Karl says every manufacturer needs a ‘heart car’ to drive people into showrooms.
It burned my hand the first time I drove it. A few choice words later, I realised that gloves may be appropriate. But then driving around the streets with race gloves looks a bit funny. Or it makes you look like a try-hard.
Don’t park it in the sun, especially on those 40-degree days. But that’s a bit difficult when you’re in an area with no trees. A spray bottle to cool it down? Again, a bit weird. That’s the price you pay for a machined metal gear knob.
Remember that scene in Raiders Of The Lost Ark where Toht held up his hand with the Staff of Ra’s headpiece imprint on his hand? Well, the Civic Type R scarred my palm with a reversed gearshift pattern – a bit of an automotive tribute to Indiana Jones.
This was in 2008, and I still remember that bright red, angular buzz-box with its red H badge. The sound, dynamics, gearshift, driving position, practicality – it was all there. The one thing missing? Torque!
Like most motoring journos, I like torque. Audi SQ7 and its 900 Newton-metres? Yes, please. The old Type R just didn’t have it. It had two drive modes – completely on, or completely off. You had to rev the hell out of it and then it started to go somewhere. It was barrels of fun when you did that, but the car just felt like it was missing a vital piece of the puzzle.
Ten years later and torque has made a triumphant return. And so has Honda.
For a while, I was worried about the company. Sure, it made some very reliable machines, but it went through a stage of producing some ridiculously bland products. No one got out of bed one morning, looked at the poster of an Accord on their wall and was motivated to work hard to get one.
The CR-V was (and still is) a well-built SUV that is comfortable and spacious, but it never got under your skin. Honda’s cars were ones that you bought with your head, not with your heart. And to drive people into showrooms, you need a heart car.
The NSX was a major step forward, but it was teased for so long, and the development period was so extended that when it did arrive it was like when you cook for a whole day and you don’t feel hungry at the end. And there was no Ayrton Senna connection like the first one.
But the new Type R stands proudly on its own. It doesn’t care that it’s late to the turbo party. Its styling is unapologetic and brazen. It doesn’t need a race driver to promote it. All it needs is five minutes with you and it wins you over.
The steering is probably the highlight. It’s heavy, full of responsiveness and feels wonderful. It leans on its outside front tyre and never understeers. It can be driven off boost, and doesn’t exhibit horrible lag when you get up it. And there’s plenty of torque. Like plenty.
It’s one of the best driver’s cars of the year, and it’s reasonably priced. Who cares that it’s front-wheel-drive – this machine is the definition of fun. That it’s also well built and looks great is the icing on the cake. Yes, it has the machined metal knob. But as yet there hasn’t been any need for burn cream.
Welcome back Honda. Nice to see you again.
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