2026 Acura Integra First Drive Review: A Peppy Hatch You Could Live With Every Day

• The Acura Integra gets a few small updates for 2026, including new styling cues.
• A turbocharged engine and available manual transmission remain; no hybrid option is available.
• Pricing starts under $35,000 with fully loaded examples cresting $40,000.

What's new?

The 2026 Integra's most obvious change isn't exactly an upgrade. Order your Integra in Double Apex Blue or Performance Red and you get a color-matched grille, which I think looks absolutely dreadful. Happily, a black grille is optional, and you only get the black treatment if your Integra is painted Urban Gray, Solar Silver, Platinum White or Majestic Black.

On the Integra A-Spec, you'll find gloss black side skirts and a small lip spoiler, and new 18-inch black wheels round out the changes. Color-matched schnoz aside, the Integra A-Spec looks great, and the added visual flair closes the gap between the base car and the high-performance Integra Type S, which carries over for 2026 unchanged.

There are some new colors available inside the Integra, including orchid white upholstery with super fetching blue inserts — something Acura debuted on the subcompact ADX crossover. The Integra's infotainment display grows to 9 inches, replacing the old 7-inch screen, and includes the same Google Built-In tech suite that you'll find in the Honda Civic. This multimedia system is easy to use and quickly responds to inputs. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connect wirelessly too. 

The Integra is a hatchback, and while there isn't as much rear seat headroom as what you'll get in an equivalent Civic, adults shouldn't have trouble getting comfortable. The generous cargo area is a boon for everyday usability as well, but the tall liftover height makes it tough to load bulky items like a heavy suitcase.

Slick with a stick

Every Integra is powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 200 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque. A continuously variable automatic transmission is standard, but step up to the A-Spec trim with the Technology package and you can get a six-speed manual. I really dig this stick; the clutch weight is perfect, the throws between gears are short and the metal shifter feels good (well, unless it's a hot day, in which case it'll brand your palm).

Nervous about living with a manual transmission? Don't be. The Integra's stick includes automatic rev-matching technology that smooths out gear changes and makes the car a lot more friendly to use in stop-and-go traffic. There's brake-hold tech built in too, so if you're pulling away from a stop on a hill, the Integra won't roll backward. The only downside to the stick-shift option is that it reduces the Integra's fuel economy estimate from 32 mpg combined to 30 mpg.

Gearbox aside, the Integra is a zippy little thing, and the communicative steering and balanced chassis make it genuinely fun to drive. None of this comes at the expense of ride comfort either; the Integra soaks up bumps adequately and only exhibits slight amounts of body lean while cornering. It's a pleasantly peppy car but also well-rounded enough to be an excellent one-car solution.

$40K fully loaded, which isn't bad

The 2026 Acura Integra costs $34,595 including a $1,195 destination charge, and stepping up to the sporty-looking A-Spec will set you back $37,145. Grab the A-Spec's Technology pack and you'll get front and rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, dual-zone climate control, a premium ELS stereo and more, and the price only rises to $40,395. That's $10K less than the average price of a new car these days, and the Integra isn't missing any major creature comforts — well, except a rear wiper, which is dumb.

Of course, a lot of the Integra A-Spec's verve can be found in the less expensive Honda Civic Si sedan. And if you don't care about DIY shifting or a modicum of performance cred, the Honda Civic can be had with an efficient and powerful hybrid powertrain. The Integra remains a left-field choice, but I'd much rather live with one of these than drab entry-level luxury cars like the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe or Mercedes-Benz CLA.