Integra Sedan

Make
Acura
Segment
Sedan

While detractors haven't had many positive things to say, the revival of the Acura Integra is an exciting return to the arena of sporty compact cars for the brand. Based on the eleventh generation Civic Si, it will gain motivation from a turbocharged 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine. If its Honda cousin is anything to go by, the Integra will pack at least 200 horsepower under its angular hood.

The premium carmaker has announced that the sporty Integra will be available for pre-order from March 10. Prospective buyers can add their names to the list and be among the first to reserve a limited number of production units when the car goes on sale in spring this year. What's more, Acura has said that pricing should start at around $30,000. Should a Type S derivative join the range, it will certainly be more expensive.

The company is very proud of the fact that the Integra is the only vehicle in its class to offer a six-speed manual gearbox. First seen in November last year, the five-door liftback has come under fire from Integra fans for straying too far from the original recipe. Last seen in the early '00s, the nameplate once belonged to an iconic performance coupe which, in the case of the Type R, was said to have one of the best front-wheel-drive chassis'.

Despite the new body style, the Integra is still promising keen drivers plenty of excitement. As mentioned, the six-speed gearbox is a breath of fresh air, especially as we move toward electrification and the manual gearbox edges further toward extinction - but maybe not, if Toyota has anything to do with it.

The starting price of around $30,000 isn't that far off the Civic Si's base MSRP of $27,300 and also places it firmly in the sights of the Golf GTI and its sedan sibling, the Jetta GLI. The $27,495 Subaru WRX should also prove a very worthy contender. Despite this, Acura is promising the new Integra to be a proper driver's car.

Acura heavyweight Jon Ikeda has previously said, the new model will continue the tradition of the old model, delivering "on the original's unique aspirational yet attainable market position, with emotional performance and style, combined with the versatility and utility sought after by today's buyers." Priced close to some very impressive performers, the Acura Integra will have to be an immensely impressive car to sway buyers of the aforementioned competition.