- 2 years ago
On this episode of Ignition presented by Tire Rack
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MotorTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 [ENGINE REVVING]
00:06 [TIRES SCREECHING]
00:08 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:30 Finally, I'm in the US for an episode of Ignition.
00:34 More importantly for you guys, finally, you
00:37 can buy a Honda Civic Type R. And to mark
00:40 this momentous occasion, we wanted to do something special.
00:43 So I'm delighted to say I'm joined by four-time IndyCar
00:47 champion and Indy 500 winner, Scott Dixon.
00:50 Thanks, man.
00:51 Thanks for having me.
00:52 Now, the last time you saw him--
00:54 last time I saw him, he was cartwheeling his Chip
00:57 Cadassi IndyCar in spectacular style.
01:01 But Scott, today, the aim is to keep this thing sticky side
01:05 down.
01:05 Are you ready to drive this car for us and set a hot lap?
01:08 I'm ready, man.
01:09 That's going to be the goal.
01:10 That was the goal of the 500, too.
01:12 But let's make sure we keep this thing on the track.
01:14 But I'm ready.
01:15 I can't wait for this.
01:16 Fantastic.
01:16 Let's do it.
01:17 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:20 [TIRES SCREECHING]
01:24 [TIRES SCREECHING]
01:27 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:30 So this is it, the Civic Type R on US soil.
01:40 Looks spectacular, doesn't it?
01:42 Or hideous, depending on your point of view.
01:44 I've actually grown to really like it over the last few days.
01:47 And everything they have thrown at this car is functional.
01:50 This is a front-wheel drive hatchback with real downforce.
01:54 Now, I can already sense your cynicism.
01:57 You're thinking that missing out on generation
01:59 upon generation of souped-up Civic with spoilers all over it
02:03 is no bad thing.
02:04 But you would be wrong.
02:05 So sit back and get ready to talk torque steer,
02:08 lift-off oversteer, and to understand
02:10 why you need to care about the Civic Type R.
02:13 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:16 [TIRES SCREECHING]
02:20 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:23 [TIRES SCREECHING]
02:27 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:30 [TIRES SCREECHING]
02:33 So you probably know plenty about Honda's Type R
02:36 bloodline already.
02:38 But it's worth a brief look back before we get too stuck
02:40 into this Civic Type R. So the red R first
02:43 appeared on the NSX-R back in '92.
02:46 And the formula was really simple.
02:48 Take an NSX, ruthlessly chase out any excess weight,
02:53 and evolve Honda's mid-engined wonder from everyday supercar
02:57 to track-focused superhero.
03:00 This is footage of the later and sublime second-gen NSX-R.
03:05 Any excuse to see this car going sideways has to be grabbed.
03:08 Besides, no good footage of the first Civic Type R,
03:12 which was launched in '97, seems to exist.
03:15 That first Civic featured a suitably crazy engine,
03:18 a 1.6-liter four-cylinder screamer that
03:21 produced 182 brake horsepower.
03:24 Those heroic little VTEC motors are consigned to history now.
03:28 The new Civic features a turbocharger
03:30 and incredibly has more power than the NSX-R. R still
03:34 burns red hot.
03:37 So first of all, let's deal with that perception
03:41 that front-wheel drive cars mean compromise,
03:44 or that they're just plain wrong.
03:46 Now, I'm pretty vehement about this,
03:48 because I actually love these hot hatches.
03:51 And the people who develop these cars,
03:56 they're pushing the boundaries just as much
03:58 as any supercar maker.
04:00 This car has 306 horsepower, which
04:03 is right on the edge of what the chassis can deal with.
04:06 But that's a good thing.
04:08 When I'm driving one of these cars on the road,
04:10 I want to feel like I'm metering out the performance.
04:13 I'm making the thing work.
04:15 And the Type R just gives me that,
04:17 which isn't to say this thing's a torque-steering,
04:20 wheel-spinning mess.
04:21 It is definitely not that.
04:23 In fact, this car did a 7 minute 43 lap at the Nürburgring.
04:28 That is just three seconds off a Porsche Cayman GT4,
04:32 or if you prefer, one second, one second away from a 997 GT3
04:38 RS.
04:39 One second.
04:40 Unbelievable.
04:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
04:45 So how can any Civic get so close to a Cayman GT4?
04:52 Well, one of the beauties of this car
04:54 is that it leaves nothing on the table.
04:56 It's as highly evolved and focused
04:58 as a product from Porsche Motorsport.
05:00 It's just the base car is a humble front-wheel drive
05:03 hatchback.
05:04 So at the front, we've got four-piston Brembo brakes.
05:07 We've got bespoke Continental tires, the engine,
05:10 2-liter turbocharged, and it's mated
05:12 to a lightweight single-mass flywheel and a 6-speed manual
05:16 gearbox.
05:17 The front suspension is struts, but it's a dual-axis design
05:20 to reduce torque steer.
05:21 There's a helical limited-slip diff.
05:23 The rear end is multi-link.
05:25 This car has just got everything that you
05:27 want for a driver's car.
