2009 Honda Civic Type-R Test Drive: Is This Honda Style Over Substance?
Thursday, June 18, 2009
, Posted by vtek at 3:15 PM
CANNES, France — Some might say that March 1, 2005, was the day the world changed for Honda in Europe. Instead of the company's usual brilliantly engineered but rather snoozy-looking cars, the Geneva Motor Show featured a disarmingly sharp concept hatchback in a very fetching shade of metallic bronze. This is Honda? The unannounced new Civic concept crashed the headlines like an anvil through a greenhouse roof—it was a hot one, to be sure. Almost a pyramid, the Civic has a pinnacle roof sloping on all sides. From the glassed-in grille, the triangular motifs and hidden rear-door handles, the simple styling puts many in mind of the old CRX coupe from the 1980s—it's a retro glow that Honda is pleased to bask in. This a Honda for those below retirement age. Designed in Europe for Europeans, when it appeared as a production car the following year, the Civic was easily the most dramatically styled car in its market segment.
But had Honda compromised substance for style? You bet it had. Compared to its hugely competent but instantly forgettable predecessor, the cabin was slightly smaller, and the double-wishbone suspension had been junked at the rear in favor of the inferior twist-beam system. So the ride is compromised, and more road noise enters the cabin, but sales figures have climbed. Which only goes to show, that if looks aren't everything, they do count for a lot in the automotive world. In the cabin the story is, if anything, more outrageous. By rights, the dashboard should have been a disaster, with four different display zones, in different colors, with different typefaces, then the rest of the switches delivered by blunderbuss haphazardly all over the facia. At night it looks like the flight deck of craft flown straight out of the imagination of Philip K Dick. Yet somehow, it works. —Andrew English
The Specs
The top Civic model is the Type-R, an explosive device that uses Honda's 2.0-liter four-cylinder twin-cam engine, with its patented i-VTEC camshaft switching device. The raw numbers are 198 hp and 142 lb-ft of torque with a top speed of 146 mph, 0 to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds and a combined fuel economy of 25.8 mpg (U.S.).
Inside, the Type-R version gets sport seats that trade comfort for increased support. There are a load of natty go-faster extras like drilled aluminum pedals, Type-R doorsill plates, a red-stitched leather steering wheel and Alcantara seat insets and a cold and clammy bare-aluminum gearshift knob. The rear-seat practicality remains, with lifting rear-seat bases for the those "Do you mind if my St. Bernard comes along too?" days. The trunk is large as well; instead of a spare you get a pump and a bottle of gloop, and there is a secret lower compartment.
The Drive
Start the engine via the ludicrously large red starter button and the mildly buzzy engine note confirms that, yes, this is indeed a performance Honda. Not that you'd notice it initially. The engine's torque might be spread further down and more evenly than in the old car, but with the scales tipping at 2793 pounds, the Type-R's engine has quite a lot to do. As a result the car feels brisk rather than fast. By the time the rev counter is indicating 5500 rpm, the engine feels asthmatic and is making a lot of noise, to no particular avail. Then something remarkable happens: inside the engine, the management computer engages a set of race-cam profiles, the exhaust adopts a spine-tingling scream and the charge starts all over again. Not that the performance is quite as ludicrous as the engine's note, but with a full 8000 rpm capability and the snappiest six-speed gearbox you'll find this side of a Hewland race-car transmission, you'll be having so much fun you'll barely notice the slight lack of urge.
Steering was the old car's bête noir; Honda has improved the new Type-R's helm immeasurably. A slight lack of feedback, yes, but positive and easy-to-judge corner entry speed. The ride, however, is simply appalling. You need to be careful you don't drive around with your tongue between your teeth in the Type-R—one big bump and you'll be lisping for the rest of your days. In fact, the ride is tiresome and after a while, painful, but it doesn't seem to affect the handling that much.
The Type-R is a very distinctive take on a performance car and unmistakably Honda. It's attractive and, for the most part, well-made, although the way the door skins flex when the electric windows close speaks of Honda cost-cutting in little areas we are not supposed to notice.
The Bottom Line
So the steering's a bit numb. That's about it, though, which makes this a very impressive sport compact indeed. Actually, I think the Civic has set a pattern for hatchback design and interiors for some time to come. It's a brilliant little car, even for the older folks that buy Hondas in Europe.
source : http://www.popularmechanics.com
Currently have 0 comments: