Article Highlights:

• Complaints have been levied about the new Integra’s Civic Si internals
• Should we be mad about a $30,000 hot hatchback with a stick?
• We address all complaints about the 2023 Acura Integra

Acura, after many months of teasing, has finally dropped the 2023 Acura Integra. We know what it’ll look like now. More importantly, we know what’ll power the latest iteration of one of the most iconic Japanese badges in automotive history. The new Integra gets the 2022 Honda Civic Si’s manual transmission, 1.5L turbo-four, and limited-slip differential, and a $30,000-ish price tag. However, that’s really all we know. Yet, as it is wont to do, the internet is up in arms over this.

The new Integra isn’t a coupe and people aren’t happy

Well, up in arms might be a little bit of an exaggeration. There are plenty of fans of the 2023 Acura Integra out there. However, there’s also a lot of complaints, so, let’s address them one by one. First, there’s the body. Thanks in large part to the Integra Type R of yesteryear, people wanted a 2-door Integra. Frankly, that just isn’t an option anymore. Coupes make up a laughably small portion of the auto market here, and it just wasn’t financially viable for Acura.

Another reason for the 5-door layout of the 2023 Acura Integra is its underpinnings. The new ‘Teggy is heavily based on the 2022 Honda Civic, which, you guessed it, is only offered in a sedan or hatchback 5-door layout. However, it’s hard to understand why much of reddit and other online communities are upset about this. There’s simply less compromise involved in owning a new Integra, something no one should be mad about.

A 2023 Acura Integra brings more cheap performance for $30k

Then, of course, there’s the engine. It seems much of the public expected a new Integra Type R off the bat. We want a 2023 Acura Integra Type R just as much as the next person, but unfortunately Acura is a business at the end of the day. They’re here to sell cars, and donating the 2022 Honda Civic Si’s motor and other bits is just more financially sound than building the high-revving NA powerplant we all wanted.

Then there’s the new “corporate grille” of the 2023 Acura Integra. You can’t really blame Acura for making the new Integra look so similar to cars like the ILX, though the brand has been criticized for it. Audi started this trend back in 2010 or so, and it worked extremely well, which made other brands follow suit. For those not into cars, they now knew what any Audi looked like. It makes brands immediately identifiable (another great example is BMW’s kidney grille).

Why are we mad about another Civic Si?

Finally, there’s the “just another Civic Si” complaint regarding the 2023 Acura Integra. This one’s a no-brainer. With so many similarities, how can we be sure the new car won’t be exactly that? Ideally, Acura puts some effort into further differentiating the two, but only time will tell. But really, why would anyone be mad about the new car? It’s a practical, stick-shift 5-door based on the same bones as the Civic platform, widely held to be one of the best FWD platforms. Haters will hate, but we’ll have to see what’s what when models start making their way to journalists for review.