What is the best handling front-wheel-drive car ever produced?
The Dc2 Honda Integra Type R is a clear winner for me.
I also know there are plenty of people who’d vote for it too, So what’s all the fuss about?
Everything!! that’s what.. Right from the moment you see it sitting on the side of the the road or when you hear it roaring towards you with that sweet raspy tune. Then the second you climb in and appreciate the details, such as the close embrace of the Recaro seats, the stubby titanium gear lever, and a rev counter that reads 10,000rpm in the red line.
Then there’s the engine.
Oh, what an engine, ported, polished and assembled by hand, it’s spec is truly amazing. Admittedly, 197bhp is nothing by today’s turbocharged standards, but when it arrives at 7,000rpm or so in a car weighing just 1,225kg you know about it fairly lively. The 1.8-litre, DOHC VTEC engine is just a different breed from it’s challengers of this era. even just the look of it alone shows how well built it is (if that makes any sense) take a look at the picture below and you’ll know what I mean.
The wrinkled red Rocker cover really gives a great vibe straight away just looking in. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I feel like there’s somebody looking out at me saying “try me, just try me, try anything you want and trust me I’ll respond better than you could ever imagine. It’s reliability is absolutely extraordinary also, here in Ireland you could go buy a Dc2 with 20 owners since imported and God knows how many were on it in Japan and still be confident you won’t get a days hardship from it.
Then you turn the key and the car starts to get under your skin, The rasp from even the standard exhaust to dazzling with the sharpness of its throttle response, the weight of the steering making more sense as you start to lean on the front tyres, and the whole car being so perfectly balanced that it seems to dance beneath you.
What’s better still is that the Type R doesn’t need to be travelling at great speed for all this to happen, but is in fact from as little as 80kmph. Lift off the throttle and it’ll slide, but in a gentle, controllable way, while then powering on has the front diff pulling you through the turn, with the tires stuck to the road.
It is the perfect reminder of why older, lighter cars on smaller/skinnier tyres can be so much fun.
The Type R is a car that is impossible to ignore, because it involves you so much in absolutely everything it does.
You’ll discover this the first time the VTEC kicks in, the engine switching character to show its manic side, steaming on from 6000rpm (right about where most other engines are starting to run out of legs!) through 7000, 7500, 8000, 8500, 9000 and more.
It’s then your job to use the rifle-bolt gear shift to keep the engine within this zone, whether you’re accelerating, braking, in a straight line or going around a corner. That’s where the magic of this car resides, when the engine, steering and chassis come together in perfect harmony.
What a joy this car is. A riot of poise, feedback and agility of the likes we’ll definitely never see again. The best-handling front-wheel-drive car ever, is my opinion.
VERDICT
Not just brilliant for a front-wheel-drive car, but brilliant full stop. If you’re in the market for a modern classic that is extremely reliable and affordable, the Integra Type R is impossible to ignore.
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Brendan Donnelly, 13/08/2018
Donnelly Performance Blog 