The Integra returned to Acura’s lineup for the 2023 model year in the form of a liftback with a 1.5-liter turbo hiding under the hood. As opposed to the manual-only Honda Civic Si on which it's based, the more luxurious compact is rocking a CVT as the standard transmission.
Pictured at Ontario’s Dunnville Autodrome in Canada, the red-painted Integra in the featured video is equipped with said continuously variable transmission, an arguably worse transmission than the seven-speed DSG of the Volkswagen Golf GTI and torque-converter automatic of the Mazda3 Turbo. The question is can the redesigned Integra hold its own in a quarter-mile race?
SamCarlegion and his crew performed two dig races and two rolling start races to find out which is the top dog. The first of two dig races kicks off as expected, with the Mazda3 Turbo shooting off the line like nobody’s business thanks to standard i-Activ all-wheel drive. The Golf GTI doesn’t launch too well, but once it hooks up, it starts closing in on the Japanese compact hatchback.
The second race sees all three cars launch better, with the front-wheel-drive Golf GTI improving the most compared to the first race. It quickly makes up the gap to the Mazda3 Turbo, then passes it for the win. The front-wheel-drive Integra finishes in third, which is to be expected from the most underpowered car of the three.
Starting at 32 miles per hour (50 kilometers per hour), the first of two rolling start races sees the Volkswagen Golf GTI come into its own. The Integra isn’t too far off the Mazda as they pass the quarter-mile mark, but it finishes last despite being the lightest car of the bunch.
The final rolling race starts at 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour), and once again, the German compact hatchback makes easy work of the Mazda3 Turbo. The all-new Integra – not surprising in the least – ends dead last once again. Looking at the bigger picture, the Integra was bound to lose given that it has the least power, torque, and worst transmission of the three cars.
Acura will make amends any day now with the imminent debut of the Integra Type S, which is – dare I say it – a Honda Civic Type R in a fancy suit. Confirmed to arrive at U.S. dealers for the 2024 model year, the Integra Type R will come exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission connected to a 2.0-liter turbocharged mill.
The Integra and Civic Si develop 200 horsepower and 192 pound-feet (260 Nm) from the same 1.5-liter turbo. Reading between the lines, the Integra Type S may feature the same power and torque as the Civic Type R. More to the point, we should look forward to 315 horsepower and 310 pound-feet (420 Nm) on full song.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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