Stop your whining! Why the 2022 Acura Integra by Honda is faithful to the original and deserves a chance to succeed | Opinion

Last month it was the next-generation Subaru WRX, and now it's the Integra's turn courtesy of Honda's luxury brand, Acura.

Unveiled last week, the iconic nameplate has been resurrected after lying dormant for 15 years, for a restyled and upmarket version of the latest Honda Civic, but only for North America.

Besides continuing a line of iconic late-20th Century Japanese performance cars that lost their way in the new millennium, the WRX and Integra have something else in common: howls of protests from incensed commentators, with some voicing profane as well as profound disappointment over their styling.

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We've already argued the Subaru's case here in recent weeks, and now it's the Honda we're defending, because – once again – it seems people's expectations are unrealistic in this day and age. Particularly as the last Integra faded away by 2006 due to sharply declining consumer interest.

Not that Acura isn't responsible for stoking such sky-high expectations, fanning the fires by embarking on a badge-only tease campaign some months ago that – let's be clear about this – suggested the comeback of something very similar. The media hasn't helped either. Published rumours leading up to the Integra's debut last week had many envisaging a ferocious wedge-shaped coupe with a very low front spoiler and a very high rear wing. Or, in other words, a reborn Type R.

What transpired instead is a neat, sleek variation of the coming Civic hatchback theme known as the Integra Prototype, complete with five doors including an extended liftback look and the warmed-over powertrain and sporty chassis tune from the recently-released North American-market Civic Si.

Surely people weren't actually expecting a low-slung two-door in an era where nobody wants this sort of car anymore?

1985 Honda Integra

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1992 Acura Integra

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1999 Acura Integra

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1999 Integra Type R

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2001 Honda Integra

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2001 Honda Integra

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Despite this, Acura is continuing to play up to nostalgia, by debuting the Integra in evocative Indy Yellow Pearl paintwork redolent of former glories like the 1999-2001 Type R – arguably one of the finest handling front-wheel-drive production cars ever made.

No wonder, then, that many Honda fans around the world feel a little betrayed after waiting so long for the Integra Prototype to break cover. Not since General Motors elected to import a midsized front-drive Opel as a Holden Commodore has a name seemed so misappropriated.

But is Acura really so wide of the mark slapping an Integra badge on the boot of a restyled Civic hatchback?

This is exactly what Honda has done for every single one of the four previous Integra, starting from the 1985 original with pop-up headlights, taking in the 1989 curvier successor, quad-eyed 1993 version and the final iteration launched in 2001. In fact, you could also include the 1980 Honda Quint as the genesis of the gussied-up Civic.

The latest Integra also keeps the faith as far as aesthetics go. A five-door fastback version of the 11th-generation Civic, it was designed in Japan with an eye on past versions, from the low-slung profile and elongated tail-lights that were a feature right from the series’ beginning, to the downward-angled headlight and grille shapes used by the final version.

Ironically, just like the latest Acura version, the original Integra five-door did not wear Honda badges in Australia at all, but – locally at least – the Rover logo, since it was sold as the 416i as part of a deep partnership between the two companies at the time, that also saw the sharing of the Honda Quint, Legend, Accord and Concerto as the Rover Quintet, 800, 600 and 200 series. Instead, Australia only ever saw Honda's version of Integra in three-door body styles.

Surely people weren’t actually expecting a low-slung two-door in an era where nobody wants this sort of car anymore?

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Despite this, Acura is continuing to play up to nostalgia, by debuting the Integra in evocative Indy Yellow Pearl paintwork.

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Is Acura really so wide of the mark slapping an Integra badge on the boot of a restyled Civic hatchback?

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The latest Integra also keeps the faith as far as aesthetics go.

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There’s the potential for something truly special – the return of the Integra Type R.

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Then there's the new Integra's powertrain, which – as in the past – represented something greater than what the humble Civic would offer.

For now, this means a circa-150kW/260Nm version of the 1.5-litre four-cylinder VTEC turbo, driving the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. Power and torque jump by 20kW and 40Nm respectively, giving the Integra the slight edge in oomph to help justify its extra cost.

Finally, there's the potential for something truly special – the return of the Integra Type R.

What an intriguing machine this would be. With a reported 245kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo screamer, six-speed manual shifter and dual-axis strut front suspension set-up that have collectively helped make the outgoing Civic version a living legend, a Type R would be the Integra to finally silence the critics.

The takeaway from all this is that we ought to be glad that Honda is tapping into its emotional, nostalgic side by reviving a revered nameplate. Although it might not be the racy coupe of yesteryear, it does actually adhere to the template more faithfully than first impressions may suggest. Just like the 2022 Subaru WRX also does. Consumers should be glad to be given the choice. At least the latter is heading to Australia.

But, be warned, Honda: if there is a Type R and it ends up being a North American-market only exercise, we'll add to the chorus of protests directed Acura's way, albeit for very different reasons to the misguided drubbing the latest Integra is currently copping.