2023 Integra Test Drive Impressions, Reviews, Photos

[Desert Driver]

After having a Tacoma with reverse and 1st next to each other and it being really easy to go into reverse instead of 1st, I much prefer reverse adjacent to 6th gear. That’s really because sometimes you have to go into reverse or 1st really quickly from one or the other and having them right next to each other, in the Tacoma anyway, has made that tricky sometimes. Not just tricky but sometimes even close to dangerous. Other than moving the shifter over, there’s no failsafe, such as pushing down or a ring to lift up as an other cars.

Sponsored

 

[Escobar929]

I can see that, with BMW Reverse is a down and over maneuver so in 15+ years of owning and driving them, I’ve never once had that problem. For me it’s just faster to go from reverse to 1st when they’re next to each other

On another note, my dealer told me all Integras come pre-tinted in the rear door windows and lift back is that the case for everyone here? It was clearly tinted with a film, not like in our X3 where the glass itself is tinted. I would rather have it with out tints and being able to choose the brand/darkness of tint

 

[RRP RSX-S]

my dealer told me all Integras come pre-tinted in the rear door windows and lift back

I didn’t notice on my test drive but I also wasn’t looking for it. I took a pic of the rear from a few feet back. In the pic it looks darkish but I can still easily see the streering wheel.

Factory tinting like SUVs have on the rear windows are always dyed glass from what I’ve seen. Acura wouldn’t put a film on every Integra’s rear glass. So the dealer might just be trying to scam a tint add on.

 

[Escobar929]

yea, that's what I was thinking. In the quote there was a section for Added Equip for $700, me mentioned it was the tint for the front windows, mud guards and wheel locks. I told him I wanted none of them and he made a weird face

but good to know not all Acuras come like that, like you said when it comes from the factory, it wouldn't be a flim

 

[angelosorio21]

TLR Guys (and Girls), the pics and video we have all seen do not do this car justice, in my opinion. I got to test drive “my” car today, and it is glorious. Luxury married to practicality, this is the perfect car to be my last Integra.

-------

My dealer called me today around lunch time, and left a voice message that their ‘demo car’ was ready and in their showroom area. He also told me that since this was the exact car I had reserved (A Spec w/Tech, Platinum White Pearl, manual) as the second reservation they received, this car was being set aside as mine and would not be driven!??!

The rest of my afternoon was shot after that. I could not concentrate on work (full time remote), so shortly the wife and I headed out.

Evidently, the sales manager was dead serious. There were 8 miles on the odometer, and he said that I could drive it if I wanted, but they would not be letting anyone else test drive the car for the next month until it was sold to me. Pretty amazing gesture, and he blamed the delay on “Acura messing up the allocations” in March/April. Whatever it was, this timing works fine for me with getting the finances in order.

We walked around and checked it out, and the window sticker is only missing the added weather mats and mudguards they have installed, which will boost my Out The Door by about $800 (plus tax/tag/title). The weather mats including the trunk liner are A Spec branded and look way better than the stock (blank gray fabric) mats, so I am fully satisfied. The sales manager reassured me multiple times that there would be no other dealer add-on surprises or other costs.

My wife had not seen the pics of this car, or anything about it, and she kept saying how “sexy” the car was, over and over. She loved the exhaust sound when we started it up, and was raving about the hatch trunk space.

My initial impressions of seeing the car in person were that the Platinum White Pearl is absolute fire in sunlight. My "indoor" pics have a slight cream tint to the paint, but I am blaming my Pixel3a or the lighting. Car is white, indoors or out. The red interior, looking at it in real life, is this a crazy deep brick red that is very understated. Sitting in the car there is ample space and the driver’s seat and wheel are not cramped, but I’m not feeling untethered in a wide open space like my old 2nd gen Integras, obviously. Cluster looks pretty awesome (wtf, I can tell which passengers don’t have their seatbelts on!?) and I didn’t go into modes or blast the ELS sound system or anything but there will be time for that. The 18” wheels seem to be perfect for my preference and driving style, plus the shark gray is close to a gunmetal in my opinion and looks tight AF. I even crawled under the rear end to inspect the tailpipe/muffler loop situation. Seems legit.

