Memphis, Michigan — The stick-shift Acura Integra is a treat.
On a lonely two-lane Armada Ridge Road in Macomb County, I toggled SPORT mode and reached for the shifter. The engine rev-matched the shift — BLAT! — making for a buttery smooth throw. Quickly back on throttle, I revved hard to the 6,500 RPM redline. Third gear. Fourth gear. “Chicane” LED running-lights aglow, the Angel Blue Integra cut through the gray landscape like a scythe. Fast, roomy and high-tech, the Integra hot hatch has it all.
Well, almost all. I wish it offered all-wheel drive like its competitive set.
Built on the same bones as the terrific, manual-only Honda Civic Si, Integra is the rare vehicle that offers a manual shifter these days. Honda-Acura are brands built on performance: Honda Formula One drivetrains, Acura IMSA Weathertech Sportscar prototypes, Honda Civic Type R IMSA World Challenge.
If the manual is ever retired, Honda-Acura models will surely be some of the last bulls put out to pasture.
The Integra’s manual fits like a glove. Intuitive console placement. Precise shifts. Short throws. It’s the best thing this side of a Porsche 911. Complemented by a standard rev match no matter what mode you’re in — SPORT, NORMAL, COMFORT — it begs to be rowed. Even on M-31 which — unlike my favorite, west side M-32 and Hell, Michigan, roads — is as flat as a board with few twists and turns.
True to its status as Honda’s performance brand, Acura Integra steps up from its mainstream sibling, the Honda Civic Si. The 200-horsepower, 1.5-liter Turbo-4 in Civic Si is standard in the Integra — as is the automatic, continuously variable transmission. Unlike the last-gen 2001 Integra, which came manual standard, Acura knows stick shifts are now the pick of enthusiasts, not penny-pinching customers.
So Integra options the manual as part of its A-Spec package, a healthy six-grand upcharge from the standard beast. That’s also $6K richer than the Civic Si manual. Why spend more on a rebadged Civic Si?
“Ya’ gotta have the Integra,” said my friend Brandon. “It’s the Civic in a tux.”
Acura’s Precision Crafted Performance design language has found its best canvas on Integra. Where the Civic’s blunt front end looks like a butter knife, the Acura’s fascia is all sharp edges. Even the grille’s name — Diamond Pentastar — references a sharp cutting tool.
My tester’s grille is body-colored, one of my favorite design trends of the 2026 model year. “I like it,” said Mrs. Payne as the blue knife glinted in the afternoon sun.
The interior is also suitably upgraded from Civic with richer materials and jewel-like touches. Check out the leather-sleeved shifter, the silver-crusted climate/volume knobs, the comfortable, duo-toned blue-and-black leather seats in my $42K tester.
Curious, then, that these upgrades don’t include the logical premium feature: all-wheel drive. Not even on the Integra’s performance model, the Type S.
The BMW 2-series offers the AWD M240ix model. So, too, Mercedes’ CLA and its AWD CLA 4Matic model. Audi’s A3, an upgraded VW GTI, comes standard with AWD. Even mainstream performance compacts like the Mazda3 Turbo and Subaru WRX offer AWD versions below the Acura’s price point.
At the intersection of 32 Mile and Romeo Plank Road, I floored the throttle in first gear and — SKAT SKAT SKAT — the front tires chirped as they struggled to put down 192 pound-feet of torque onto the cold winter pavement. Two days after my rural antics in Memphis, snow began to fall in my hilly Oakland County neighborhood.
My wife’s AWD $32K Impreza RS hatchback climbs our steep driveway in foot-deep snow like a lynx up Everest. Could the $41K FWD Acura do the same? Test postponed: We only got a dusting.
The AWD oversight is a rare hiccup on a car with excruciating attention to detail.
The Acura’s operation is laser-focused on the customer experience. At 6’5”, I could sit behind myself with 37 inches of rear legroom — two inches more than the Audi A3 or Mazda3. At the airport, the hatchback swallowed Mrs. Payne’s big bag and my carry-on. Need more space? Flatten the second-row seats to open up even more volume under the hatch.
On my jaunt to Memphis, I barked directions to Android Auto, which had taken over the console screen.
“Hey, Google, navigate to Sunrise Marathon service station, Memphis, Michigan.”
Done.
The Honda also integrated those directions into the heads-up/instrument display for better heads-up driving. Like Civic, Integra has surrendered to the reality that our phones’ Google Maps apps are superior to most native auto systems. So that your phone doesn’t run out of juice while navigating, Integra’s wireless charging pad is standard.
Steering wheel ergonomic are, like the manual shifter, first-class. Rocker switches on the left and right steering spokes control radio volume and adaptive cruise control, respectively. Beneath them, rollers control instrument display functions. Combined with Android Auto voice commands, the thoughtful ergonomics meant my hands never needed to leave the wheel.
Except to row the manual gearbox like a madman.
Other tasks that required my right hand to stray from the wheel included climate controls and DRIVE MODES. Climate buttons/dials are intuitively placed below the touchscreen, while another rocker switch on the console for DRIVE MODES meant I could find it without looking down.
Like competitors in the $35K-$45K pocket rocket segment, Integra is one feature away from perfection:
Sigh.
For those who prize manual + hatchback, the Integra (and fire-breathing Type S) are hard to resist. An AWD stick hatchback? The GR Corolla is my drug of choice.
Decisions, decisions. As in nature, so in autodom: perfection is hard to find.
Next week: 2026 GMC Acadia Denali
2026 Acura Integra A-Spec Manual with Technology Package
Vehicle type: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger sports sedan
Price: $40,495, including $1,295 destination fee ($41,095 as tested)
Powerplant: 1.5-liter turbo-4 cylinder
Power: 200 horsepower, 192 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.8 seconds (Car and Driver); Top speed, 135 mph
Weight: 3,062 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA, 26 mpg city/36 highway/30 combined
Report card
Highs: Row, row, row your gearbox; edgy style
Lows: Lacks all-wheel drive; price premium over comparable Civic Si
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Payne: Stick-shift Acura Integra is two-wheels shy of perfect
Reporting by Henry Payne, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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