As of early June, you can order the 2023 Acura Integra. There are three different specs to choose from: Integra, Integra A-Spec and Integra A-Spec® with Technology Package, plus two transmissions: your choice of a CVT or a six-speed manual. Prices start from $30,000, which isn’t that bad for an over-glorified Honda Civic, but it can very easily go higher once you start adding a few things you might like. The recently launched online configurator gives you the chance to design the Integra you like, and we did just that out of curiosity.

The Integra can be had with either a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) when prices start from $30,800 or a 6-speed manual a $5,000 add-on that brings the price up to $35,800. We will of course go for the manual transmission.

For the exterior, the 2023 Integra comes with a standard Lunar Silver Metallic finish. For an extra $500 you can also opt between Majestic Black Pearl, Liquid Carbon Metallic, Performance Red Pearl, Platinum White Pearl, or Apex Blue Pearl. We like the red option, and this way our Integra now costs $36,300. The Performance Red Pearl exterior will only give you two interior options: Ebony with dark metal trim or Orchid with dark metal trim - both free of charge. We will go with the Ebony version. But for example, if you opted for a black exterior, you could also get a combination of red and dark metal trim.

The accessories list is where the price for the Integra will skyrocket. We like to give our Integra a sportier touch, so we opted for the Sport Black Plus Styling Package. For $3,168 we will get 19-inch black alloy wheels and a few black exterior elements. After this option, the price for our 2023 Integra went up to $39,468. We also went for a carbon fiber tailgate spoiler and carbon fiber mirror covers, which increased the price to a total of $41,018. We like to be able to carry tons of things when going on trips, so we added the midsize roof box for another $555. We are now at $41,972. If you are into sports - like biking, kayaking, surfing, or skiing, Acura is also offering you the right attachments.

We want our car to be a little bit protected, so we opted for body side molding, door edge guard, a splash guard set, and black wheel locks - taking the price up to $42,625.

For the interior, we wanted the heated steering wheel, the premium carpet floor mats, and illuminated door sill trim. We jumped up to $44,079, but we aren’t done yet. We have a dog, so a pet rear cabin liner is a very good idea and so is the seat back protector. A trunk tray and a cargo organizer are always handy, and since you can never be too prepared, we also added the engine block heater. Final price for our 2023 Integra: $44,756. Of course, there are a few other options that can take the final price to even more than this, but this is where we stop since we are happy with the way our Integra is equipped. The only problem is that we are at almost $10k over the starting price!

We can’t help asking: is this a fair price for what the Integra has to offer? We have to remind you it comes with a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-four with VTEC, rated at 200 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. The model equipped with the manual transmission has a fuel economy of 26/36/30, while cargo room is rated at 24,3 cubic feet.