Test Drive a MUST! - We bought one !!! (Honda Accord Type-R)

Member Name: sidneygee

Product:	Honda Accord Type-R
Date:	27/10/00 (20600 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Performance, looks, Honda Garages

Disadvantages: Limited choice of colours, air conditioning an expensive option

It is now over a year since I last revised this review. Please see end for updates.

Because of business and family demands, we run two cars. As at mid-2000, these were a Renault Espace and a Mercedes 190. In late 2000 we were looking for a further new car, something 'sporty' for Heather now that the off -spring are (mostly) away. We had test drives of the Honda Integra R, the Honda Civic VTIS, a Mazda MX5 1.8i, an Alfa Romeo 156 (2 litre Veloce and 2.5 litre V6), a Mercedes 420 SEC (second hand), the (old model) Imprezza Turbo, the Mercedes 230 SLK and our final choice, the Honda Accord Type R.

Heather had previously rejected the Accord range, saying that it looked "too ordinary", but she had not seen the Type R, so when I was able to show her one (parked near to us the day after the Civic VTIS test drive), she was admitted she was 'more interested'. The rear spoiler and the twin exhaust pipes gave the 'look' that she had said she wanted, the only apparent problem being the limited colour choice.

Why OH why do Honda do this ? For example, the Civic 1.8VTIS is only available in 'Pirates Black'; the Integra R was at one time only available in 'Championship White', but then later could be bought in Milano Red and Pirates Black (but in other countries, blue and yellow are available).

The Accord Type R colours are solid red, silver and a pearlescent black (called 'Nighthawk Black? - black with tiny blue flecks - only really visible in direct sunlight). But why no metallic reds, or any blues - or greens - or even white ?? After all, white is the Japanese 'racing' colour and the car is sold in Japan in white (I have seen 'grey imports' in this colour).

It seems perverse to have such choice limitations. In common with many women, Heather is very colour-conscious. She even went as far as to say, quite categorically, that she would not want a black car
. But, gu
ys ! We all know - "ALL WOMEN ARE ENTITLED TO CHANGE THEIR MINDS !!" ?unquote.

We were in agreement that silver was not an option - too many about (but I do agree they do 'hide? dirt better), whatever the other attractions.

Reluctantly she agreed that the red colour would be a 'possibility', so a test drive was
booked.

Has anyone ever carried out a survey to establish how many people have an extended test drive before buying a new car? My conversations with friends and with dealers seem to indicate that it is relatively few, which amazes me. After all, this is probably the second biggest purchase you make, and adding up the costs over the years, car ownership will probably cost more than your house. So, would you buy a house from only reading the estate agents brochure ?

Admittedly, at weekends it can be difficult (but not impossible) to arrange a suitable drive. During the week, as long as you have the courtesy to telephone first, most salesmen are only too willing to have an excuse to get out of the showroom and practice their selling skills on you.

A drive of at least 20 miles, with both you and the salesman driving, is essential. Indeed, have you considered why do so many people sell their cars after 6 months to a year ? I suspect that it is often due to some dissatisfaction with comfort or performance, which can easily be picked up with a test drive.


So what about the Accord Type R ?

Well, whilst not absolutely silent, it did have some sound insulation and we noticed it was much quieter than the Integra R and the Civic VTIS that we had test driven. The suspension is definitely slightly softer and more comfortable than those models and, on the test drive, driving it gently - out to the A1, to the east of Edinburgh, it felt almost like a very ordinary car. The rear wing (and I say that it is that - not a spoiler!) does cause a slight problem with
rear view vision and it is a 'no-cost delete' option.

However, the salesman kindly pointed out that it does give you a reference point when reversing, and I had to agree. This salesman had chosen the route for the test drive with care and some expertise. Directing me out of the city, we turned off the (very busy) A 1 at the second intersection and I drove along a B road with low hedges and good visibility. This is where the 2.2 litre VTEC engine could come into its own. Beyond 5,500 rpm, it gave a real 'kick in the back', like an 'after-burner' and overtaking slower traffic was a doddle. However, if in second gear, it is so easy to 'over-rev' it so that the cut-out comes into operation and you lose your power. It really is so turbine smooth above 6,000 rpm that you don't notice, until it is too late. But all knowledge comes with experience ...

