Tried an Accord Type-R yesterday...

Mr_Sukebe

Mr_Sukebe

Mr_Sukebe

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Man of Honour
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In my hunt for a 4 door saloon, had a look at an ATR yesterday, thought I might aswell mention the results.

As a background, I have to replace my MX5 with something with 4 doors and seats. Needs to be around Mundano sized to cater for the forthcoming requirement for a baby seat, but can't stretch to a 5 series as she thinks it's too big (we've tried one).

The best thing we've seen to date is a 330i, which did many things VERY well. The only thing that got me was that it felt a little lardy when compared to my MX5. It did strike me that something that is designed to be more direct such as an Impreza or ATR might satiate those desires. I tried the Impreza a couple of weeks back and it just didn't do it for me, so yesterday was the ATR.

Upfront, I have to say that if I only had the £5k that the ATR was, I'd probably buy it out of hand as I'm sure if would be a lot better than the equivalently priced BM, however, funding is not a massive issue, so yes I am seriously comparing the two on straight ability.
The ATR really was slightly more direct and the engine was completely manic, though rather hard edged in it's sound. Against other similar options it would be a bit of a no-brainer, as there is very little that it actually competes with.
The problems were that the interior really did feel like a late 90s Japanese car, particularly so the fake carbon fibre trim, though the steering wheel was nice to hold.
The engine was actually worse than I expected. I remember some graphs of power/torque on these forums, implying that Type-Rs had a very linear torque spread over a very wide band. Clearly Honda forgot about it on this as it really did seem to have another 30% more above 5500rpm. So it would feel completely off the boil unless you seriously ragged it. Maybe I'm getting too old...
The steering was the other key thing, as to me that's vital in a good performance car. For me, was a little too heavy at low speeds and then developed it's own torque steer weave (not big, but definitely noticeable) when the real power band cut in. That sounds a little damning, but being fair, the steering was a good deal better than most performance fwd cars (murders a Cupra), just not as good as the BM.

So all in all, simply not in the same league as the 330i. Oh well, time to get back on PH to find the right motor.
 
-westy- said:
In fairness though, aren't most cars going to feel heavy/lardy?
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Thats the main problem, must be hard going from one car type to the other, granted some larger cars are going to be better than others but i doubt you will find anything comparable on a driving level.
 
-westy- said:
In fairness though, aren't most cars going to feel heavy/lardy?
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Strangely, the ATR didn't feel as lardy as the 330i, though I know what you mean. In short, you're probably right, and part of the quest is how to minimise that difference, without making a mess elsewhere.
I see on PH that there's some nicely priced 330s, it's just going to have to be done once I have a genuine buyer for the MX5. I had a chap shake on it on Sunday afternoon, but now he's pulled the plug as I don't think he's got the funding. Next!
 
How much power are you after then, I've got the new shape Accord 2.4 type-s, around 190bhp. Have to admit there are times where it feels like a barge which is why I call it my big Japanese barge but this is on the limit but then it is a big heavy car. The interiors not that bad either and the seats are damned comfortable if you're going to be doing a lot of miles.
 
IAmATeaf said:
How much power are you after then.
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Strangely, it's not the power. I could probably solve that with an STI Impreza. It's about how the car feels.
For example, the MX5 has all of 140hp and a 0-60 in 8 seconds. Not shabby, but then also well outclassed by a lot of cars nowadays. The point is that it feels fast and has good tactile feedback, both of which the ATR actually did a pretty job of.
 
I always thought a good performance car had heavy steering to get more feel? I quite like them but no a 330 would get preference here too :)
 
Nathan said:
I always thought a good performance car had heavy steering to get more feel? I quite like them but no a 330 would get preference here too :)
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I'm not a believer in the idea that steering needs to be heavy to have feel. Being uncorrupted is generally the preferred solution (IMO) and a very good reason for having a rwd car.

Another car that I might investigate over the weekend is an E36 M3 saloon. They're not expensive anymore, though probably cost a fair amount to run. My biggest concern with that is that the car needs to be driven by my GF in London, and an M3 clutch is not going to be much fun.
 
I've driven a late one, there was a hint of TS and a hint of tramlining on some surfaces but nothing even close to being intrusive.
 
With second hand cars its worth trying a few to get an idea of the car. You can find some right lemons out there, you can also find some sweet peaches.

Millions of them....
 
-westy- said:
How much are you selling your MX-5 for out of interest?
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It's on PH at just under £4k, which is good value for a mk2.

With ref to the steering on the ATR, guess the amount of torque steer is dependant upon your reference point. Yes it is good for a powerful fwd car, however it's not perfect when compared to a pure rwd car.
 
Jonnycoupe said:
Sounds like it was running the wrong fuel and the tyre pressures/alignment need looking at .
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That or it just sucks compared to a 330i Sport. Type R or no Type R it is unfortunately a 98-02 Accord at the end of the day.

Good cars but, as Mr_Sukabee stated, when unfairly compared with more expensive machinery, fall a bit short.
 
Maybe you dont realise thats an issue, but i was simply suggesting a possible issue with the car. There is nothing wrong with Accord suspension setups, it terms of the design, just quality and hence durability of parts wont be quite as high as the BMW. Which is why you can expect dogs that havent been maintained properly.

With Honda geo and crazy toe changes there very sensitive to tyre pressures, that is all i was highlighting.
 
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