2001 Acura Integra Gs-r Hatchback 3-door 1.8l on 2040-cars

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Acura Integra to capstone combustion era as EV transition begins

The recent launch of the resurrected Integra nameplate is just part of a larger shift in mission at Acura. Its leaders have repeatedly said they want Acura to be the performance brand of Honda, where driving fun and dynamics come first. However, in a new report, Acura says it plans to go big on fully electric vehicles, at even greater speed than its parent company, by skipping the hybrid step altogether. According to Acura assistant VP of sales Emile Korkor, the Integra was a capstone to the internal combustion era at Acura. It marked a sort of homecoming to the marque's performance pedigree, and once Integra is launched, the brand will move forward with electrifying its lineup. The company's plans were revealed in an Automotive News interview, where Korkor said, "We're going to bypass hybrids altogether. So our shift is going very rapidly into BEV. That's our main focus." At first blush, that seems to be at odds with brand boss Jon Ikeda's public statements about Acura. As recently as a couple of weeks ago, Ikeda was saying that he wanted to take the Integra racing, as something of a mascot for the "fun" brand at Honda. Perhaps we've been desensitized to automakers making big proclamations about EV transitions a la Jaguar, Land Rover, Bentley, and Infiniti, but typically the green messaging has not been about performance in the traditional sense. Says Korkor, "We're not just dipping our toe in the water with electric at Acura, we are jumping all in. And that's not just because we need to. It's because we want to. Acura is really focused on performance, and electrification is one of the greatest ways we can augment that performance." While electrification and performance are not mutually exclusive, we have yet to drive an EV that connects to the road as beautifully as a 1990s Integra or NSX did. Acuras have never been about power and torque. Yet they were still compelling performance cars thanks to brilliant steering and driving dynamics. Then there's the issue of what Acura represents. Back in February, Ikeda said that Acura was purposefully holding off on an EV strategy because it needed to re-establish its performance bona fides. Now, Korkor says, "The benefit of returning to the Integra right now is that it's going to help shepherd a new generation of customers and build loyalty as we move into a new era." The problem is, the Integra alone isn't enough to establish that performance cred.

Honda recalls more than 750,000 vehicles to fix faulty seat air bag sensor

DETROIT — Honda is recalling more than three quarters of a million vehicles in the U.S. because a faulty sensor may cause the front passenger air bags to inflate when they're not supposed to. The recall covers certain Honda Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V and Odyssey models from the 2020 through 2022 model years, as well as the 2020 Fit and Civic Coupe. Also included are the 2021 and 2022 Civic hatchback, the 2021 Civic Type R and Insight, and the 2020 and 2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline and Accord Hybrid. Affected models from the Acura luxury brand include the 2020 and 2022 MDX, the 2020 through 2022 RDX and the 2020 and 2021 TLX. Documents posted Tuesday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration say that the front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, and fail to turn off the air bag as intended. The sensors are required to disable the air bags if children or small adults are in the seats. If that doesn't happen, it increases the risk of injury. Dealers will replace the seat sensors at no cost to owners. Owners will be notified starting March 18. Honda says in documents that it has 3,834 warranty claims but no reports of injuries or deaths from the problem between June 30, 2020 and Jan. 19 of this year. Featured Gallery 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid View 40 Photos Green Recalls Acura Honda

2023 Acura Integra w/ CVT starts just under $32,000

Pricing for the 2023 Acura Integra is out, and it's unsurprisingly a fair bit more expensive than the Civic it's based on. The base model starts at $31,895 including the $1,095 destination charge. The base version comes only with a CVT, as does the next highest A-Spec trim. To get a manual transmission, you'll have to fork over $36,895 for the top A-Spec with Technology. Fortunately, the manual isn't any more expensive than the CVT version. The full pricing breakdown is below. Integra: $31,895 Integra A-Spec: $33,895 Integra A-Spec with Technology Package: $36,895 The base model comes well equipped. Standard features include LED lighting, a sunroof, heated seats with power adjustment on the driver side, an eight-speaker sound system, 10.2-inch instrument display, 7-inch infotainment screen and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The standard safety feature list is quite good with adaptive cruise control with lane-keep assist and stop-and-go (the latter on CVT only), blind-spot monitoring and automatic emergency braking. And all Integras come with the same turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder making 200 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. They also have two years of free scheduled maintenance (oil changes, tire rotations and inspections). The A-Spec model mainly adds the sporty A-Spec appearance package, while the A-Spec with Technology Package adds quite a few more features. It includes adaptive suspension with adjustable stiffness, a larger 9-inch infotainment screen, ambient interior lighting, leatherette and faux suede upholstery, power adjustment on both front seats, a 16-speaker sound system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging and more USB ports. And of course that top trim is available with a six-speed manual, which also adds a mechanical limited-slip differential like in the Honda Civic Si. Related Video: 1999 Honda Civic Si | Retro Review