Harlaquin
Senior Member
- Joined
- May 7, 2017
- Threads
- 179
- Messages
- 1,780
- Reaction score
- 1,353
- Location
- USA
- Vehicle(s)
- 2017 Type R and a beater ford focus
- Thread starter
- #61
Is too a sports car!!! Lol. But your discription cuts out Mustangs and just about any US made "sports "car from being a sports car. Lets take the Mustang for example. Sports car? Not according to you. It holds 4 people, the inside is built for comfort, the trunk is rather large and its got more do dads and bells and whistles then any car ive seen. My friend just got a 19gt and its got 22 yes 22 buttons on the steering wheel alone. So this is not a sports car?Alright, here's my take:
I think it's fair to say the CTR is very sporty but just not a "sports car."
The most helpful definition of a "sports car" is a car that was intentionally specifically designed and engineered with the primary purpose of being fun to drive - that is to say, choosing to hit a sweet spot in terms of comfort, speed, and handling. It's engineering is focused on the performance driving experience, with little to no effort being put toward utility. This means, with very little exception, it isn't built from nor will it have a "non-sports car" version because that largely defeats the point of the engineering. The utility considerations are mostly ignored in favor of the driving experience. This is why they generally have small trunks, only carry 2 people, don't emphasize fuel mileage, and often have fewer features than their touring/luxury counterparts. Removing the unnecessary weight or saving the costs after investing them in the platform is a higher priority. Of course, different enthusiasts want different amounts of these features, so there is a spectrum- Elise up to Bugatti - but in every case, the engineering is still focused on the driving experience, not the utility.
Of course, there are many cars over the years that have sought to capture the "sports car" feel without losing all the utility/practicality - this is where the "hot hatch" category got created (among others - wagons, high performance SUVs etc.). But these are not sports cars, they exist in their categories as high performing versions of utility focused cars. Doing that the other way around - taking a sports car and giving it extra utility - is where we get the category "Grand Touring" cars.
The CTR was not designed from the ground up for driving first. Nor, was it a sports car which had extra utility/comfort added. It is, by design, a factory modified version of a mass market compact sedan (again, one that was executed with fantastic engineering to great success - this is not an insult). If the CTR is a sports car, then any tuned sedan with a body kit (or really any car which comes from the factory looking a bit more aggressive and/or having a decent driving experience) can be argued into the sports car category. This makes it pretty difficult to draw any line and still have the "sports car" category mean anything.
The CTR is a fantastic, excellent, fast, fun, sporty car with top tier value. It is not a sports car.
As for the R, sedan? Yes. Not built for driving or performance...um.... how many sedans are tested on world class tracks, hold records on world class tracks? I think you have it backwards the R is not a sedan that can perform . Its a performance car that says i can be practical too. Honda made a car to fit any situation they made a kick ass car that can be practical not a practical car that can kick ass.
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