Quote:
Originally posted by spectral
Well, I've had the car for a nearly a week now, and some people here asked me to post my thoughts on it.
Firstly, the engine is simply awesome. It drives like a normal Civic around town with excellent fuel economy and decent torque. As you would expect, its a very free revving engine so gear change points in normal driving are around the 4000rpm mark. The Jekyll and Hyde nature of the engine is much more accessible in flowing twisty corners rather than city style streets and traffic. Main problem is that for the VTEC to alter the lift, you have to be doing 6000rpm, which in second, is around 80kmh which is getting a bit quick in a normal traffic situation. You find yourself hard on the brakes in no time because you go from that 6000rpm to 8500rpm in around a second :) (which is around 100kmh).
I've owned a SR20DET 180SX and the Type R is quicker if its in its powerband. The combination of 141kw and 1020kg is very nice. If you are not careful thou, that Nissan will beat you because you will have to change down to 2nd (or 3rd on the highway) to put the VTEC in.
Someone asked me if the VTEC felt like really bad turbo lag. Its not. The engine response is far better than any turbo I've ever driven.. but only if its in its powerband. If you were to just put your foot down in 3rd@60kmh, you would be left behind. You have to change your perception on how to drive a car. Jumping from a turbo car into the TypeR is weird. Turbos are very easy to drive, just stamp the pedal to the metal and off it goes. In a VTEC car you have to keep an eye on your speed and instantly know what gear to change into make the VTEC cut in. So in that respect, it requires a lot of driver skill to drive fast. This is what I'm enjoying the most in the car. Its a real challenge. The TypeR has the potential to beat a 200SX soundly, but it will require a great driver to do so.
The handling is just magic, I've never driven a FWD car with such an excellent turn in. This car will NOT understeer. Cornering quickly at 80kmh and hitting a small bump, you can feel the back starting to come around, but a snatch of opposite lock fixes that really quick. The key is never lifting off the throttle, if you do, you will spin. If this doesn't intimdate you, then the car will reward you with probably the best FWD chassis in the world.
So the negative points. Firstly, this is no luxury car. To shed weight, the windscreen is thinner glass and all soundproofing is removed. You hear every gearchange and every rock/pebble that is flicked up into the wheel wheels. The positive side of this is that you get to hear the scream of the engine at 8500rpm. All passengers I've had in the car that thought the engine sounded fantastic. Another negative is the suspension is pretty stiff, so the ride can be harsh sometimes depending on surface. But this is something I'm prepared to live with in exchange for the handling.
But in summary, its a fantastic car that will reward a good driver, but may disappoint a less enthustastic one. If you don't let that engine rev, then you are just driving another nice looking Japanese coupe. Abeit one with top notch handling.
