2.0i VTEC Type R GT 3dr Hatchback

The best car I've ever driven

When I say 'the best', then I must clarify ...
Is it the fastest? No
Is it the best handling? No
Is it the best built? No
Is it the most comfortable? No

... but, it is so damn close in all respects that to my mind it adds up to the best. I leased it from www.applewoodfinance.co.uk over 4 years and almost 60k miles, and in all that time it still felt an like an 'event' every time I opened the door, just knowing that if I was in the right mood it was capable of giving me a completely thrilling drive. If however I wanted a nice relaxed drive home late at night then it was capable of that too - and boy is it spacious inside for passengers and luggage or what? So it's also very useful without looking it.

Admittedly the suspension was firm, but never to the point of being uncomfortable like on some Audi's or BMW's (for which you would have paid another £5,000 for a similar spec and performance, but without the reliability or joie de vivre).

Keeping the car on the edge of performance at anything around 5,000 RPM knowing that you had another 3,000 revs to play with whilst experiencing the sound of THAT engine was absolute, sheer pleasure ... letting it rip was the thing that made you remember time after time just why you bought the car in the first place.

Buying this thinking it will beat everything else on the road is both wrong (because it won't) and missing the point - you either understand the point of the Type-R or you don't.

Reading the above you wouldn't think that I am not much of a car lover - most cars bore the pants off me. Bikes are my thing, and the Type-R was the closest thing I could find to being a bike on four wheels.

The only thing to watch out for are the Rear Discs - let the pads get too low and they will be eaten. The VSA operates on the rear wheels, just dabbing a bit of brake as you wind your merry way down the country lanes thinking you're Ayrton Senna - in fact it's not you but the car that's doing it. That's why you need to ensure that the rear pads are good because you will get through them faster than the fronts. The brake distribution is 50:50 under normal braking, as opposed to 60:40 in favour of the fronts, and so with the VSA operating the rears will go first. My servicing dealer couldn't explain why I had to replace my rear pads before the fronts until they contacted Honda to get me an answer. If you live in the city or spend most of your time you will probably not have to worry about this (as well as missing out on where the Type-R is in its element). But if you're in the sticks like me then you will.

Best I've ever driven! Bar none.

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