2023 Acura Integra COTY Review: Better Enough Than a Civic?

The resurrected Acura Integra is an exceptional car when viewed within a vacuum. It competes against other small luxury cars such as the Audi A3, BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, and Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class but costs far less and is much larger inside than all of them. The styling laid over the Integra's hatchback shape might not be beautiful, but it is eye-catching with plenty of sharp detailing. Plus, the cabin is slathered with mostly upmarket materials and has, on top-level trims, a 16-speaker ELS audio system that's so good it brings tears of joy.

You can't spend more than $38,000 on a new Integra without losing yourself in the accessories catalog; each trim level, from the $31,000 base car to the midlevel A-Spec to the A-Spec with the Technology package, comes essentially one way. Just pick your colors inside and out. Need we remind you the average transaction price of a new car has nearly clipped 50 grand? The Acura is far less than that yet has a premium badge, tidy handling, and a fuel-sipping 200-hp turbocharged I-4 engine. You can even buy it with an excellent six-speed manual with typical Honda—wait, stop. We couldn't help ourselves. We said the "H" word.

Ah, yes. Speak the words "Honda" or "Civic," and the Integra's vacuum pops like someone blew the airlock. That's because, much like the original Integra from 1986, this new one is essentially a heavily revised Honda Civic, though it combines Civic parts in ways you can't replicate with a Honda badge. This is the only way to smash the Civic Si's engine together with an automatic transmission or a hatchback body, for example.

The latest Civic is, of course, excellent, and it also was a finalist in last year's Car of the Year evaluations. Everything that makes the Civic so great is present here, too: a roomy, well-assembled interior; a wonderfully tuned suspension; and the same 200-hp powertrain from the sporty Civic Si sedan. The question is: Why not just buy a Civic? Could the Integra really carry the class-above Civic's value proposition into the literal class above?

It does and it doesn't. We found the Acura's interior nicer and roomier than the A3's, and the adaptive dampers on our loaded test cars deliver a smoother ride than found in the Civic. But performance is merely so-so. Some judges found the styling questionable—try to unsee the Integra's front overhang—while others wondered whether the base and midlevel trims we didn't have on hand could make as strong an impression. Buyer's guide director Zach Gale was quick to remind the group those versions get a smaller 7.0-inch touchscreen instead of the A-Spec Tech package's 9.0-inch display.

Judges butted heads over the Acura's relative value, which is strong in class but less so when, again, you bring up the Honda. Either way, in spite of the Acura's essential goodness, it simply has too many flaws for an aspirational vehicle. It drives smartly and is packed with features, yet it is "Honda-loud" on the freeway, as technical editor Frank Markus noted, its tires playing different road surfaces like a violin. The rear seat area has noticeably lower-grade trim than the front and lacks basics such as air vents.

These problems are all shared with the Civic—and we expected Acura would fix them in exchange for the higher prices it charges. It did not.