The automotive world is becoming littered with new models bearing old names. The 2023 Acura Integra is one of these vehicles.
Does the new Integra do enough to be worthy of the name? Some think this new Acura is nothing more than a high-priced Honda Civic Si, while others feel it’s a great little luxury car at the right price. Right now, we see vehicles that are more expensive than ever, which makes the new Integra a welcome name in the market. However, the question is whether or not this car has the classic feeling, and we don’t think so.
The Dodge Challenger Was Key
Classic names being brought back to the market isn’t anything new. The most successful of these has to be the Dodge Challenger. This is a muscle car that truly resembles the cars of the late 1960s. You can see it in the body shape and know that this car is one that took the old build and put it with modern power to give us the best of both worlds. Once the Challenger proved its value, other automakers began to look around for ways to resurrect old names in the market.
We Love Most of What the New Toyota Supra Offers
The wait from concept to production seemed like forever, but when the new Toyota Supra arrived, it gave us the classic feel of a sports car that was ready to dominate the street racing circuits. The only drawback we’ve found to this car is the lack of a manual transmission, but that can be forgiven when you hop in and see what the partnership with BMW brings to the drive. The Supra is dominant once again and retakes its rightful place. We wish we could say the same for the Acura Integra.
Ford Delivers with the New Version of the Ranger
Another vehicle that was gone from the market for a while and was sorely missed is the Ford Ranger. The Ranger was one of the most popular compact, considered midsize at the time, pickup trucks in the market when it left. Ford brought this truck back, and it quickly became a favorite. Now, we see a Ranger Raptor coming to the market to give us more of what we want. This truck performed so well that the GM midsize truck pair are following the Ranger formula into 2023.
The Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer Return to Luxury Status
Evolution has its part in the development of new vehicles. When the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer left the market, they were the top models in the Jeep lineup, as they are once again. You couldn’t put the old models next to the new ones and think they live in the same class. That said, you would see the progression of vehicle evolution, which skipped from the old to the new. It doesn’t seem the Acura Integra has evolved as much as devolved to be something less than what it once was.
The Ford Bronco is an Interesting Show of Change with an Old Name
The latest versions of the Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport don’t look much like the original models. Even with the new packaging that’s being added to show the heritage of this SUV, the new versions are much more futuristic. Once you get beyond the styling elements, you can easily see that the new Bronco does what the old model could do. This new Ford SUV is meant to challenge the Jeep Wrangler at every turn, and it does that masterfully. These Ford off-road SUVs give us the classic feeling with their performance.
The Volkswagen Microbus changed to the ID.Buzz, but You Can See the Resemblance
The hippie van of old, the Volkswagen Microbus, spoke to the free-willed and outgoing crowd looking for a way to escape corporate confines and head out on the roads to freedom. Even though the VW ID.Buzz is an EV; you can easily see how this new electric van is the direct descendant of the VW Microbus. The resemblance and qualities offered are uncanny. This could be another form of evolution that we simply don’t see in the Acura Integra.
How has the Integra Devolved?
The Integra Type R of the 1990s was a dynamic and impressive sports car. This car didn’t come in a four-door sedan build, and it wasn’t offered on the Civic platform. Strangely, the new Integra has a slight horsepower advantage over the original, but it’s not enough to give the new model more speed on the track. While neither of these cars is lightning quick, the 1990s Integra could hit 60 mph in 6.2 seconds, while the new version of this car takes more than 7 seconds to achieve the same speed. That’s not fast at all.
The Transmission is All Wrong in the New Acura
The original Acura Integra Type R came with a classic 5-speed manual transmission that was perfect for this car. It was designed to give you the control and performance you wanted. If you’re looking at this Acura as a sports car, the new model just doesn’t cut the mustard. Sure, you can have a 6-speed manual transmission in the A-Spec model, but the CVT aligns better with the new powertrain to offer more speed and better acceleration. This makes the manual model feel like it was an afterthought and sort of an “oh, yeah, we better put that in there” kind of addition to the car.
Did Acura Mess Up One of the Best Names?
Is the new Integra worthy of the name? Will we have to get used to this new sedan like we’ve had to do with the new Chevy Blazer, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, or Ford Mustang Mach-E? If Acura could have given us some of the classic style, a standard manual, or more speed, we might be able to forgive this rearward march, but we have none of these things. Unfortunately, those that think the new Integra is a high-priced, rebadged Civic Si are probably right.
It’s sad to think that, but Acura could have done so much more to give the Integra that classic feeling we all want to enjoy.
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