Road test: Honda Integra Luxury

By Feann Torr & Jacob Williams

In market segment that boasts icons like the Holden Monaro, Mazda MX5 and Toyota Celica, it is interesting to note how well the Integra performs on the sales charts.

As the Honda marque slowly but surely pushes its model range further into prestige car territory, what with the swanky new Accord Euro already promising much and the MDX taking pot-shots at BMW and Mercedes, it comes as no surprise that a 'Luxury' variant of the venerable Integra is now on offer.

The third model designation in the Integra line-up, the Luxury gets a slew of enticing extras such as climate control, leather upholstery and side-front airbags.

And though the Integra is known for its tasty handling characteristics and peaky engine, what does an extra four and half grands worth get you - and more importantly, does the increased price of admission warrant closer inspection?

Make: Honda
Model: Integra Luxury
Price: $42,450 (as tested)
Transmission: 5 speed auto, w/sports shift
Engine: 2.0-litre, Inline four-cylinder, 16 valves, electronically fuel injected, i-VTEC
Fuel Consumption: City cycle - 8.0-litres/100km, Highway cycle - 5.0-litres/100km/h
Seats: 5
Safety: Driver and passenger SRS airbags, front side (thorax) SRS airbags, ABS

Drive

Integra Luxury comes with ergonomically sound leather seats

Slipping into the perforated leather buckets of the Integra Luxury sure does feel good.

As one of the first things you'll notice when dropping yourself into the low-slung cabin, the seats look very stylish. They also do a remarkable job of holding you snuggly in place and are very comfy to boot.

Pop the key into the ignition and be dazzled by the red luminescence that permeates the entire dash, shortly after the 1998cc i-VTEC engine fires.

A very suave and sophisticated place to be, I think the Luxury moniker is justified here, though Honda hasn't sacrificed any of the athleticism that Integras are known for either.

In fact, the leather steering wheel's small size actually lends the Luxury a more outgoing attitude, and together with precise and linear steering, it's a very nice drive.

The layout of the large speedo and tacho suggest that this is indeed a sports coupe, which is further reinforced when you tickle the accelerator pedal - this one likes to rev, and frequently.

Release the leather-wrapped handbrake, firmly hold the wheel and slam the accelerator pedal deeply into the footwell and it becomes obvious that Honda hasn't taken a step back with the Integra in terms of its sporty personality.

With 118kW on tap, and what is a very flexible five-speed automatic transmission, the Integra Luxury gets about very rapidly and if things get a little hot, why not take advantage of the newly-included climate control?

On the road, I actually enjoyed driving the Integra more than the Clio Sport, which is quite surprising. And while the manic Renault can hold higher corner speeds and hit 100km/h in less time, the Integra's suspension - in combination with a responsive chassis - is well sorted.

It corners with fairly low levels of body roll, the kinds of which aren't often associated with 'luxury' vehicles, and it's so easy to drive - just point and shoot. Torque steer can creep in at times, but it won't rip your arms off. The 16-inch alloy wheels are shod with 205/55 R16 rubber, providing solid levels of grip even on damp roads.

Driving the Integra Luxury around town is a doddle: The well-weighted power steering feels reassuring, and large or small inputs are handled with aplomb at urban speeds - it does what you expect it to do without protest. It's widely recognised that the Japanese make some of the best steering racks around, and this is no exception.

Find some winding backroads and the Luxury complies just as willingly. The steering has a very direct feel at speed and rarely did the car do anything unpredicted. When pushed, it tends to understeer, but this is to be expected of a sporty front-wheel drive vehicle.

The car's profile is very suave

Despite a relatively low power output for this class, what the Integra lacks in grunt it more than makes up for with enjoyable and reassuring handling qualities.

Braking is taken care of by a quartet of ABS-equipped disc brakes - 262mm ventilated rotors fore, 260mm aft.

At first the brake pedal felt somewhat flaccid, but in actual fact it turns out the brakes work very well indeed - there's just extended pedal travel. They fight well against fade in the heat of battle and the longer stroke of the brake pedal means more accurate, or delicate inputs are possible.

Exterior

The Integra Luxury we tested was finished in cherry red, and it looks great: The current model is much more muscular than the prevous 'Tegra and the slightly flared wheel arches hint at the car's performance potential.

