Quote: Originally posted by dave182 on 21 February 2004
that would be artic blue then, is a very nice colour!
I took the plunge and went to test drive a Civic Type R today just to see what they are all about as everyone keeps telling me how good they are!
Oh my god, what a beast, it was a 52 plate with 13k on it so was fully run in and the salesman took me out for a ride first after I told him I was comparing it to a Clio 182. FIrst thing he said was that the clio was sh1t and nothing compared to the ctr. We argued for a while after he reckoned he test drove a 182 4 months ago! Later got out of him that it was only a 172 and he said it didnt handle very well and was no match on track to the ctr.
this guy was 19 and had been working for Honda in sales for 2 months, bit of a cocky tw*t really! Reckoned his dad was a director of Honda Uk and he has been working for the Honda racing teams for the past 3 years and also MG X Power racing team! Also said he wrote an NSX off at 120 mph when he was 17 and didnt have a license after his dad bought one home for the weekend!
SO buy now you should have an idea of what this guy is like, well he took me for a ride and was driving through Slough at about 90 mph weaving in and out of traffic and power sliding around roundabouts, he scared the sh1t out of me, and there arent even any grab handles to hold onto!
He took me into the country side then and down some twistys and it flew, he never changed before 8000 revs.
Then it was my turn so I thought I would get my own back by scaring him down a road I didnt know so on a long straight country road I floored it from a standing start through the gears reving it to 8k each time and got a fair old pace up, he was looking a bit nervous, job done! Then I just drove it quite hard for the rest of the journey, it is VERY fast and felt quicker than a clio 182, but whether that was because the engine was revving so hard it just sounded like it was faster im not sure. The 182 I drove had only done 15 miles! I did find it very twitchy though and all over the road, not a calming experience. It has to be driven like a racing car to get it to do anything and when driving fast you feel as if you are in a race and have to concentrate on keeping it on the road, very hard suspension.
So all in all I would say it is noticabley faster than the clio, but not as refined, not as comfortable, cant be driven at low speeds easily (in first gear the car kept jumping forwards) and low spec compared to clio. I must admit that I did like the dashboard mounted gear lever though, very ergonomic!
For the price i bought my clio though, the Civic is not worth the extra 4k if you want the all round experience, if its a fast car you are after, then it looks like it is the next stage up from a 172 CUP!
Not noticeably faster than a Cup, you cant seperate them till about 120+!