05:29 So although the idea of a Civic that produces downforce
05:32 might seem sort of ridiculous, this thing
05:35 does 169 miles an hour.
05:37 And I reckon that means that stupid rear wing
05:40 isn't so stupid after all.
05:41 Now, we're not going to do 169 miles an hour on this road
05:48 or anywhere close, but we can do what counts.
05:51 And that's test the brakes, the grip, the chassis balance.
05:56 And I have to say, the Type R is really good in all
06:02 of those regards.
06:04 Firstly, the torque steer and wheel spin issue, or lack of it
06:08 in this car.
06:10 You get a tiny bit of torque steer, hardly any at all.
06:14 But the traction is what's really, really impressive.
06:19 Out of turns, just when you think
06:21 it's going to start understeering,
06:23 you actually apply more throttle.
06:24 It drags the front of the car into the apex.
06:28 It's quite a freaky feeling.
06:30 And it just makes the car feel like you
06:33 can throw anything at it.
06:36 That ability to carry speed into the corners
06:38 and then use all the performance on the way out
06:42 is a bit of a surprise.
06:43 And I expected the electronic--
06:45 the traction control, stability control to be busy.
06:48 But actually, it doesn't intervene much at all.
06:50 And when you turn it off, it still feels super hooked up.
06:53 You don't feel restrained like the front wheel drive's
07:00 holding you back.
07:01 You're using the power just as much
07:04 as you would in a rear wheel drive car,
07:06 with this much performance.
07:07 As well as the speed this thing generates across the ground,
07:16 which is a lot, the quality of what's going on is good as well.
07:20 The brake pedal is really, really nice.
07:22 Nice and solid.
07:24 Plenty of communication.
07:25 I know what it's going to do.
07:27 And I have confidence in it.
07:30 And that's the key word with this car, confidence.
07:33 Everything you touch, it gives you confidence.
07:37 It's actually really good fun.
07:40 Of course, no car is perfect.
07:42 And the Taipa has a few creeping frustrations.
07:45 There are three driving modes, comfort, sport, and plus R mode.
07:49 And whilst the suspension settings and throttle mapping
07:51 are excellent in the most hardcore mode,
07:54 the steering weight increases to such an extent
07:57 that it feels sticky and makes the Taipa feel heavier, less
08:00 responsive than it really is.
08:02 Please, Honda, give us a configurable setting
08:05 so we can lock down the body control
08:06 and ramp up the engine response, but with lighter, more natural
08:10 feeling steering weight.
08:12 For me, the balance also needs a small tweak.
08:14 I love the Taipa's near impregnable composure.
08:18 But some more adjustability wouldn't go amiss.
08:20 I want a front driver I can coax into a bit of oversteer
08:23 on corner entry with a lift of the throttle
08:25 or a dab of the brakes.
08:27 That's what a great driver's car is all about,
08:29 that you make the difference.
08:30 And you decide what the car's going to do.
08:33 With the Taipa, I feel like I'm driving a bit more
08:36 to its brief, its agenda, basically.
08:39 [ENGINE REVVING]
08:42 But any little demerits I have about this car,
08:46 any little things I want to change,
08:48 they're almost completely scrubbed out
08:50 because of this thing--
08:52 six-speed, manual gearbox, and three pedals.
08:55 [ENGINE REVVING]
08:59 [TIRES SCREECHING]
09:01 Now, we have gone completely twin-clutch crazy
09:05 in pretty much every segment of the performance car.
09:09 But you only need to spend five minutes in a car
09:13 with a manual box.
09:14 And you remember just how brilliant they are.
09:17 They're not as quick, maybe, although I
09:20 didn't slow this thing down much at the Nürburgring.
09:22 But they just suck you into the experience so much.
09:26 They're so satisfying, and on this road,
09:28 it just never stops turning.
09:30 [ENGINE REVVING]
09:33 You're always busy.
09:34 You're always involved.
09:35 And what you do with this thing can also
09:37 affect the way the car goes through the corners.
09:40 There's just so much, if you love driving,
09:43 that is enhanced by a manual box.
09:45 So Honda, that is one area where I must applaud you.
09:51 I'm so glad this thing has a manual box.
09:54 We've got to take this thing onto a racetrack.
09:57 [ENGINE REVVING]
10:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
10:04 So that's the Type R on the road.
10:08 But if it's going to be a real Type R,
10:10 it has to deliver on the track, too.
10:12 So we're at the streets of Willow,
10:13 and this place should play perfectly to this car's
10:16 strengths.
10:17 It's tight, technical, and it's got loads of rapid-fire
10:20 direction.
10:21 Now, usually, Randy would talk us through that.
10:23 But today, we can't have Randy.
10:24 But don't be too disappointed, because instead, we've
10:27 got Scott Dixon, four-time IndyCar champ,
10:29 and all-round good egg.
10:31 How you doing, mate?
10:32 Good, mate.
10:32 Good to see you.
10:33 Good to see you.
10:33 [ENGINE REVVING]
10:37 [TIRES SCREECHING]
10:40 [MUSIC PLAYING]
10:44 [ENGINE REVVING]
10:47 So, Scott, you've got a lot of experience.
