bought our 90 and 91 Integras based on a colleague's 1st Gen Integra (don't recall what year it was). We were wowed by the car's quality, looks, and capabilities. He pulled up at a hotel where we were holding a firm meeting, and everyone was amazed at the obvious quality of the car and the fact that at idle no one could tell it was running -- sort of like a high-quality sewing machine. Precision-crafted! Another colleague bought an '88 LS Coupe based on seeing that 1st Gen LS.

 

 

 

Doug finally got his hands on one

 

Thanks for posting. I think he generally "gets" the car and accurately discusses its strengths and the areas for improvement. It appears he did not give the infotainment/gauge cluster a full workout, however. Yes, it appears bland and not very exciting without a phone hooked up. But once you connect (wirelessly) through CarPlay or Android Auto, the center screen comes to life, and the gauge cluster can be configured to do/show lots of things besides just the basics that he shows in the video.

I do wish Acura had configured the rear seats the same as the fronts (although owning a dog who will travel in the back, the current set up sans Alcantara is probably advantageous to me). I'd also mimic the front door trim in back and put in some rear HVAC vents, but these are far from show-stoppers for us.

 

I'm in agreement with what's been said about the interior being really quite nice! Upscale over the new Civic, for sure. I personally think it looks stylish, and well, all the amenities are what most folks want/use nowadays so for it being a luxury car at its price point it's great. None of the German cars stirs my heart the way this one does!

 

Integra is one of the best if not best compared to A3, BMW 2 series and CLA. Well done Acura!

Bring the Type S now and it will be just awesome!

 

Doug's comments about the power delivery pretty much eliminated any curiosity I had about test driving the 6MT. It doesn't sound like it's any better than the gutless 2.4L in the ILX, so I honestly don't understand all the fanfare about how sporty it is, especially since the ILX offered the same hp (albeit with slightly less torque) and the same 6MT at one point, but got nowhere near as much attention. Clever marketing, I suppose.

I also still support the theory that using the Accord's 2.0T as the base engine would've eliminated most of the hate, while still preserving its sacred (to Acura at least) pecking order below the base TLX. That would've added at most ~$4k to its base price, which is still cheaper than the CLA/2GC, while matching the A3. But Acura clearly wanted to cater to the Fast & Furious crowd (as depicted in the prototype reveal video), instead of moving upmarket and putting some substance behind all its "performance" talk. And if they're worried about the Type-S stepping on the new CTR's toes, they could simply give it the 10G CTR's 306hp variant.

 

I've driven a number of ILX loaners (all autos) and in my opinion, the Integra (with 6MT) is leagues ahead of the ILX in terms of responsiveness and sporty feel. I have no idea of how they'd match up in terms of 0-60, nor do I much care since the Integra we've ordered will be our DD, principally driven by my spouse. It's fun, responsive and gets great mpg. Those are the attributes that sold us, and frankly, at 36K it's a bargain in today's new car market.

 

My impression was the opposite. I found the K24 to be more fun and lively. Both aren’t particularly fast, but at least the K24 had more character than the 1.5T, which just didn’t feel particularly exciting nor fun. It’s better as a daily driver but in terms of fun it’s neutered because it runs out of steam so quickly at the top end. It’s not a fun motor to rev out. Since straight line speed isn’t this cars forte, I would rather have the more engaging K24 in this car with the 6MT.

 

I think it's only fair to compare 6MT vs 6MT, and CVT vs DCT (the ILX auto and hybrid were saddled with even lesser engines, so not worth mentioning). That said, I've driven both the ILX 6MT and DCT and while the former was more engaging, it wasn't a night and day difference, so I can't imagine the Integra being much different in this respect. Sure, the Integra chassis is miles ahead of the ILX's, but pretty sure I'd feel the (lack of) engine responsiveness more so than its improved cornering/steering agility every time I get behind the wheel. But I suppose for some, the improved interior, versatility, and/or fuel economy could make up for that. But those aren't really the attributes of a "performance" brand...

 

Our current car is a '13 Accord EX with the 2.4/6MT. It's a gem of an engine, for sure. Quiet, smooth and pretty quick if you wind it out. And, in summer driving, it will knock down +40 MPG all day long on the highway.

The difference I perceive between our 2.4 Accord and the 1.5 Integra is that the Acura has much more low end responsiveness, but it still produces good power past the 5000 rpm torque peak. To get the Accord to move quickly (which it will do), you need to really run it up to 5K plus. It's fun, to be sure, but the Integra is a lighter, more responsive car to us. It would have been fine with the 2.4 DCT combo too, but my understanding is that the 2.4 can't easily meet evolving emissions standards.

