Acura debuted a very thinly veiled prototype of the upcoming return of its storied Integra nameplate. Amid the swirling rumors leading up to the debut, wild speculation about the nature of the upcoming entry level Acura was not in short supply.
What turned out to be a very elaborately doctored set of spy shots and subsequent nostalgia-fueled renderings of the supposed new car set the brand up for a more than a little bit of disappointment from a vocal set of fans. The now-debunked spy photos showed a nearly impossibly proportioned sporty coupe with big wheels and Integra-inspired design cues which were convincingly rendered in the typical spied-on-the-street fashion and then spread like wildfire across Honda and Acura forums alike.
The real Integra, however, takes a much more conventional form. The prototype debuted in a five door liftback body style adorned with well-executed Acura design cues lifted from the brand’s current precision crafted design language and slathered in Indy Yellow Pearl paint cribbed from the NSX.
Critics of the prototype point out the Integra’s obvious relation to the 11th generation Honda Civic. While that may be true, the latest Civic is a handsome machine and the Integra is not lessened by its relation. Let’s also not forget that the Integra has always been the Civic’s upmarket platform mate. Its easy to find critiques leveled at the new Acura as simply a rebadge but the two share no sheet metal whatsoever.
Under the hood, however, it sounds like the standard Integra will share the Civic Si’s turbocharged 1.5L engine with VTEC, 6-speed manual and limited slip differential. Hardly hardware worthy of critique, as this gem of a drivetrain is near perfect. It’s also a pretty safe bet that an Integra Type S is in the product pipeline and will share the bonkers Civic Type R drivetrain.
Our favorite elements of the design are the throwback embossed Integra name under the driver’s side headlight and passenger’s side tail light, the bumper cutout for the liftback handle as well as the chicane LED daytime running light that runs above the headlight elements rather than below them as in other Acuras. In typical Acura Prototype fashion, no interior shots were available but the company has been on a winning streak with its interiors so there’s no reason not to expect more of the same.
We can’t wait to see the car in real life photos, devoid of the heavy handed airbrushing or under the harsh lights of a studio. That wait has always been one of my favorite elements of the reveal-to-production timeline and time and time again a car in the flesh is light years better than its debut day pictures. For that reason we will withhold any critique of the new Integra’s design because our money is on the new Integra being a hit… the right car at the right time, and with an increasingly rare manual transmission to boot.