Driving this car is fun as hell. The rear view is just right, and the rear window edge to edge is basically all you can see in the interior mirror. Short-throw feels small and powerful in my hand (I have been driving a manual Mazda6 for about five years), and the pickup left me speechless with a huge grin on my face, glued to my seat as my wife gasped. LOL, we are sold. I stopped for a quick photo session before we returned to the dealership. White flake was stunning. When we got back they let me repark it inside the showroom area, so I got to use the mirrors and backup cam to see how it feels. Very nice.

Overall, I am ecstatic. This car is absolutely worth the wait, and in my opinion it is a striking mix of simplicity, practicality, and power. I don’t have the time, budget, or desire for a raunchy new super Corolla, a scandalous BRZ, or a drift missile Z-rebrand. Also, my days of laying on my garage floor wrenching for hours on an Integra are mostly over, and this 2023 Integra cool dad car is more than I ever expected it to be. Counting down the days to drive it home!

damn i cannot wait for mine any longer!!!!!

 

[JohnV]

I told him I wanted none of them and he made a weird face

Picked my PWP up last weekend, and def no tint on rear glass. I've never ever wanted tint in the past, but I'm thinking it might be good on this car. I'll wait for a while though.
I did order mudflaps. I went back and forth looking at them on the configurator, but when I saw in person, I decided to go ahead.
To the quote above, I CAN'T STAND the dealer games. If they want an extra $700, that is their choice, and it is your choice to buy or go elsewhere, maybe go without. I wish they would be upfront about it.

 

[Desert Driver]

I finally got to test drive the Integra today--a white ASpec Tech 6MT with that gorgeous red interior. As a demo, it had all the add-ons, including black 19" wheels and tires, carbon fiber mirror caps and spoiler, and black badges. Here are my thoughts, in no particular order, based in part on recent(ish) drives of the Kia Stinger GT (auto), Elantra N (6MT), and Subaru WRX Premium (6MT):

• I'm 6'5" and had no problem fitting in the driver's seat, though I do have to have the seat all the way down, but definitely not all the way back. Not a lot of head room but certainly enough. I always test drive in a baseball cap and that was not hitting anywhere. But I didn't get in the back seat as I know headroom there is bad; good thing I wouldn't be driving from the back seat!
• The seats are comfortable and very adjustable, but my right knee (or knobby bone that is below the knee on the outside) hits against the center console to the left of where the shifter is, which is a bit uncomfortable. I don't think it's annoying enough for me to not move forward, in and of itself, but if I notice it on the test drive I'm sure it'll be a factor unless I can adjust the seat differently. (I had the same issue, but to a much more disturbing degree, on a new Kia Stinger). I was wearing shorts.
• The material on the seats is nice, but the microsuede inserts get pretty warm when hot outside. It was 96 degrees when I did my test drive. AC works great, but even with that blowing full force, my back was always warm thanks to the microsuede. It's really a shame the seats aren't cooled, as heated seats don't do much for us out in the desert. The sales agent who was with me agreed on that one. If I was to decide against the Integra, this may be the biggest reason since I live down in the desert.
• The interior is very nice--definitely much nicer than the Elantra N (though the N's dash is so cool) and the WRX, though I'd say on par with the Kia Stinger I drove, which had a surprisingly nice, sporty interior. The red is just gorgeous; as others have said, darker than what we've seen in many of the photos and videos. I like it a lot more than the black because it's offset from the dash, footwells, center console, etc., really nicely.
• I was pleased with the proximity of the 9-inch touchscreen (in some cars I feel like I have to really reach for those; not the case here). And the other dials, from HVAC to driving mode, are all within easy reach. Once I got used to them, they were easy to use without having to look at (or for) them.
• The head-up display was nifty; never had a car with that. Essential? No, but it was a neat trick and cool with how far forward it seems to appear.
• The adaptive dampers are great. Switching between my "default" sport mode and comfort mode on bumpy roads was quite noticeable, and much appreciated. That's a big selling point for me in this top trim. I like how the sport mode tightened up the steering, as well.
• Speaking of steering, the steering wheel feels great plus the steering itself is responsive. On par with the N and better than the WRX.
• I was pleasantly surprised with the peppiness of the Integra. After driving the N and WRX I was afraid I'd be disappointed, but I wasn't. Of course it's not as powerful as either of those, but this is a car that delightfully wants to go, and in doing so rev high, though I never took it above 4,500 RPM. I thought this would be the make-or-break for me on this car, and it falls into the "make" side of the spectrum. Which is to say: it's peppy enough for my needs, and I look forward to a lot of high revving.
• I love the sound of the exhaust outside the car, and inside while subdued it's not bad. Piped in a bit more in sport mode but never over the top as it is in, say, the BRZ or GR86.
• The size of the Integra seems just right to me. At my age (53), and predominantly as an empty nester, the four doors and even hatchback aren't essential, but certainly are nice to have. All in all, though, it feels about right. I think it's larger than the '94 Accord I had, but doesn't feel quite as large as the '14 Accord I had. Like Goldilocks, I find the Integra to be just the right size.
• Design-wise, I think the Integra is a beautiful car, particularly with the black appearance package (though wow is that front Acura badge huge!). It's more attractive than the N and WRX, though not as aggressively styled. I really love the front end. I've got a few not terribly exciting photos of the tester below.

