Civic Type R vs AWD competitors

[DayVeeGee]

Arlight, so a little about me. My first car was a 97 Civic DX Hatch manual everything (the struggle was real.) Fast forward now I have a 2012 Civic SI that I've put 90k miles on in right over four years, (I know a lot) and I bought my wife a 2015 Civic EX. I drive back and forth from MD to WV (where she's in med school) so I put a lot of miles on it quick.

ANYWAYS!

The real thing is, living in the North East I've considered getting an AWD due to the winters can be interesting sometimes.

I went and test drove a Golf R. It's nice, and I have plenty of room being 6'3 but it just didn't have that pop driving it as say a STI.

I've driven many a STIs and I love to drive them, but the ride (long distances) and interior leave a lot to be desired.

I'm really curious of what the Focus RS will be, it has all of the hype in the world around it...

What I'm asking is what's the Honda communities thoughts on a AWD car in the class compared to the Type R. Is anyone having thoughts of jumping off the wagon as well?

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[Phosky]

I think it's a bit flattering that the competition needs AWD just to come close to the Type-R on a road course. And in most cases they still can't beat the CTR. However the utility of AWD, when it comes to the daily grind, and especially in inclement conditions, would be far more useful than a Revoknuckle-type front suspension geometry. If you're setting your sights on cars in the mid-30s range though, the STI, Focus RS and Golf R would all be on my short list too. That is if I couldn't wait for the CTR

 

[DayVeeGee]

Hey, thanks for the reply. Yea they are all on my short list for sure. The Honda dealer is a friend and I get first crack at the Type R (they are the largest in their district) so getting hold of one and knowing it won't be marked up is nice. I'm in Maryland and get snow a hand full of times a year... It's not like I need a AWD card but with the wife working at the hospital and has to make it to work it would be nice... Choice are hard why can't I just have one of each haha

 

[Design]

On technical tracks, weight and distribution are king. Honda gets around this issue with extra-wide front tires and a strong chassis. But it's still a nose heavy platform.

In stock form, on a track, I think most will find these cars comparable to a degree. But they are still considered fairly raw compared to their German competitors. My interest in the CTR/Si has more to do with Honda's approach on the drivetrain than anything else. Not to mention some of the best shifting MTs in the business. My previous '00 Si still ran great at 209K before I sold it.

 

[totopo]

errrr, what are you talking about?

isn't the current 2015 civic type R, based on the 8th gen civic, just starting to get released in england and Japan? Isn't it not coming to the states?

If you are waiting for a 10th gen type R.... I don't think one has even been rumored yet?

 

[DayVeeGee]

Honda has already announced that the 10th Gen Type R is coming to the states... Just a matter of when...

 

[takemorepills]

Seeing as how I have a 2016 GTI, of course the Golf R was a consideration. Living in the Pacific NW, during winters the GTI just can't get the power down at all. Even on a "dry" day, tires are cold and the road is slimy and I can get "owned" by a lethargic 148HP Impreza easily.

Nowadays as the weather improves, the GTI is MUCH MUCH more fun. And, honestly, at speed FWD is not a handicap. BUT, still, I am strongly considering a DSG Golf R as my next car just because AWD is extremely useful in the winter.

For me, my thought process was that I was going to get CivicX Si, but I must have an AT. Do you prefer MT or AT? Since Si is no where in sight, I bought a GTI because it was heavily discounted. No discounts on Golf R's though, so that's a $37K car. A bit much for my taste.

I considered WRX, but that leaves me with a CVT, and the CVT isn't proven to survive tuning the motor, and I wanted a tune-able car. Also, tuned WRX's are having ring land issues again, and my wife's current Impreza and last Impreza had HG failures at low miles (42K on her 2008), so I am not sold on Subaru reliability.

Focus ST...no AT option. Also, sorry but the Focus is a poorly designed car that relies on a bunch of design flair to make an image. It will not look good in a few years, just my opinion though. Also, the ST is the slowest of the "hot hatches".

So, you can definitely get around in a FWD "hot hatch" with good tires in the winter. BUT, you'll never get traction. Which is actually OK, considering "hooking up" 300+ HP on a wintry, icy road can become real dangerous in about 2 seconds. AWD gives added traction for take off, but has no safety advantage over FWD when it comes to stopping. Tires are they key to safety in winter on any vehicle. Also, it sucks not being able to drive at least a little bit aggressively in winter because of FWD. Getting cut off by Elantra's and Imprezas gets old.

Honestly I'd take another look at the Golf R, if it's in your budget. You basically felt its maturity was a negative, then you felt the WRX/STI is a bit too lacking on the interior. The Focus RS will be even worse than WRX interior wise. The maturity of the Golf R makes it a much easier car to KEEP for a long time. Intense cars like STI and RS will get old quick. Besides, a Golf R DSG (if that's OK with you) is just as quick as the new Focus RS (DSG, not 6MT R which is a bit slower) and quicker than STI....if it had to come down to performance metrics to keep you interested.

But, then again, being a Honda guy myself, I think the Si or CTR will be awesome cars in their own right. I love my past Hondas, and now that I have a tuned GTI (point being: overpowered 300 WHP FWD car) I can definitely say FWD is FINE in the summer. But come winter, I do envy the AWD performance cars.

I guess my point is, if you prefer MT and can accept a slower pace in winter, the FWD CTR would be a great choice. There's really no need to launch and gain dangerous levels of speed in the winter. Put some good winter tires on it and you'll be fine. And buy a CTR with Summer tires since you'll need a set of winters anyway. Summer tires really help FWD cars get the best traction possible.

 

[nick]

I gotta agree with Pills here.
I live in the Northeast and I seriously considered an AWD for the exact reasons. However, if I needed an AWD car I would definitely go with the Golf R if i were trying to compare it to the CTR. I don't like the ride of the STI nor the interior. Not sure what you mean when you said the R didnt have much pop? I thought the two were very comparable engine wise...not to mention what the R will do with a tune...
I guess it's just a matter of taste. Im probably a little biased since a own a GTI (couldnt wait another X months for the Si).
In the end it depends on if you want an AWD or not. If not, go for the CTR! It'll be a sweet ride for sure.

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