In terms of interior amenities, trim, etc., the Integra is miles ahead of the ILX. I always liked the styling of the ILX, but it really disappointed once you got inside. The Integra is much better, to my eye.

 

C&D just tested the CVT model. Surprisingly, it's only 0.1s slower to 60 (no doubt because you can't launch it), but it's faster 5-60 and traps 2mph faster in the quarter.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...integra-drive/

 

So you aren’t beating a Honda Odyssey to 60 mph in either one.

 

Saw only my second one in the wild today, a black A-Spec. But the good news is the car belongs to one of my neighbors so I may be able to take a ride in it. Nice looking vehicle and I prefer the Honda-like interior vs the rest of the lineup, mainly due to the touchscreen vs the touchpad.

 

Integra vs. A3: https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2...k60KzlMUYJPU2E

 

Sounds like the Integra wins thanks to Precision Crafted Practicality. That's not a knock on the car; one of the two things that Honda does exceptionally well is how usable and practical they design their cars to be. The Integra inherits that since it's based so heavily on the 11G Civic, and it's all the better for it. In this segment of the market, customer's aren't necessarily looking for performance; they buy these for value, usability, with a bit of a premium flair. If they cared about performance, they wouldn't be looking at a base entry-level premium compact. Just a shame the TLX didn't take more cues from the Accord; they could have had something special with that car too. It could have followed the Integra recipe; priced to compete in a smaller class, but sized (both inside and out) to compete in a larger class, while being the only one to offer a 6MT.

 

Talking about performance, we can see very clearly how much it costs the Integra for 0-60mph and subsequently 1/4 mile ET. It's just so slow off the line but it catches up eventually. It only it had that 8-DCT.....

 

Another excellent review: https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2...DhDCA-pU70CW9M

 

Pretty much spot on with my thoughts as well

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2023...s-cons-review/

If the Civic didn't exist, this car would be pretty good value. The problem is that the Civic Sport Touring, even if it's not quite as good, is better value. It's like 90% of the car for 80% of the price.

+1 on road noise. If there's one thing Hondas (and most Acuras) struggle with, it's road noise. This car is no different. Not nearly as bad as the tincan ILX, but still last in class in that regard.

 

I wasn't sure where to post this but thought to share here. everyone was asking as why Acura is so behind and not pushed Garage door opener with Teggy. Could this be the reason?
https://acuranews.com/en-US/releases...b110e4e-videos
https://www.myq.com/auto/acura

 

Pretty clearly they were anticipating myQ as the solution. Not so thrilled about paying a subscription to open/close my garage door though.

Taking a page from the German makers, and not for the better IMHO.

 

100%! i am glad the option is available as this was a deal breaker for some but not impressed by Acura's method of making buyers to pay. Blame it on BMW which came up with the trend to charge for heated seats hahahaha!

 

I chose a Honda Civic Sport Touring as my second car (MDX Type S is my primary vehicle) over the Integra because of the lack of Homelink, built in navigation, spare tire and rear wiper which are all offered on the Civic. The Integra had three features I preferred over the Civic (adaptive suspension, HUD, and TPMS readout of individual tire pressure). Since the Civic is a great vehicle in its own right I went with it and have no regrets at all.

 

Civic is a great car, and the fact that the Integra is based on that model is a good part of what makes it so good. I was disappointed to see no Homelink in the Integra, but reverting to the old fashioned door opener (we had a couple laying around) has really not been an issue for us.

I was likewise concerned about the lack of native navigation, but in actual usage, I find the phone-mirroring of Google maps to be as good, if not better in some ways, than integrated navigation. For me, at least, Android Auto (wireless) and google maps works great.

On the spare tire point, this is evidently becoming a thing industry wide. I hear that the inflator kit works well on a fixable tire, but I wanted a spare for those potential late-night blowouts on a dark, remote road. So I bought the spare tire kit. About 350-400 all in. Completely OEM and fits perfectly. You just lose the little below-floor storage box that comes with the inflator kit.

Had I been able to find a Civic Sport Touring HB with 6MT within 500 miles of my house, I might have been swayed to buy one for the reasons you mentioned. But that was (and evidently still is) an impossibility where I live.

 

Nice review of TYPE S:

 

If it ever really bothers you, seach youtube, people have been successful installing the Accord homelink mirror into an Integra. Requires a wiresplice for the power, though.

However, Acura's official strategy is to transition people to its Carplay/AndroidAuto garage door opener app instead:
https://hondanews.com/en-US/honda-au...b110e4e-videos

 

Yeah, but it's a paid subscription. which I'd rather just use the remote then.