So after my drive I plan to move forward with my liquid carbon metallic ASpec Tech 6MT when it arrives at the end of the month (I have the VIN for that now; it's just awaiting transport out here), but I may take one more test drive in the demo (or a longer drive in mine when it arrives) to double-check on the knee vs. the center console. That drives me crazy on my wife's CR-V. I may also drive the WRX one more time if the local dealership gets one in that's compatible before my Integra arrives, just to compare one more time now that I've driven this one. But the Ingtegra's MPG is a big selling point over the WRX. Assuming I do move forward, I'm tempted to add the Sport Black Styling - A-Spec package, though at a titch over $1,800 it's pretty pricey. But the black side underbody spoiler and rear diffuser plus emblems do look pretty sweet; and I can offset some of the other dumb add-ons (LoJack, blinking third brake light) my dealer is otherwise adding with that package, it appears. It all comes down to final numbers, I suppose...

I should mention that the dealer hadn't yet detailed the demo when I drove it:

 

[Litflynt912]

I finally got to test drive the Integra today--a white ASpec Tech 6MT with that gorgeous red interior. As a demo, it had all the add-ons, including black 19" wheels and tires, carbon fiber mirror caps and spoiler, and black badges. Here are my thoughts, in no particular order, based in part on recent(ish) drives of the Kia Stinger GT (auto), Elantra N (6MT), and Subaru WRX Premium (6MT):

Is chapman charging ADM? I see they have one CVT inbound...thinking of reaching out and going for that instead of waiting for the west valley one

nevermind just called them. $2500 in dealer adds...that's more than Penske. I'll just sit on my hands three more weeks and wait

 

[Desert Driver]

No ADM, but lots of required add-ons: the All Season Protection Package I A-Spec (splash guards, trunk tray, all-season mats) for $608.50 plus:

• nitrogen: $89.95
• Vehicle theft recovery: $329
• Red alert: $499
• LoJack: $695
• nano ceramic tint (available in 3 different shades): $499

That all adds up, to be sure. I'm okay with the protection package and tint, but not the others, personally.