It produces 209 bhp and a 0-60 time is quoted at between 6.9 and 7.5 seconds, depending on the road test. Our car continued improving up to 4,000 miles, but of course we will never see that 140+ mph maximum speed. Since then it runs effortlessly.

The engines of the R series Hondas are hand-built in Japan, with only two specially trained technicians involved.

The Recaro seats seemed slightly wider and more accommodating than in the Integra (and thus impressed Heather) but the gearshift perhaps initially a little less precise (and more 'clunky') than the Integra.

The steering is again 'pin sharp' and the handling only marginally second best to the Integra, but the smoother ride compensated.

Note I said a 'smoother ride'. It is still very firm and will skitter slightly on rough roads. The brakes were more than adequate for the task of slowing the car, and this is definitely a car that I can drive over 300 miles in without aches and stiffness. Around town, the car drives well without drama.

Heath
er had no difficulty getting in and out of the front seat at the end of our drive (over 45 minutes on the road) and I could tell from the look on her face that this is definitely a possible purchase. Slight criticisms of the specific car we drove:

The clutch pedal squeaked badly, and I was surprised that it was let out for a test dr
ive with this annoying feature - OK I know that it would be simple to fix, but why let it intrude ?;

One of the silencers was well-out of true, possibly indicating a problem with reversing into something? (I suggested to the salesman);

The steering wheel itself (a Momo leather-rim) was slightly disappointing, the 'feel' and the red 'H' in the centre boss rather put me off, but Heather was impressed (I would prefer a wood rim wheel, myself);

Air conditioning is an expensive (dealer fitted at £950) option, and it is only a 'manual' system, rather than the 'climate control' fitted as standard to many cheaper Accord models.

The magazine 'What Car' thinks highly of this model. They carried out a long-term 18,000 mile test (See their Website www.whatcar.co.uk) and sang its praises. In the March 2001 issue they have given it second place in their Car of the Year Performance car category, behind the BMW M3 (at almost twice the price), but ahead of the Imprezza Turbo (which is how I'd rate them from my test drives, including the new model Imprezza Turbo).

I will continue my praise of Honda dealers. There was no pressure, only polite interest in what cars we owned and had owned, confirmation that the car market was depressed, and that "good deals" were available if we wanted one of these models. All in all a very pleasant experience that I can thoroughly recommend.

The Accord Type R is little more expensive than the Integra, with the cheapest new cars being advertised at £17995 to £19995 (with a revised £21,495 list). r>
We eventually paid a deposit in November 2000 and I collected 'our' new Honda Accord Type R on 10th January 2001. Heather made the final decision, saying that she 'could not live' with a car as ugly as the new Imprezza, and the test drive that we (finally) managed to arrange in a V6 Alfa 156 was such a disaster.

We bought the car from a company near Leicester, Bob Gerrard Cars. He had 4 in stock when we went there, two in red, one silver and one in black. He also had a black car awaiting collection. This was the only time we have been able to see all 3 colours together in one showroom.

We had wanted to specify red, but we then decided on the Nighthawk Black, because we agreed (a record !) that the red did not look quite right (not as good as the Milano Red on the Integra) and we don't really like silver cars, as I mentioned above. Interesting point with the new Civic Type R is that dealers find the Red cars sell slower than the Black or Silver, so they offer lower p/ex prices.

The Nighthawk Black has a slight blue pearlescent tinge, and the red badges and black exhaust boxes look good with that colour. Shows that the brochure is not enough - you really do have to see the colours 'in the flesh' before you can make the decision.

The price ?

Well, the company gets its cars from Cyprus, and we paid £17,995. A £750 deposit was paid by credit card, and the balance was paid by 'electronic transfer' using our Debit card when we collected the car. For that we got the car WITH FACTORY-FITTED AIR-CONDITIONING (only to be anticipated for Cyprus).

As already mentioned, this is an expensive (£950) dealer-fit option in the UK, and this operation also often leaves tell-tale marks on the dash (two of the three cars that I have seen at Scottish dealers have this problem).

What we don't get is a radio. However the UK supplied cars only get a 'level 2' radio-cas
sette player, which we would have 'discarded' in favour of a radio/mini disc/multi-CD player, so that makes no difference.