10:49 [ENGINE REVVING]
10:50 So we couldn't really be in a car that's
10:53 much further away from your normal race car.
10:57 So how are you enjoying driving a front-wheel-drive car again?
11:00 When was the last time you even drove a front-wheel-drive car?
11:03 I'm sure I'm aged.
11:04 I can't even remember the last time I drove a front-wheel-drive
11:06 car, but I'm pretty sure it was a Honda.
11:08 I think it was actually a CR--
11:11 CRV?
11:12 No, CRX.
11:12 CRX.
11:13 Remember those little hatchbacks?
11:15 But I think I was about 16 or 17.
11:18 So it has been a little while.
11:19 But, man, this thing drives nothing like what that used to.
11:24 But response is fantastic.
11:28 Just the way you can arc the car through the corner.
11:30 But what surprises me is there's no on-throttle understeer,
11:34 or very little of it.
11:35 On a typical front-wheel-drive car, as soon as you hit the gas,
11:38 it just understeers off.
11:39 This thing drives through the corner so well.
11:42 It does.
11:42 It seems to resist the understeer well.
11:44 You have to be a bit careful, don't you,
11:46 not to take too much speed in.
11:48 But then, like you say, it's really hooked up under the power.
11:51 And just as impressive is that you're trailing it
11:54 into the corners, and you'd expect it, the light rear,
11:57 to really snap around on you.
11:58 But it doesn't seem to on this.
12:00 That is one thing I remember in my early teens.
12:03 You know, and probably catching me out a couple of times
12:06 and damaging a few cars in the wake of that.
12:09 But, yeah, not that big, loose, high-rear feeling
12:13 of a front-wheel-drive car on trail brake.
12:16 It's very stable, and you can really drive it
12:18 in deep on the brakes.
12:22 They've struck a really good balance with it.
12:24 They've mastered it.
12:25 And the way that a car is so easy to predict
12:31 of where it's going to go.
12:32 You're not constantly sort of hacking at the steering wheel.
12:35 You can kind of pick one arc, roll with it,
12:38 and control it with the throttle.
12:40 Yeah.
12:41 But for me, change of direction is phenomenal.
12:43 Yeah, that's what I love to see.
12:44 It's fantastic to sit here and just see the way
12:47 you can be so assertive on turning.
12:49 And the car just snaps where you want it to go.
12:54 What I'm loving about this car is the manual box.
12:56 Fantastic just to be back in a manual car.
12:59 Manual's back, man.
13:00 I swore when I was a teenager that I'd never buy an automatic.
13:04 And obviously, I got older and tried
13:06 to multitask, eating, and cell phones
13:09 when you're allowed to talk on your cell phone.
13:11 But it's so cool.
13:13 It takes me back to the fond memories
13:16 of why I got into racing and driving cars,
13:19 and having that substance and that feel
13:21 of being attached to this thing and shifting gears.
13:23 And it's even messing up, man.
13:27 Even with the addition of the downshift blip,
13:29 if you want that, they've made some things a little bit kinder
13:32 if you need.
13:32 But it's a very precise gearbox.
13:35 And man, I don't know.
13:37 This thing is just so much fun.
13:39 I'm loving it.
13:39 I'm loving it.
13:40 We're going to need another set of tires here soon.
13:42 Yeah.
13:42 Well, we've got a load of time.
13:44 Don't worry about the time.
13:47 It feels like you're starting to get slightly quicker
13:50 every lap.
13:51 So it might be my moment to step out of the car
13:55 and let you set a hot lap.
13:56 Let's do a hot lap, man.
13:58 Let's just do it.
13:59 OK.
14:00 Yeah, just take me back.
14:01 [LAUGHTER]
14:04 So with that, Scott went and set his lap time.
14:07 And the Type R continued to impress.
14:10 As on the road, I think Scott and I
14:11 felt we'd trade a bit of composure
14:13 for some more adjustability.
14:15 But it hardly hurt the lap time.
14:17 A seriously impressive 125.07.
14:21 That makes it around a second faster
14:23 than the four-wheel drive Focus RS and Subaru's WRX STI.
14:29 And it's not too far behind a BMW M2.
14:32 Like I said right at the outset, front-wheel drive
14:35 doesn't have to mean an evil understeering mess.
14:38 The Type R is a hell of a car and one
14:40 of the performance bargains of the moment,
14:43 no matter what wheels are driven.
14:45 It's a timely reminder that Honda can produce genuinely
14:48 exciting driver's cars, too.
14:51 Now they've nailed the affordable hot hatch thing,
14:53 maybe it's time to go back to the beginning of all this R
14:56 stuff and resurrect the NSX-R. Come on, Honda.
15:00 You know it makes sense.
15:02 [MUSIC PLAYING]
15:06 [BLEEP]
15:11 Cyclists, what are they so angry about?
15:13 They're always angry.
15:14 It's like, I haven't cut into him or anything.
15:16 I gave him loads of room.
15:18 He was still in the car before you even went about it.
15:19 Yeah, slowed down.
15:21 (whooshing)
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