- Acura upgraded the Civic Si’s interior for the 2023 Integra
- The Honda Civic Si starts at $27,000
- Pricing for the Acura Integra, as well as specs, have yet to be announced
The 2023 Acura Integra and the 2022 Honda Civic Si are effectively the same cars. Obviously, Acura will change some minor things to help justify what will surely be a (slightly) more expensive car. But in essence, both of these are cars with turbocharged engines, FWD, and the best Honda manual transmission we’ve ever tested. Should you even need to pick between the two? Let’s find out.
Acura’s new Integra at its debut | Acura
The 2023 Acura Integra is based on the new Civic Si
We’ll start with the 2023 Acura Integra. Right now, we know little about it. Acura is an upmarket brand compared to Honda, and we all know the Integra will be more expensive. From the photos we’ve seen of the 2023 Acura Integra interior, we know it’ll be upgraded a good bit from a Civic Si. The brunt of that appears to be concentrated on creature comforts like leather seats and what’ll likely be a nicer sound system, among other changes.
What we don’t know about the new ‘Teggy is how it’ll perform against the 2022 Honda Civic Si. It’s safe to say the manual transmission will remain largely unchanged, but that shared turbocharged four-cylinder might not. Obviously, because the base 2023 Acura Integra equates roughly to the base Civic Si, there’s some room to play. We’ve theorized about an Integra Type R before, something that’s sure to be coming at some point, so there’s a point for the Integra in model variety there. Right now, the Si only offers summer tires as an upgrade.
Should you buy a Honda Civic Si?
The Civic Si only offers a manual transmission | Honda
Let’s talk about the Honda Civic Si. For our full thoughts on the Si, you can read our review of the 2022 Honda Civic Si. In short, it’s fit to compete with cars like the 2023 Subaru WRX and Volkswagen GTI. The interior certainly isn’t as luxe as the 2023 Acura Integra’s will be, but it’s still pretty nice for the $30,000 price point. The real win for the Civic Si is that it’s a known quantity right now.
As far as we can tell, the Civic Si hasn’t suffered from the market hysteria surrounding cars like the Ford Bronco. Unless things have changed since the last time I drove by a Honda dealer, you can just walk in and buy one. We have no idea what awaits the Integra. As for Integra specs vs. Civic Si specs, well, we don’t know. We know the Honda Civic Si makes 200 hp via that shared turbo-four, and it’s plenty. Of course, there’s looks to consider, but that’s all subjective anyway.
Will the Integra be better than the 2022 Honda Civic Si?
The Integra prototype | Acura
Honestly, the 2023 Acura Integra has to be better than the Civic Si in some way. Otherwise, no one’s going to want to buy one. We’d forgo the upgraded interior to save a few bucks, and much of the target market will too. In the end, it’s going to come down to just how much better the 2023 Acura Integra really is. Well, that and how fast the Integra Type R will be.
Keyword: Should You Wait for the 2023 Acura Integra or Buy a 2022 Honda Civic Si Now?