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Acura Integra Luggage Test: How big is the trunk?

The new 2023 Acura Integra, just like the original 1986 Acura Integra, has four doors and a hatchbacked trunk. That lends it more versatility than a regular enclosed trunk, and judging by the official cargo capacity numbers, more space, too. On paper, it wows with 24.3 cubic-feet, which would in theory be better than some small crossovers like the Mazda CX-30 and Subaru Crosstrek. It should also kick the luggage-testing snot out of the Honda Civic, with which it shares so much. That car, including the Civic Si, has a 14.8 cubic-foot trunk.  In theory, the Integra should be able to stuff 10 cubic-feet worth of extra luggage in its hatchbacked cargo area than the Civic can. Let's not bury the lede, here: Ah, no it can't. Not even close. The Integra can carry less stuff than a Civic sedan. Ditto a Mazda CX-30 and Subaru Crosstrek, for that matter. No matter what else is about to follow, though, this shot is ultimately an important one. Look at that opening! It's huge and obviously makes loading so much easier. Remove the cargo cover and lower the seats, and you also have substantially better maximum cargo capacity and versatility than any sedan could provide.  It also lets a 2-year-old do this. OK, now that small people storage is out of the way, let's talk about the cargo cover. It is a gigantic mesh piece bracketed my rigid plastic. This means that you're pretty much screwed if you suddenly need space beyond what's below the cover. You ain't storing this thing inside the car. There is a slight silver lining, however, which I'll get to momentarily.  First, let's see how many bags fit with the cover in place (ish).  As in every luggage test I do, I use two midsize roller suitcases that would need to be checked in at the airport (26 inches long, 16 wide, 11 deep), two roll-aboard suitcases that just barely fit in the overhead (24L x 15W x 10D), and one smaller roll-aboard that fits easily (23L x 15W x 10D). I also include my wife's fancy overnight bag just to spruce things up a bit (21L x 12W x 12D). That's all the big bags up there, but as you can see (above right), the blue bag is totally smashed. I couldn't do that if there was actually something in the bag. Ergo, forget this. This would be the four biggest bags plus the fancy bag, which is still a bit squished but usable. There is still an issue, though. The black bag at the upper right forced the cargo cover up and out of its bracket when the trunk lid was closed. The trunk still closed, though.

Acura is getting back into the performance game

Acura has had a tough time over the last few years determining its identity, but it seems that the brand is now settling on providing performance. At the Detroit Auto Show, Acura announced an expansion of the A-Spec trim, the revival of the Type-S moniker, and a new engine. That new engine is particularly interesting since it's a turbocharged V6, and only Acura will be using it. So don't expect to see some sort of Accord Type R with a crazy V6. Acura also revealed the engine will only be used with the company's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD). Type-S is another big deal, since no Acuras have worn the badge since the 2008 Acura TL Type-S. It will be a step above the current A-Spec trim, which is mildly sporty. Past Type-S models have always had the most powerful engines available. The company didn't give an estimate for when the Type-S trim will appear, nor what model will get it first. All new Acura models will have an A-Spec option in the future. The first new A-Spec addition will be the TLX with the 2.4-liter four-cylinder. The V6 version already has an A-Spec option. After that TLX, the new RDX will launch with an available A-Spec trim. The company already announced the RDX will have a version of the 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder from the Civic Type R and the Honda Accord connected with a 10-speed automatic and SH-AWD. An Acura representative said that the engine has been reworked for the RDX, and it will make more power than the Accord with the 2.0-liter engine. Related Video:

Hands-on with Acura's novel touchpad infotainment interface

After Acura's Precision Cockpit was unveiled here in LA, I sat in the, uh, driver's seat of the wheel-less interior mockup to get a feel for how this new touchscreen-free touch interface works. There are a lot of good ideas inside. Here are 11 things you should know. It's less like a trackpad and more like a remote-control tablet. So instead of letting you move a cursor relative to its last location like the trackpad on a laptop, each point on Acura's trackpad is mapped to a corresponding point on the center display. If you want what's in the upper right corner of the display, you touch and click in the upper right corner of the trackpad. Simple. I figured it out in two minutes. Maybe less. The whole thing is surprisingly intuitive. The ease of use is helped by the fact that the targets on the screen are pretty big – no tiny "buttons" to fiddle with. The clicks are real. The trackpad actually moves when you press down, so no need for simulated haptic feedback. In their research, Acura engineers found that accidental touches and presses are a real issue. We could have told them that – hit a bump while using a finicky remote interface like Lexus's all-but-abandoned joystick thing, and you select an item half-way across the screen from the one you intended. The placement of the trackpad in this concept interior also helps avoid unintentional inputs – it's not in the middle of the center console where it might get brushed or bumped, but instead in its own little cave at the base of the center-stack waterfall. (Acura's low-profile button-based transmission selector suddenly makes a whole lot of sense.) View 13 Photos Lots of cues cut down on distraction. You hover over the option you want before positively confirming the selection with a hard press. There's no cursor to find and reposition like in the Lexus trackpad system The red highlight gives the necessary visual cue that you put your finger in the right place. The pad is slightly dished to give you a tactile cue of where the center and edges are. It allows you to build up muscle memory, sort of like how you know generally where the "keys" are on your smartphone or tablet's virtual keyboard by now. Or at least I do on mine. You look at the screen, not what you're touching. The problem with touch screens is that they have to be low down in the car so you can reach them. That means you have to look down from the road to stab at what you want.