Honda Civic Type-R 2001 test drive-2005 hatchback

Hot!

Very many quite family hatchbacks have quite warmed modifications. But they are made differently. How exactly - we will see the example of Ford Focus ST170 and Honda Civic Type R.
Bright-blue Ford Focus St 170 and defiantly red Honda Civic Type R. Where to start? As in that joke: what will you drink: alcohol or vodka? - Oh, I don’t even know, everything is so tasty! Cars are like similar - both have two -liter engines without a boost and cost about $ 27 thousand. But in reality, the difference between them is significant - starting with branded colors and ending with the adjustment of the suspension.
TOP MODEL. Let's start with Ford Focus. The first thing you pay attention to is the sports seats Recaro. In a matter of seconds, the chair manages to set up for yourself, and there is a feeling that you can drive in it for hundreds of kilometers without tired. It very clearly fixes the body and does not press anywhere.
Warm ups are not cheap, and it is not surprising that Ford equips ST170 as a real top model-there are climate control and musical system with a 6-disk CD changer. The decoration of the salon is not much different from the standard one, which is famous for the aged style and ergonomics. The only change is the appearance of temperature indicators and oil pressure in the center of the panel. Although the picture is slightly spoiled by the abundance of plastic: in the interior of the hot version, aluminum or carbon fiber inserts would be more appropriate.
   
I catch myself thinking that I climbed inside, not even examining the car outside. And there is something to see: 17-inch wheels and slightly bulging fog Lenses greatly change the appearance of the car, adding aggressiveness to it.
Yes, and he behaves accordingly - the sensations during acceleration are quite convincing. Well, it is very pleasant. He is predictable in his reactions and is very obedient to the driver’s actions. If you add gas in the bend, the car tends to outside. If you need to shift into the turn, then it is enough to cover the gas a little bit and slightly take the steering wheel. I really liked the brakes - the pedal is quite stiff, the course is short, but this does not interfere with the exact dosage of brake force.
Naturally, we paid special attention to the suspension. Ford engineers found a successful compromise between controllability and comfort. The car is perfect on the road, there are no unpleasant rolls, the suspension turned out to be pleasantly stiff and very energy -intensive. At the same time, no toothbill. The irregularities of the roads are perfectly swallowed, and the suspension is almost not heard in the cabin.
   
The motor is very elastic and lucky in almost any working range. Maybe only slightly freezes when the tachometer arrow approaches the red zone. In any case, even if you made a mistake with the gas and slightly overdo it, your actions will correct the anti -wings system. ST170 is equipped with a 6-speed gearbox, perfectly combined with the engine. The lever moves are slightly long, but the moment of turning on the transmission is quite clear, so there is no concern to do not get the transmission.
In general, Focus ST170 is a completely universal car: you can choose any driving style, from a calm ride to work to the night Street Racing.
SPORT LIFE. By its uniform, the civilian Honda Civic resembles a single -crew, and Type R, of course, retained it. Oddly enough, it is also quite appropriate for a sports car - the car looks like a kind of strong muscular athlete. A special character is emphasized by the aerodynamic body kit at the bottom and a visor on the door of the trunk. The interior compared to Ford Closer to racing models. A hard sports seat with severe side support no longer affectionately hugs your sides, as it was in Ford, but almost digs into your body. I don't care that you are tough, the main thing is that you sit like a glove. Well, the equipment is more ascetic: the air conditioner is going on as an option (albeit free), the audio system is also not included in the standard equipment. But the location of devices and controls in Japanese is carefully thought out. White dials of devices with red arrows and numbers not only look stylish, but also read well.
   
