The Acura Integra Prototype foreshadows a production version that will appear in 2022.
The new Integra will be equipped with a turbocharged 1.5L four.
It will replace the aging Acura ILX in the brand’s lineup.
It may not have been the most flamboyant, most powerful or most sophisticated model the Japanese brand brought to the North American market, but the Acura Integra captured the hearts of many affordable sports car owners who wanted more than a ubiquitous Honda.
And let’s be honest—the three previous generations of the Integra were derivatives of the Honda Civic, but offered sharper handling, more performance and the extra flair of the Acura luxury brand and its Precision Crafted Performance tagline.
Now, parent company Honda is bringing the Acura Integra back in an attempt to rekindle with a fanbase they may have moved on to other brands over time, for lack of a suitable alternative to the sporty compact. The Integra Prototype is about as close to a production model as it can get, and is even painted in Indy Yellow Pearl taken from the Acura NSX’s colour palette. Its hue is also close to the Phoenix Yellow paint job offered on the fun-loving 2000 and 2001 Integra Type R.
Not only is this new model’s name familiar, but its overall shape is as well. The Integra Prototype is striking similar to the recently unveiled 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback, as we can see that both cars share the same roofline and window frames. On the other hand, the body panels are different, the hatchback sports a distinct design and the license plate recess has integrated into the bumper for a more dynamic look. Up front, the Integra Prototype features the brand’s pentagonal grille and slim headlight clusters, while the creased hood mimics those found on other Acura products such as the TLX, the RDX and the MDX.
The Prototype also wears 19-inch matte-finish alloy wheels, Brembo brakes with yellow callipers and lower-body graphics that may or may not be available on the production model.
No word yet on output, but the Acura Integra Prototype is said to be equipped with a turbocharged 1.5L four-cylinder engine which, in the Civic Si, develops 200 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. Whether the 2023 Acura Integra will benefit from a power advantage over its Honda cousin remains to be seen. However, a six-speed manual will be offered, and we’re assuming a dual-clutch eight-speed automatic will be available as well. A Type S variant hasn’t been announced yet, but if it does see the light of day, we think the company’s 272-horsepower, 2.0L four would be a good choice for it.
Acura hasn’t yet released pictures of the car’s cabin, but we’re expecting (hoping?) its design and finish will be a step up from the Civic Si’s, if only to justify the luxury brand’s hierarchy.
The front-wheel-drive, five-door Integra will replace the aging Acura ILX in the brand’s lineup, and will compete against the Volkswagen Golf GTI, but also subcompact luxury cars such as the Audi A3, the Cadillac CT4, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Mercedes-Benz CLA and the BMW 2 Series. The 2023 Acura Integra will go on sale in the first half of 2022 starting at around $30,000 in the U.S., and in the mid $30s in Canada.
