Despite there being quite a lot of cynicism around the new Acura Integra, the Civic-based luxury sedan (hatch?) is actually selling quite well.
“It’s just a dolled-up Si,” the Honda nerds moan. “Why isn’t it a coupe?” the purists complain. “Why isn’t it more powerful?” Even in the midst of all of that negativity, Acura reported precisely 2,503 Integras sold in the U.S. in February 2023 or 4,694 year-to-date. At first, that might not sound like a whole lot but it actually makes the Integra the brand’s second-best-selling car behind the MDX three-row SUV.
Yep, believe it or not, the little liftback outsold the RDX crossover which moved 2,090 units last month. It also outsold its bigger TLX brother by more than two to one.
According to Acura, the Integra leads the “premium gateway segment,” which presumably includes the Audi A3, Mercedes-Benz CLA 250, and BMW 228i Gran Coupe, the three cars it specifically singled out as competitors at the car’s launch last summer.
This is all to say that the opinions of enthusiasts only matter so much.
A more powerful Integra Type S is indeed coming next year packing the Civic Type R’s powertrain pumping out more than 300 horsepower. The Drive‘s Managing Editor Jerry Perez recently got to drive a prototype around an oval at more than 125 mph and you can read about that here. According to The Drive‘s Executive Editor Andrew Collins, the regular 2023 Acura Integra and its 200-hp engine already nails the practical-luxury-sport formula but isn’t a very good car for dogs. That model starts at $31,895.
Got a tip or question for the author about the Acura Integra? You can reach him here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com