Honda Integra
The Honda Integra, sold in North America as the Acura Integra and later the Acura RSX, is an automobile produced by the Japanese company Honda from 1985 until 2006, and then since 2021. It succeeded the Quint as a more luxurious and sport-oriented derivative of the Civic. The Integra was one of the launch models for Acura in the US in 1986 alongside the Acura Legend. Throughout its production run, the Integra was highly regarded for its handling and performance. The 1995–2001 Integra Type R is widely regarded as one of the best front-wheel-drive cars of all time.
The Integra nameplate was revived in 2021 after a 16-year hiatus. The Honda Integra nameplate is used for a restyled Honda Civic sedan for the Chinese market, while the Acura Integra nameplate is used for a Civic-based liftback for North America, replacing the Acura ILX.
First generation (1985)
This vehicle debuted in Japan in February 1985 as the Honda Quint Integra, available only at Honda's Japanese dealership sales channel Honda Verno before going on sale a year later in North America as part of the then-new luxury Acura lineup. The three-door liftback was the only model available originally, with a five-door arriving in October 1985, and a four-door saloon bodystyle becoming available in Japan in the autumn of 1986. Only the liftback versions were sold in the U.S. A 1.6 L DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder engine powered most versions. The engine was the vehicle's most publicized feature, as DOHC, multi-valve engines were not commonplace in entry-level models at the time. In most European countries, only the five-door liftback was offered, as a replacement for the Honda Quint. Typically for European Integras, only the 1.5-liter 4 Weber carburetors engine was available. The five-door liftback model was also sold in Australia rebadged as the Rover 416i. Except for in Britain, Honda did not offer the more powerful 1.6 DOHC fuel injection engine in Europe. The ZC engine was also shared with the Honda Concerto, which was sold at newly established Japanese dealership sales channel called Honda Clio, which sold luxury oriented products like the Honda Legend.In Japan, while the VX- and RX-trimmed four-door used the 1.5 L EW5 engine, all other model and trim combinations offered only the DOHC ZC engine, with a carburetor on GS, ZS, and LS trim packages, and PGM-FI on the top level GSi three- and five-door, and the RSi three-door trim package. Vehicles installed with a carburetor earned in Japanese Government emissions tests and, and at consistent speeds above. Vehicles with PGM-FI earned in Japanese Government emissions tests with, and above. In Japan, the Integra took the entry level marketing position at Honda Verno, below the sporty Prelude and larger, luxury focused Vigor.
Compared to the US, the European Integra was aimed downmarket and generally lacked equipment, with neither trim level offering painted bumpers, central locking, power windows, nor air conditioning, even though a small number of fully equipped, left-hand drive fuel-injected Integras were sold in the Netherlands. The Integra EX16 did offer a sunroof, painted bumpers, a rear spoiler and Hi-Fi stereo equipment, but neither electric windows, central locking nor air conditioning were available. This was considered as a drawback to its European competitors such as the Peugeot 309 1.6 injection and the Renault 11 Turbo, that all could be equipped with comprehensive, albeit expensive, equipment. The first Integra never became as popular in Europe as it did in the US, but was praised by most motor magazines for its styling and overall road performance. The styling reflected the popularity of Honda's performance coupe, the Honda Verno sports coupe companion Honda Prelude, with the Integra offering a coupe for added cargo accommodation, and a slightly smaller appearance to the larger Honda Vigor. Largely unencumbered by emissions regulations, British market cars produce in the 1.5 and in the 1.6-liter EX16.
Being designed as the successor of the Honda Quint, the Integra is closely related to the Civic, although it featured a small list of key upgrades over its smaller stablemate to help merit a price increase over the CRX Si, which was otherwise the sportiest subcompact vehicle being offered by Honda Verno; enlarged 4-wheel disc brakes replaced the small front-disc/rear-drum setup used by the Civic and CRX, suspension calibration was re-worked, better tires were used and a 113-hp DOHC fuel-injected 16-valve engine was used in place of the SOHC unit from the CRX Si. Just like the Prelude and the Vigor of that period, the Integra featured sleek, sporty pop-up headlights, like its Japanese dealership Honda Verno stablemates, with the CRX adopting semi-concealed doors over the headlights. Nearly 228,000 units were sold during the four-year run of the first-generation model, most of them in the United States.