 

[Litflynt912]

No ADM, but lots of required add-ons: the All Season Protection Package I A-Spec (splash guards, trunk tray, all-season mats) for $608.50 plus:

• nitrogen: $89.95
• Vehicle theft recovery: $329
• Red alert: $499
• LoJack: $695
• nano ceramic tint (available in 3 different shades): $499

That all adds up, to be sure. I'm okay with the protection package and tint, but not the others, personally.

yea I just called them. They didn't have any Tech CVT's in bound (the last unallocated one was sold this morning).
i'll just wait for my cvt non tech and live with the 7" screen until I find a way to swap/upgrade

 

[RRP RSX-S]

No ADM, but lots of required add-ons: the All Season Protection Package I A-Spec (splash guards, trunk tray, all-season mats) for $608.50 plus:

• nitrogen: $89.95
• Vehicle theft recovery: $329
• Red alert: $499
• LoJack: $695
• nano ceramic tint (available in 3 different shades): $499

That all adds up, to be sure. I'm okay with the protection package and tint, but not the others, personally.

So lame. Just as bad as dealers charging for oil changes when it’s included for 2 years.

There is zero reason for theft recovery and LoJack. The tech model has theft recovery with law enforcement assistance built into AcuraLink.

 

[VBinNV]

I cancelled my order.

/ducks

This is a huge disappointment for me as I have been excited to get the Integra. I was one of the first 500 to order and had picked out a place for window tinting/ceramic coating/debadging, got an insurance quote, downloaded the paperwork for a private sale of my car, read the instruction manual and figured out what products were needed to maintain the car.

But I didn't love it.

The handling, acceleration, steering, appearance (except for that rear lip spoiler [on certain colors]) were all good to great. Those overhead speakers seem to be just for show. I'm 5'8" and my head was touching the headliner in the back seat. My problem, I guess, is that I like my car and have, I guess, more "fun with luxury" expectations than this car delivers.

I quote Joey Capparella's review from Car and Driver: "Such are the perils of high expectations."

Now I have to reconcile with my 2014 Mazda3 who may never forgive me.

I will miss this board and its informative communications.

-VBinNV

 

[Desert Driver]

I cancelled my order.

/ducks

This is a huge disappointment for me as I have been excited to get the Integra. I was one of the first 500 to order and had picked out a place for window tinting/ceramic coating/debadging, got an insurance quote, downloaded the paperwork for a private sale of my car, read the instruction manual and figured out what products were needed to maintain the car.

But I didn't love it.

The handling, acceleration, steering, appearance (except for that rear lip spoiler [on certain colors]) were all good to great. Those overhead speakers seem to be just for show. I'm 5'8" and my head was touching the headliner in the back seat. My problem, I guess, is that I like my car and have, I guess, more "fun with luxury" expectations than this car delivers.

I quote Joey Capparella's review from Car and Driver: "Such are the perils of high expectations."

Now I have to reconcile with my 2014 Mazda3 who may never forgive me.

I will miss this board and its informative communications.

-VBinNV

Maybe stay on the boards and wait for the Type S...?

 

[Hand soap]

I cancelled my order.

/ducks

This is a huge disappointment for me as I have been excited to get the Integra. I was one of the first 500 to order and had picked out a place for window tinting/ceramic coating/debadging, got an insurance quote, downloaded the paperwork for a private sale of my car, read the instruction manual and figured out what products were needed to maintain the car.

But I didn't love it.

The handling, acceleration, steering, appearance (except for that rear lip spoiler [on certain colors]) were all good to great. Those overhead speakers seem to be just for show. I'm 5'8" and my head was touching the headliner in the back seat. My problem, I guess, is that I like my car and have, I guess, more "fun with luxury" expectations than this car delivers.

I quote Joey Capparella's review from Car and Driver: "Such are the perils of high expectations."

Now I have to reconcile with my 2014 Mazda3 who may never forgive me.

I will miss this board and its informative communications.

-VBinNV

Did you drive the automatic or the manual?

 

[VBinNV]

Did you drive the automatic or the manual?

Manual !

Sponsored