There's Bad News About The Acura Integra's Transmission

Mar. 05, 2022 6:11 AM ET by Jared Rosenholtz Industry News / 37 Comments

The automatic isn't what we were expecting.

It's been more than two decades since the Acura Integra graced American roads. Late last year, Acura announced the nameplate's monumental return, along with news that the model would offer a six-speed manual transmission. So far the car has only been shown in prototype form, so there are many details we don't know yet. Acura says the Integra will use a 1.5-liter VTEC four-cylinder with a turbocharger, which sounds suspiciously like the engine used in the Honda Civic Si.

Judging from what we've seen so far, the Integra should share a lot with the Civic. The interior even looks identical to the Civic based on leaked photos. A new leak from the Integra Talk Forums claims Acura will also borrow Honda's continuously variable automatic transmission.

This information comes from what appears to be a leaked dealer order guide, which lists four Integra trim levels: base, A-Spec, A-Spec Tech, and A-Spec Tech (6MT). It looks like if you want an Integra with a stick, you will have to opt for the top A-Spec trim, which will likely add sportier styling and possibly some handling upgrades. All other trim levels will ship with the same CVT used in the Civic.

This is disappointing news, as many (us included) hoped the Integra would get the 10-speed automatic from the TLX or the eight-speed dual-clutch from the now-dead ILX. We hope Acura follows up the A-Spec with a Type S model using the 2.0-liter engine from the Civic Type R.

A separate piece of leaked information seemingly confirmed the Integra will get Acura's SH-AWD system, though there was no confirmation if this feature would be available with the manual transmission or only the CVT. Acura has confirmed the manual transmission model will get a limited-slip differential, meaning the CVT models may not get this feature.

The base model will start around $30,000, but since the manual is only available on the A-Spec, we expect it to cost significantly more.