The first-generation Acura Integra came with 1.6-liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder engine which received an update mid-cycle. The 86–87 engine is commonly called the "Browntop" while the 88–89 engines are referred to as the "Blacktop" due to the color of their valve covers. The improvements in the "blacktop" engine included lighter rods, domed pistons for slightly higher compression, and an electric advance distributor. The overall gain in performance was about for.
The Integra received a minor facelift in 1987 for the 1988 model year which featured slightly reshaped indicator lights, an improved climate control system and an update of the instrument clocks. In Europe, the Integra five-door Liftback was discontinued in October 1989 following the launch of the Rover-based Honda Concerto.
This was the only generation to offer 3-, 4-, and 5-door models. Production of the 5-door liftback ceased in 1988.
Second generation (1989)
An all new Integra was introduced in 1989. The second-generation Integra continued to be available as a hatchback coupe but also a new 4-door notchback is available instead of a 5-door hatchback. The Integra coupe has a wheelbase that is longer than the previous generation and weights approximately 190-235 lbs more depending on the model.The second-generation Integra was introduced in April 1989, featuring the first VTEC engine ever manufactured by Honda. For North America's GS-R, the B17A1 engine is a 1.7-liter DOHC VTEC 4-cylinder engine with a specific power output of was available beginning with the 1992 model year. VTEC engagement is at 5,500 rpm on the B16A engine, redline for the XSi is 8,200 rpm. All Japanese models remained exclusive to Honda Japanese dealership network called Honda Verno.
There were two variants of the top DOHC VTEC model, the RSi, and the XSi. The RSi was the base model with a lighter weight thanks to wind-up windows, no rear spoiler and few options. Early RSi models also featured the S1 gearbox with slightly closer gear ratios than the Y1 gearbox fitted to the XSi. The XSi was the fully-optioned variant with climate control, optional sunroof, and anti-lock brakes. The XSi had a 0–100 km/h time of 7.2 seconds and can complete a standing quarter mile in 15.1 seconds. This top-spec DOHC VTEC model was complemented by more docile models that used dual-carburetor or PGM-Fi versions of the versatile 1.6-litre DOHC engine but in the more compact SOHC configuration. Similarly there were base and full options variants of these SOHC engine Integras coded RX/RXi and ZX/ZXi respectively. All vehicles sold in Japan had their width dimensions slightly reduced so as to be in compliance with Japanese government regulations concerning exterior dimensions so that the car would be officially recognized as a "compact" and not incur yearly taxes for being wider. In October 1991, the range received a mild facelift. At the same time, a 1.8-liter version of the 4-door hardtop was made available in Japan. Called the ESi, it offered at 6,300 rpm and was only available in conjunction with a 4-speed automatic transmission. At the same time, the VTEC was upgraded and now had.
This generation saw the discontinuation of the 5-door liftback, and the first availability of a 4-door sedan outside Japan. The new hardtop bodystyle reflected a popular trend in Japan of offering an entry-level sedan, such as the Civic-based platform the Integra used, in a reduced-height 4-door hardtop. The Integra sedan saw competition from the similarly sized Toyota Corolla Ceres, the Toyota Sprinter Marino, the Nissan Presea, and the Mazda Lantis. The sedan was only styled to look like a hardtop. The vehicle retained the B-pillar, while the doors were constructed without window frames. This styling carried over to the third-generation sedan, and shared visual similarities to the Honda Verno larger companion, the Honda Vigor.
The then-Emperor of Japan, Akihito, until he discontinued driving shortly after his 85th birthday, maintained a gray 1991 Integra sedan with the 1.6 L engine, and regularly drove within the boundaries of the Imperial Palace.
North American market
In North America, the Integra was sold under the Acura nameplate. Acura offered three trim levels for 1990 and 1991 model years and added a fourth trim level beginning in May 1992. Model choices consisted of a 3-door liftback and a new 4-door sedan. All trim levels were available with a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission except for the GS-R which was only offered in a 5-speed manual with shorter gearing than other trim levels.The second-generation Integra coupe is longer overall and wider than the previous generation. A new 1.8-liter DOHC 4-cylinder engine producing 130 HP was standard equipment. Anti-lock brakes was standard on the GS model and motorized front shoulder belts were standard on all US-market models, while the Canadian-market models had the manual front shoulder belts.