Acura has announced pricing for the 2023 Integra and, loosely keeping its previous promise to have the car start at “around $30,000,” the upcoming sports sedan will carry a starting price of $31,895 after destination. While that gets you into the base CVT-equipped model, drivers looking for a manual Integra will have to spring for the top A-Spec trim with the Technology Package that costs $36,895. As an in-between option, the $33,895 Integra A-Spec without the Tech Pack is also avialable but that car, like the base, is CVT-only.
To put these numbers into context, the less luxurious and feature-rich Honda Civic Si that this car is based on costs $28,315 after destination.
Acura also notes that the 200-horsepower Integra will come with the company’s new maintenance program in which oil changes, tire rotations, multi-point inspections, and “select factory-scheduled maintenance” are covered for the first two years or 24,000 miles, whichever happens first.
If you ask me, that $32,000 starting price isn’t bad but I’m a little bummed that Acura is essentially locking the manual away behind a $5,000 paywall. Even within Honda and Acura’s own lineups, the top Integra’s $37,000 asking price is knocking at the door of the bigger and more powerful TLX which starts at $39,545. It’s also not all that far off from what Honda was selling the last-gen Civic Type R for—$38,910 in 2021—and that’s a freakin’ Type R.
Those looking for an affordable way to get a performance-grade manual in a compact Honda sedan can just opt for the Civic Si, I guess.
Anywho, differentiating the Integra from its Civic Si counterpart are different, more plush-looking designs inside and out. While the Civic is a conventional sedan with a conventional trunk, the Acura is a liftback, kinda like the Kia Stinger. Unlike the Si, the Integra gets a 10.2-inch digital instrument display standard while the Tech Pack adds a HUD and 16-speaker ELS audio.
But what say you? Is the Integra too expensive? Would you take it over the Si? Should Acura offer the base model with the manual?
(Hint: The only correct answer to that last question is “yes.”)
Got a tip or question for the author about the new Integra? You can reach him here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com.