The UK dealer price would be :

Car ..................£21,495
Air-con ............£950
Metallic paint.........£245

A discount of £1,000 was the maximum that could be obtained, which seemed madness.

Indeed, I had hoped that showing the Bob Gerard advert (in 'The Times') would have been sufficient for the dealer to persuade Honda to allow it to offer a bigger discount. (I would even have paid up to a £500 premium to get it locally). Thus, it is a very useful saving, and in fact cheaper (and less of a problem) than getting it in Belgium or Holland as a personal import.

We had covered over 4000 miles, running it in. We have had a Toad Cat 1 alarm fitted (£220); fog lights (£212), centre armrest (£85); and a Sony radio/minidisc/CD changer has been fitted (£250 in the Argos sale, including fitting, plus electric aerial and speakers £110!!!). A ?reversing aid? has also been fitted (£250).

Problems so far ?
Slight crease in passenger seat upholstery;
Slight squeak from engine when starting up was diagnosed as a slipping air conditioner drive belt fixed under warranty by a local Honda dealer on 6 February.

Dislikes :
Very few.
No light for the rear interior;
No outside temperature gauge;
Tyre noise;
I understood that tyres would be expensive to replace, but the £140 each quoted locally is not so bad).
Some roughness at low speeds from brakes rubbing. The discs have developed some rust because of salt on the roads, but this has now been 'cleaned off' and painted at the edges and in the centre.

The paintwork gets faint surface scratches easily. A Ziebart Diamond Coating treatment is still to be arranged (£100).

Likes :

Looks good (aggressive, similar to Mitsubishi EVO 6 at over £25,000
);
Sounds sooooo good;
Really goes like a bat out of hell (the real ?shove in the back? when you exceed 5,000 rpm must be experienced to be believed);
Stops well;
Seats (Recaro) very comfortable.
Drove from Leicester to Edinburgh non-stop (350 miles) with no back-ache.
Gas-Discharge headlights on our car (not charged extra). These weren'
;t on the car we test drove and when available as an extra on other makes cost £600 +.

Our son changed the oil and oil filter at 2,100 miles. Have used Mobil 1 oil (fully synthetic) dosed with 5% ZX1, an anti-friction treatment (seemingly known only to engineers ...). Service every 9,000 miles.

This has made the engine even better. Smoother, and more responsive.

The effect of the variable valve timing has impressed all who have ridden in her. Now the 'kick in the back' has got even better. Have to
watch it in the wet though .....


I can definitely recommend anyone wanting a performance saloon to wait for the next modifications, which are bound to include a 6 speed gearbox. It certainly needs the extra ratio to get the very best out of this engine.

Heather just thinks it is sooo cooool.

UPDATE April 2003

So, the car is now a little over 2 years' old and has covered a modest 15,230 miles.

Bad news and dislikes?
The front tyres only last about 8,000 miles before the centre part of the tread disappears entirely, so we are coming up to our second replacements. I reckon the rears will last until about 30,000 (but probably replace at the same time as the fronts are replaced for the third time).

The gearbox has not totally lost its slight notchiness, and I STILL try to change up to (non-existent) 6th gear .... However, the brakes are now smooth.

The Alcantera (suede-like) trim marks easily, particularly if white plastic shopping bags come into contact with it (so a boot tidy has
had to be installed to keep shopping in order).

The paintwork continues to mark easily and is the greatest disappointment. Black really is not a good colour for this with any manufacturer.

The alloy wheels require great care with kerbs. So far only two minor scrapes, but the low profile tyres make it very difficult to avoid damage (as I have seen with most other Type R's).

Good news?

Utterley reliable. No other problem since that belt squeak (apart from the battery going flat for no apparent reason about two months ago. Possibly the central locking had frozen up.

Servicing costs unbelievabley low. The last two (annual) dealer services cost under £90 each. The next service will cost a bit more (about £200). I replaced the disc pads myself last week (cost £55). Neighbours with similarly aged Audi A6 and Merc C class have each paid three times this.

That engine !!!! Continues to enthrall. No nasty noises, leaks or oil loss.

When will Heather want to change?

Perhaps in a year? And if Honda goes ahead with a Type R version of the new model (rumoured to be 240 BHP and with a 6 speed gearbox).


© Sidneygee 2001/2/3