The heavily raked front and rear windscreens may not be practical, but together with the car's wedge-like profile, it gives the Integra a stylish and sleek look.

The angular grille treatment is shared with most other new Hondas and suits the car well. Lines that run from the grille to the windscreen add definition and help to break up the uniformity of the flat bonnet.

I particularly like the new headlight cluster that's somewhat reminiscent of the (BA) XR Falcon models - where the lamps cut into the body panels.

The brake lights also fit into the overall package nicely - again with cut aways - and should stand the test of time better than the superceded model's.

Sitting on purposeful five-spoke, 16-inch alloy wheels, the Integra has impressive road presence.

Both bystanders and other cars seemed to be very aware of the Integra, though the bold scarlet paint job could have helped somewhat in this respect. The car is quite low, though I still thought there was too much clearance between the wheel arches and tyres - dropping the Honda 10mm would have done wonders for it's street cred, but as it stands this is still a very attractive and solid-looking car nonetheless.

Interior

Inside, the Integra is fairly conservatively styled, and the cockpit is very driver-oriented. You'll notice a few heating controls, a small Honda single-CD stereo and the obligatory cup holders and small stowage bins set amongst an elegantly-styled dashboard.

The cockpit is quite sparse really, but somehow this minimalist theme contributes to the car's overall style, and though this idea doesn't always prove effective, I think it works really well in this instance.

The instruments look very futuristic and are easy to read day and night: The speedometer and tachometer dials are finished completely in silver, are slightly raised, and the needles and numbers are backlit with a trendy red luminescence when the lights go on.

Like the Jazz VTi, there's also a big red LCD gear ratio indicator that sits in the middle of the two major dials. Not only is it better placed than that of the Jazz's, but it's much bigger too, so cursory glances are all that's needed to see which gear you're in (sports-shift mode only).

The interior is finished in two materials: plastic and rubber. While this sounds a little odd, perhaps even kinky, the overall effect is pleasing and fit and finish is spot on. Both inside and out, panel fitting and finish is an area that Honda seems to have nailed perfectly - rattles and squeeks often seen in other Japanese models are not an issue here.

Leather steering wheel and bucket seats have a brilliant tactile quality

Included as standard with the Integra Luxury are electric windows, a tasty electric sunroof, electric mirrors, dual SRS airbags and side (seat mounted) airbags, ABS, remote central locking and extra brownie points go to the Integra lettering on areas such as the floor mats and chrome door sills, which are small but very welcome touches.

The best two things about the interior of the Integra? The steering wheel and the front seats - without a doubt.

The small leather steering wheel has a lovely tactile quality and with 2.64 turns (lock to lock) it makes commuter driving and other unholy chores seem like less of hassle.

The seats are styled similarly to the Recaro buckets of the Type-R model, with head restraints built into the body of seat, urging you to cradle your head on the supple cow-hide.

The soft, supportive leather sports seats have impressive lateral support (which comes in handy when you're pushing hard) and despite the lack of electronic adjustment, it's not hard to find a comfy position - the ergonomics are sound.

Leg room is adequate, not brilliant, but shoulder and elbow room are pretty good for such a small car.

Head room posed a little problem for my six-foot frame every now and then, as severe road imperfections would jostle me about, sometimes bumping my head on the ceiling. Thankfully the sunroof came to the rescue, but in all seriousness, taller drivers would be advised to try before they buy in this regard.

The front seats are pretty good on longer journeys too, but things ain't so peachy in the back. Sure, there's still leather for all and sundry, but the low rear window means that most adults and even tall children will smack their head over undulating terrain.

That's the price one pays for owning a sports coupe, and beyond the head crunching aspect, the rear bench is rather comfy for two, but things get squishy when three try to squeeze in, plus there's a single cup holder thrown in the rear for good measure. No rear head restraints could be a safety issue for some, however.

The boot is remarkably cavernous for such as small-bodied coupe - 321 litres in total cargo space - and though it's not super deep, the extended surface area means you can plonk quite large and bulky objects in it with ease, such as three golf bags for example.

>> Page 2: Comfort & Handling, Engine, Extras, Overall