Honda is noticeably noisier than Ford, but the sound of its exhaust is pleasant to the rumor - especially after when you press the accelerator, the engine is almost instantly untwisted and takes the car forward. The Civic motor is more powerful than Fordovsky by 27 hp, but sometimes it seems that the difference is much larger! He behaves cool at low and medium speeds, and when the tachometer arrow reaches the coveted 6 thousand revolutions per minute, the VTEC system comes into effect, and there is simply a monstrous pickup. It begins to seem that before that the car did not rode, but simply rolled, and suddenly you pressed the gas on the floor. But the pedal was all the time in the floor!
Real pleasure! The gearbox is just a masterpiece, because the switching process is brought to the ideal. The right hand itself lies on the handle, you just have to remove it from the steering wheel - the control lever is located on the ledge of the central console. The moves are short, the inclusion is clear - impeccable!
In the Type R movement is much sharper than ST170. A person without experience a car may seem even excessively nervous, but a true connoisseur will understand that this is a real sports hole. When choosing the characteristics of the suspension, they clearly sacrificed comfort for the sake of controllability. Now, instead of parallel levers, a front suspension like MacPherson is installed on Honda. This made it possible to more rationally use the engine compartment and reduce the front overhang. In the rear suspension, special attention was paid to the fact that when braking, the corners of the convergence changed, increasing the course stability.
Compared to the civil version, the road clearance of the Type R version is reduced by 15 mm, the rigidity of the front stabilizer is increased (the diameter remains the same, but the other steel is used), and the diameter of the rear stabilizer is increased from 13 to 18 mm. This made it possible to minimize the bodies of the body, and the car perfectly behaves in corners. It literally clings to the paves to the last to the last - this was noticeable even despite the studded tires standing in the tested car, which are not too good on the asphalt. Nevertheless, if the car is not specifically provoked, it is quite difficult to get the rear axle breakdown.
The brakes are also beyond praise, I especially liked the work of ABS. She intervened in the driver’s actions only when it was really necessary. The car is simply created for quick aggressive driving. This is a work that requires tension. But managing Civic Type R, you can get real pleasure from this work!
TO EACH HIS OWN. Despite all the admiration for the sports talents of Honda, we do not risk saying that this is the best choice. There is a question: what is the car for? If you are not ready to abandon the usual elements of comfort and plan not only to drive by car, but also to carry someone, then Focus ST170 suits you more. Moreover, the presence of an anti -boom system will help to avoid unnecessary stress in our difficult road conditions. And we will not discount such considerations as experience and qualifications: when it comes to security, it is worth being frank at least with oneself. So, Ford is less demanding on its driver, although it allows you to realize the emerging sports ambitions.
Civic Type R is a tougher in every sense of the word. Not everyone will be able to fully realize its capabilities, and although it is pleasant to control them at any speed, not for all its character will seem to be a fairly good reason to pay a third more than for the usual five -door Civic, and at the same time get less comfort.
Text Maxim Travin, photo Alexey Ilyin

Reference: Maxim Travin - motorist, Volkswagen Polo - 2002.
Model/Modification Ford Focus ST170 Honda Civic Type R
Manufacturer/country Ford Motor Company/Germany Honda Motor Company/Japan
ENGINE
Type/number/location of gasoline cylinders/4/in -line
Working volume (cubic cub) 1988 1998
Power (kW (L.S.) at about./Min.) 127 (173) at 7000 (200) at 7400
Moment (Nm at about./Min.) 197 at 5500 196 at 5900
TRANSMISSION
Front front drive
Mechanical gearbox 6-speed
Brakes, safety
Front/rear ventilated disk/disk
ABS, assisting electronic systems of ABS, anti -tug system ABS system
Frontal airbags in front of the front in front
Dimensions/mass
Length/width/height (mm) 4170/1700/1480 4140/1695/1440
Wheel base (mm)/clearance (mm) 2615/150 2575/135
Tires 215/45 R17 205/55 R16 (Standard 205/45 R17)
Asselled mass/complete (kg) 1210/1640 1195/1550
The volume of the fuel tank (L) 55 50
Maximum speed (km/h) 216 235
Acceleration to 100 km/h (sec.) 8.2 6.8
Fuel consumption (city/highway, l/100 km) 12.4/7.2 12.3/7.0
The price in Moscow is $ 27.7 thousand $ 26.9 thousand.

 

Source: "Autopilot"