easy fixes that are missing from the integra a/k/a how to take the teggy from 8.0 to 9.5

[Yitzz]

had my teggy for 2 months and 3k miles thus far and I'm really loving the car! but there are just a few fixes i need to take this think to the next level.

for context: right now im leasing a 23 integra a-spec tech. this replaced a land rover discovery that replaced a 10th gen civic si. i am already thinking of buying out my teggy at the end of the lease and modify it then but we'll see.

there are a few things about the teggy that really come in the way of enjoying this thing that should honestly be simple fixes for acura to do...
1. the trunk! why cant we load a spring in there so that it pops open when the trunk release button is engaged? it doesnt really need a full power hatch (though that would be cool) but just let the trunk be opened by the time i get there, k?
2. speed. i dont need it to be super fast, but why is a kia forte gt with just as much hp and a -$10k sticker hitting 60 faster than me? and the forte is a good ride, but common acura you were supposed to be the chosen one! why cant i get to 60 in under 6 seconds? ill take 5.9! i get wanting to make the type s more desirable, but it should hit 60 in under 5, still leaving a 1 second gap which is plenty. just give us the extra 50hp we all know the car has and let us boast a little. friggin kia.
3. highway noise. one of the first things i did with this car is drive it from nyc to miami. it gets loud on the highway. i get weight reduction but dont forget this is supposed to be luxury.
4. auto up/down rear windows. my wife's odyssey has it so i know honda knows about this tech!
5. better storage.
6. steering wheel in cruise control. i get that drivers need to be alert in cruise control, but let me take my hands of the wheel here and there, wouldjya? most of the time the alert goes off my hands are on the wheel! am i just that smooth at turning?
7. garage door opener. look, acura, you need to start accepting that folks expect a little more luxury out of you. that means not having to have a odd bulky garage door opener clipped to my visor.
8. auto dimming mirrors. having this on the rear view mirrors is especially essential on low cars, thank god acura thought of this on there rear view mirrors. no wait, only one of them. why would anyone need them on all three mirrors, that's just weird!
9. HUD. im actuallya really big fan of head up displays and was really looking forward to it in the teggy. i even appreciate that it's multi colored. i just wish it was capable of having more information on it at once. like let me know what song is playing, show me nav directions and lane keep assist info at the same time, know what i mean?
10. compass. i know theres a compass but why do i need to lose information to see it? cant there just be a small n or sw in some corner somewhere?
11. rear a/c vents. we need to present ourselves in a positive manner to our passengers and that includes offering them some climate control. passengers are people too.
12. vented seats. or do we only sell cars in cooler climates? and while we're at it, no one's feeling any heat through that microsuede... just saying...
13. LED lighting. i actually really like the LED on the door, just kind of wish it ran through the whole front of the interior. would also be really really nice if we can change colors on this thing! so cool!
14. wireless charger. its just too week. why are we not talking about this. is it only me?
15. acuralink. i like the update and that its free for the first 3 yrs. but it takes a while to connect that i'd almost prefer to just use the remote start on the remote.
16. info display. this ones is kind of vague, but the info available on the right side of the instrument cluster is a bit messy. would be great if it was a little cleaner and easier on the eyes.
17. pause/play button. cant believe i left this to the end, but can i get a pause/play button on the steering wheel? how are you going to put like 14 buttons on the steering wheel, (INCLUDING ONE EMPTY ONE!!!) and not have one of them be a pause/play button for the stereo??? common guys!

bonus thing:
I would totally go for this car in a 2 door convertible! whos with me?!

 

[SuperCyan]

Acura/Honda does some amazing products and I for one love my car. But I would agree with these points. Especially the trunk pop-up release or lack of one, the lack of rear A/C vents, and one that bothers me which I know is silly but why do we get the ambient lighting but only the one color?

Don't think it would have cost much to make the lighting change depending on the drive mode you are in so we'd at least get blue in comfort and red in sport. I'd be happy with that, but to have no option of change is frustrating. Especially when other models have the ability to change color and select a lot more too

 

[JC-RH]

They’ll probably offer the custom ambient lighting for the Type-S. Afterall, they need to justify the price difference and overall options.

As far as the rear AC, I don’t know why it’s such a big deal. When my kids need it (if they’ve been running around or when picking them up from school), I just point one to the back. The cabin itself just needs to be cooled. Same with a room in a house. They usually just have one AC duct, and it doesn’t have to be blowing on you directly.

I live in South Florida…so I know what hot means. Also, I invested in full ceramic tints, so that helps quite a bit.

Just saying.

 

[treyk]

They’ll probably offer the custom ambient lighting for the Type-S. Afterall, they need to justify the price difference and overall options.

As far as the rear AC, I don’t know why it’s such a big deal. When my kids need it (if they’ve been running around or when picking them up from school), I just point one to the back. The cabin itself just needs to be cooled. Same with a room in a house. They usually just have one AC duct, and it doesn’t have to be blowing on you directly.

I live in South Florida…so I know what hot means. Also, I invested in full ceramic tints, so that helps quite a bit.

Just saying.

Same here, ceramic tints made me not worry about rear vents worth it 110%.

 

[treyk]

I just wish they made the L15CA more durable. I get it its a 1.5L economy engine, a damn good one as well. But I'm nervous to do anything to it other than like a base tune from ktuner or hondata. But stock this thing is a blast to drive anyways and I am more than happy with it from the factory.

