Returning Acura Integra Will Be Five-Door Liftback
If you were hoping the returning Acura Integra would be the peppy, three-door liftback everyone coveted 20 years ago, we may have some bad news for you. Based on the latest teasers coming from the Honda Motor Company, the fifth-generation model will likely harken back to the five-door vehicles that rarely saw themselves equipped with aftermarket body kits or cold-air intakes and barely received any screen time in the Fast & Furious films.
Rather than focus on the cars of the 1990s ( arguably the high-water mark for the Integra), Honda has decided to base the new model on the first-generation and even included a photo of the 1986 Acura Integra RS 5-Door in the latest marketing materials to drive the point home.
While the sharp angles and pop-up headlamps of the 1980s are endearing, those elements are absent both from the fifth-gen model. From what we can tell, the forthcoming Integra will be a five-door with curvaceous haunches and the modern Acura beak. But it’s not as blasphemous as it first appears.
Despite not being the car many of us pined for in high school, the Integra was sold as a sedan in addition to the three-door variant we’ve since convinced ourselves was the best front-drive compact in automotive history. Some examples sporting more than the minimum number of doors even had Type R badging — not that I’ve ever seen one in the real world. The first generation also included a five-door model and that’s the vehicle Acura is using to rationalize the upcoming body style. Though it’s more likely that the manufacturer plans on replacing the ILX with the Integra and decided to base it on a newer version of the five-door Honda Civic.
Regardless, it remains traditional for the Integra to take the foundation of the Civic so it can be reformed into something grander. Odds are good that the model will be picking up parts from Honda’s performance bin in even its base configuration and it’s assuredly going to have a Type S variant going on sale eventually. But getting any specific details has been difficult.
We’ve heard that the base Integra is supposed to come with a small, turbocharged engine (likely the 1.5-liter found in Civic Touring) and front-wheel drive. But it’s likely to have a bit more oomph than what’s available from Honda and be easily outclassed by performance versions that will assuredly borrow their hardware directly from the 2.0-liter Civic Type R.
None of this has been confirmed, however, and there are loads of rumors we’re less willing to entertain — including that the Integra might offer all-wheel drive and make use of hybridization. We wouldn’t bank on anything other than there being an optional manual transmission somewhere in the mix until Acura is willing to dish out more than a few pictures.
[Images: Honda Motor Company]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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I'm a former Integra owner (1990 GS) who has driven the new 2022 Civic Sedan Sport with the natural aspirated motor on a 250 mile road trip and who needs to add a new vehicle to my fleet sometime in the next couple of years. The new Integra will definitely get a hard look from me. Four doors is a plus for me as I would frequently have three people in the car. The downer on the Civic is the use of a CVT. If Acura puts a good automatic into the Integra I'd pay a premium for that. A better stereo would be appreciated too though the one is the Civic wasn't terrible. I know we will probably be looking at an all turbo lineup but I'd love to see an uprated 2.0L motor with no turbo harkening back to the old Honda days. I'd take that motor over a turbo. Price will be critical too. There are a number of viable options for me under $30K including the Civic and I'll have to weigh those vs. the advantages of an Integra that will surely be over $30K and probably $40K loaded. If we get a tarted up Civic with a $10K price bump I'll pass on the Integra.
I knew they didn't have the guts to make an Integra.