Acura has dropped a second teaser for the upcoming Integra revival. This time, it’s the rear corner in a shadowy preview. In it, you can see the shut lines for a set of rear doors and a wide-opening fifth door hatch that incorporates the rear window. Interestingly, Acura seems to be drawing a comparison not with the insanely popular third-generation Integra, but the 1980s first-gen.
Accompanying the teaser was a photo of a 1986 Integra RS 5-door. Apparently, the company is going all the way back to the original. We were thrown off when the first teaser showed a debossed “INTEGRA” logo on the front bumper. On second glance, the headlight design does seem to evoke the slits below the first-gen’s pop-ups more than the round units on the third-gen.
It turns out there’s a debossed “INTEGRA” logo on the rear bumper too, just below the taillight like the third-gen. However, the first-gen was the only one to get the 5-door hatchback body style. The second- and third-gen Integras only came in a 3-door hatch or 4-door sedan with trunk layout.
Like the Integras of old, it’ll likely share a platform with the Civic. From what we can see, though, it’ll probably look a lot better than the Civic it’s based on. Perhaps even more encouraging, Acura is in the midst of Type S-ifying all the things, from the TLX sedan to the MDX SUV to the NSX supercar.
Honda never limited the spiciest versions of the Integra to the 3-door hatchback/coupe body style before. Honda made GS-R and even Type R sedans, and Mugen made its own version of the 5-door. Hopefully that means the new Integra will spawn a performance variant as well to bring the Integra redux back to its roots.
What a revolting development. I have already spoken to a dealer about a new Integra, but the fact that it’s a 5 door and not a 2 door hatch coupe may throw a monkey wrench into that plan.
I have no need for the extra doors, nor do I like the idea of the extra weight they add, and frankly, even at my age, I’ll never be old enough for a 4 door.
Dreams crushed by stupid California product planners… again.
Just learned something today…that the first ‘teg had five-doors with Honda badges. I thought the deal was for Rover 416 to get those.
This admission from me, who owned a used Integra SX coupe in 1997.
I like it. A four door performance Integra with more grown up looks than the civic? Sounds good to me. Of course it won’t be the same as Integras of old, but if you want one of those just go and buy one already.
In my part of the country there simply are few to none, clean, non modified, non rust bucket Integra/RSX to be found, and the ones that do exist sell for as much as a brand new car. Seeing that I am already in a used Honda coupe (’13 Accord V6 LXI Manual) I can’t see buying another used car for new car money. I have spoken this morning to several of my enthusiast friends and they are all dumbfounded over the lack of a two door option for the new Integra.
Two-door sales are too low to justify, especially if the two-door sales are so low they already killed the Civic. Honda wasn’t going to bother building something that wasn’t selling. And in 2021, coupes don’t sell.
Hard to sell things you don’t make in the first place.
exactly!
Tell that to Toyota/Subaru. An affordable sporty coupe is still very desired. A boring soulless product is what killed the civic coupe, not the fact that it had only 2 doors.
Spot on.
Tell that to Honda’s board. The Toyobaru exists solely because Akio can order it to be done, and they make enough money on RAV4s that the Toyota board will swallow the cost. It’s not the same for Honda. People did not buy enough coupes for Honda to see a point in bringing them back. Don’t blame Honda for customer tastes changing.
Seems like Acura variant version of China Integra which make rounds on the internet
Unfortunately…..it’s too different
Interestingly I love the first gen 5 Door, though I still don’t think the new one will be to my taste. Mainly because they’ve gotten too big and bulky for what they are claiming to be. Driving a “Golden Era” Honda (whether that’s the early torsion beam or the later double wishbone cars) will remind you why these cars are/were so popular, and there’s precious little of that DNA left in the modern cars regardless of their badging.
I actually own an Integra GS-R sedan (2001), and for the third gen there’s an argument to be made that it’s the better car vs the coupe:
Stiffer, by a lot.
Longer wheelbase (matches EK9/EM1; DC2 is 2″ shorter like the EG). Preference here.
80lb penalty, all of it over the rear wheels.
What isn’t better:
Trunk instead of hatch. Preference.
Parts, specifically rubber. PITA to get anything.
As far as “just buying” a clean GS-R sedan, that’s not something that’s as easy as it sounds. They made maybe 10% as many sedans as coupes, and the ratio for GS-R’s is half that. Buying a JDM Type-R sedan is far easier than buying a complete GS-R sedan, much less one with a clean title and/or valid CA tags and SMOG. We all know how hard it is to get a Coupe, but a Sedan is harder still. Black sheep and all that. Typically not tuned up but also not saved by the tuner crowd. I only have one because it fell into my lap (after 18 months of looking).
Lightness is it’s own reward, something all manufacturers, by and large, have forgetten.