 

[JohnV]

You make a lot of good points, and I don't mind admitting that I was disappointed in my test drive. But as a response, here's the things I don't want added, and may have affected my willingness to purchase.
1. Weight - This replaced a BMW 128i which is their lightweight sports coupe in their mix, and it weighed in around 500# more. Some of the enhancements you mention would add lbs.
2. Fuel consumption - I like being able to hit 40 mpg, and run in the low 30s daily. My Bimmer was 27 mpg when I was quite conservative. The Integra is plenty fast and quick for my purposes, so I wouldn't want the mileage penalty the extra hp offers. Besides, Acura would have had to upgrade the tires to manage more power, and that's still another cost they would pass to buyers.
3. Price - I paid about $38K after a few accessories. No way I would have gone 40. Compared to value engineered cars, I think the value is good, especially considering the ADM that was so popular 9 months ago. Cars cost too much in general.

Although I can afford the car, I probably shouldn't have bought it, and purchased an old car when that was necessary. But I'll tell ya, I enjoy it every time that I drive.

TL : DR More luxury means more weight and more power needed to hit performance numbers. It's the formula used by the A3 and A-Class. I'm glad Acura went a different way. YMMV

 

[submitaweasel]

I'd prefer android auto that doesn't require a full factory reset of the head unit to reconnect to my phone once a week.

I wouldn't care at all if there was built in nav. But there isn't. And the AA connectivity issue is therefore unforgivable.

 

[Yitzz]

Actually had that problem and but I realized that all you need to do is plug the phone in to activate the wired android auto and then it should work...

 

[submitaweasel]

Actually had that problem and but I realized that all you need to do is plug the phone in to activate the wired android auto and then it should work...

Thats a big nope, good buddy. Thats not acceptable nor a solution. Acura touts wireless AA as a premium option that I was forced to buy to get a manual transmission. No thanks. I enjoy driving the car and having a manual transmission family hauler but forcing people to buy options that dont work then the solution being to downgrade to using a wired connection is just plain not acceptable.

 

[Leehro]

14. wireless charger. its just too week. why are we not talking about this. is it only me?

I agree the wireless charger is useless 99% of the time. I use wired CarPlay while driving so my phone charges that way. The benefit of the wireless CarPlay/AA connection is that I could keep my phone in my pocket, but then I'm still not using the wireless charger. I prefer wired because of the charging, responsiveness and higher quality sound. When my phone's plugged in, I still need a place to put it, so it goes in that tray and I keep the wireless charger off. I think it's been off since about a week after I bought the car.

A passenger could use the wireless charger to charge a phone slowly, but then they can't use the phone while passenging. So it's not really useful there either. The car has 3 dedicated USB charging ports. Cables are cheap. I think I'd only use the wireless charger if all my USB cables got stolen.

 

[IntegraAgain]

Good discussion, and it reminds me that every Integra since gen 1 has had it's drawbacks.

My own pet peeve from the 2023 Integra is no garage door opener app. on the home screen. I would gladly trade the lane departure jump-scare feature for this in my Integra. Even my wife's 12 y.o. SUV has programmable buttons to open/close garage. Come on Acura!

 

[Yitzz]

Thats a big nope, good buddy. Thats not acceptable nor a solution. Acura touts wireless AA as a premium option that I was forced to buy to get a manual transmission. No thanks. I enjoy driving the car and having a manual transmission family hauler but forcing people to buy options that dont work then the solution being to downgrade to using a wired connection is just plain not acceptable.

I'm with you on that. Was just making the point that I've successfully used wireless after using wired instead of needing to reboot the whole system.
I think they're logic is if you wanted the car without all the premium options but with the mt you'd go for the civic sport or Si. If your getting the teggy in my they're going to make it only available in the top trim... At least they're still making the mt option!

 

[Yitzz]

passenging

Great word

 

[submitaweasel]

I'm with you on that. Was just making the point that I've successfully used wireless after using wired instead of needing to reboot the whole system.
I think they're logic is if you wanted the car without all the premium options but with the mt you'd go for the civic sport or Si. If your getting the teggy in my they're going to make it only available in the top trim... At least they're still making the mt option!

I agree the fact that the m/t is even an option is a good thing. The m/t and the ability to move the kiddos were my only 2 necessaries when I was buying. The 3rd kind of necessary was availability. I was on-market for a "manual transmission (hopefully) turbocharged hatchback with a lead time of "oh shit I don't have a vehicle anymore (don't ask about that shitshow) and my wife only likes new cars" for about 4 days until I landed on the integra. I am not bashing what it is good at but believe manufacturer accountability is necessary especially since the US government has given free tax dollars to companies over the past couple years and every co.pany that took it squandered that money.

 

[wagood]

I like the majority of my experiences so far and have fun driving around with the 6 speed, but it does feel like they let the bean counters have too much say in what is suppose to be the top trim of an entry-luxury car.

3, 12, and 13 are probably my biggest complaints in order. Quieter cabin so I can hear the great ELS system, cooled seats so my thighs and back aren’t a sweaty mess in the summer, and a little extra pizazz that lets you and your passengers know it’s not a civic. All of these additions would simply be putting it on par with what you can get on other vehicles in the entry-luxury segment.