Many affordable sports car enthusiasts breathed a happy sigh of relief when Acura announced that the iconic Integra would be making a return to the market. However, diehard fans were let down in finding out that it’s only available in a five-door liftback variant. Meaning, no coupe or three-door option is available. Now, it seems the driving enthusiasts are about to face another letdown.

Will the new Integra have an automatic transmission?

Motor1 brought to our attention a bit of information that made it to an Acura Integra enthusiasts’ forum called Integra Talk. The post is seemingly an Acura or Honda employee with access to some sort of Honda database. Perhaps, for accessing parts. At any rate, if these leaks are indeed accurate, it seems that most of the 2023 Acura Integra models will be equipped with an automatic Continuously Variable Transmission. That’s not too surprising. Most already expected an automatic. However, many assumed it would be a dual-clutch automatic transmission like one finds in other Acura models. It seems, though, that this is not the case.

Of course, the primary concern of many sports car enthusiasts is whether or not the new Integra will be available with a manual transmission. According to this information, it seems that the six-speed manual transmission is available only on the top-trim A-Spec Tech. Otherwise, the base model Integra and mid-tier Integra A-Spec will land you only with the automatic CVT.

The manual transmission offered in the most recognizable Integra, the DC2 generation of the 1990s and early 2000s, was indeed an important part of the driving experience. This is especially true in the Type R models, which are high-performance cars that could keep up on track with vehicles that have way more power and cost twice as much.

Automatic transmissions have come a long way and many high-performance cars are solely available with them. However, CVT transmissions are typically aimed at fuel efficiency rather than performance.

The 2023 Acura Integra is very similar to the Honda Civic, which also uses the automatic CVT

The 2023 Acura Integra uses the same turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine found in the current Honda Civic, so it only makes sense that it would be sharing the same transmission, as well.
However, Acura is the higher-end version of Honda. So, it’s a bit surprising that they didn’t spring for the sportier dual-clutch, despite the Integra wearing a Honda badge in other markets.

Still, the A-Spec Tech should give enthusiasts a bit of hope. Car and Driver say that they anticipate the Integra will have around 200 horsepower. Furthermore, they state that it’s likely to have a limited-slip differential. Additionally as is tradition, a solely front-wheel drive powertrain offering. However, in their initial reporting, they claim pricing to be around $30,000. That may be true for the base model. However, it’s safe to assume that the A-Spec Tech with all the desirable options will tack a good amount of money onto the MSRP.

Overall, if true, this discovery is sure to leave a bad taste in the mouth of many Integra enthusiasts. This is painful because they’re already waiting anxiously on the edge of their seats. Ultimately, it seems the intention of the new Integra is not to a sporty supercar killer like its ancestry. Instead, it is more likely to be a luxurious and comfortable daily driver.

Acura’s website states that they will become available for order on March 10th. So, we’ll have an official answer to all of these questions very soon.