CU2 handled worse than a Lancer?

[tron07]

CU2 feels bloated over CL9

[I CU2]

CU2 is a fatty fat fatty.

[antony]

But the CU2 is a LOT of car for the money...

[natnat]

i just drove an exact route twice this evening, 1 hour return each route, Eastwood to St Clair via M4 Motorway (90-110kmh speed limit).

first drive was in the CU2, going to pick up a large dog cage but it didn't fit... so i came back again in the GTI (useful hatchback).

so it was back to back comparison within 2 hours time frame via the exact route.

CU2: the drive was very comfy, road noise was minimal, but at 110kmh, the steering was a bit light to my liking and the car did not feel planted enough. when i purposely turned the steering right left a bit at a sudden while doing 110kmh, it felt less stable to me. when i purposely floored it from 90kmh to 110kmh, the response was slow although vtec kicked in with a noisy scream.

GTI (with Bilstein PSS10 coilover, H&R sways, Whiteline WALK, and other excessive bits and pieces): the drive was bumpy, road noise was ok at 110kmh but noisy when under load, the steering was heavy and the car felt very very planted. when i purposely turned the steering right left at a sudden, the car was still stable. when i purposely floored it from 90kmh, i had to quickly put my foot on the brake to keep it under 110kmh speed limit

conclusion: the CU2 is a very comfy car, a great cruiser and friendly to your back spinal cord. it is designed for comfort and not for fast speed handling on a race track or tight twisties or touge.

yes it is rather fat, it should have come in the V6 or a turbocharged version to balance its weight. for $40k something, you can get other cars with similar equipment, eg: Mazda 6, Suzuki Kizazi, Hyundai i35.. but these are no Honda. 10 years later, these other cars will look ancient and undesired while the Honda will still look nice like any other Honda Civics, S2000, Accord Euro and Integra from the early 2000 and late 90's when you look at them right now.

and the current non Evo Lancer.. i bet 10 years later it won't be as desirable as the Euro.

[MR_LATE]

yes, i still look at cl9s and think "wow thats a nice car"....

[antony]

natnat I fully agree with your comments,as when I look at the early Euros,2003 models,they still look so good,and one of my reasond for choosing the Euro ;ast year over all its competitors is that hopefully many years down the line it will still look fresh,be comfy,drive well and be desirable...

[boleh]

I think the problem most people have with the CU2/TSX comes from what they had earlier expected the car to be (myself included). Honda/Acura market this as a "sports" variant of some sort.

Touring Sportscar eXperimental. What a mouthful. So it is a "Touring Sportscar" by official definition, and that is why it was being tested and critiqued as such by reviewers.

If you're looking for comfy ride as top priority, you'll be better accomodated in the Thai Accord.

The "eXperimental" bit has either gone horribly wrong, or at the end of the experimentation Honda engineers decide that this isn't going to be a sporty car after all.

[boleh]

and the current non Evo Lancer.. i bet 10 years later it won't be as desirable as the Euro.

This I agree.

[I CU2]

The brocher said it was an intelligent sports sedan.

Lies!

[tron07]

But the CU2 is a LOT of car for the money...

I will agree with this... a new CU2 now is cheaper then a new CL9 back then and comes pack with more goodies, most probably due to the strong OZ currency. If I were to get a brand new car, its hard to pick another over CU2 with the budget of less then 35k

[aaronng]

so it was back to back comparison within 2 hours time frame via the exact route.

CU2: the drive was very comfy, road noise was minimal, but at 110kmh, the steering was a bit light to my liking and the car did not feel planted enough. when i purposely turned the steering right left a bit at a sudden while doing 110kmh, it felt less stable to me. when i purposely floored it from 90kmh to 110kmh, the response was slow although vtec kicked in with a noisy scream.

GTI (with Bilstein PSS10 coilover, H&R sways, Whiteline WALK, and other excessive bits and pieces): the drive was bumpy, road noise was ok at 110kmh but noisy when under load, the steering was heavy and the car felt very very planted. when i purposely turned the steering right left at a sudden, the car was still stable. when i purposely floored it from 90kmh, i had to quickly put my foot on the brake to keep it under 110kmh speed limit

conclusion: the CU2 is a very comfy car, a great cruiser and friendly to your back spinal cord. it is designed for comfort and not for fast speed handling on a race track or tight twisties or touge.

The GTI had the advantage of coilovers! Need to either put the CU2 on coilovers to give it an even playing field or use a stock GTI.

[boleh]

If I were to get a brand new car, its hard to pick another over CU2 with the budget of less then 35k

I know you love manual. The XR5 is on runout atm. $32k driveaway. Volvo I5 turbo. German made.