ARE YOU A TRUE BELIEVER?
Do you understand what summer tires can do for you, why a sunroof hurts performance, and that speed limits are just a starting point for negotiations? Do you feel persecuted by law enforcement for your beliefs? Well, Honda just built a car for you in the new Civic Type R. Go forth, spread the gospel of compact performance, and live by the Type R's code of conduct.
I. THOU SHALT NOT UNDERSTEER.
This commandment is impossible for a front-wheeldrive car to follow, or so we thought. And yet, this 11thgeneration Civic follows the directive from on high despite its 315-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four hanging ahead of the front axle and 61.4 percent of its weight on its nose.
On the street, front-end grip seems inexhaustible as the Type R ducks left and right, forcing you into the seat bolsters at its 1.02-g limit.
Dive into an apex and you'll do some diving, because the steering is a mere 2.1 turns lock to lock and the Type R slips in without any drama. Corner exits, which usually require the patience of Job in a front-wheeldrive car, are masterfully orchestrated by the Type R's limited-slip differential. That unit, coupled with a very crafty anti-torque-steer front strut, puts the engine's power to the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires and allows you to empty the 2.0-liter's magazine without widening the cornering line. Next corner. Try again. No understeer, just more exit speed. As if some invisible string is holding the car, keeping it from leaving the road. It makes no sense that a front-driver can do this, so let's just add it to the list of things that don't make sense in 2022.
II. THOU SHALT NOT HOOK UP.
この記事は Car and Driver の December 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Car and Driver の December 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
AN AMERICAN TOURING SCOTLAND IN AN ENGLISH CAR BUILT IN CHINA
In Dornbach, Scotland, Kitman walks past a modern MG and a Morris Minor, its distant relative. From left: Motoring through the Scottish Highlands; lobster traps in Dunbeath; taking on electrons at Gridserve; traversing the North Sea coast.
THE MAD SCRAMBLE
AN 814-HP V-12 THAT SCREAMS TO 9400 RPM IS JUST THE START OF THE INTENSE EXPERIENCE THAT IS THE LAMBORGHINI REVUELTO.
2022 Rivian R1T
This EV pickup proves to be E-Z to live with.
Spite Defender
Ineos Grenadier HIGHS: Dapper off-road style meets genuine off-road capability, wonderfully smooth powertrain, built like a brick outhouse. LOWS: Incessant warnings, sloppy and slow steering, noisy on the highway.
The Revivalist
The Nissan Murano emerges fresh-faced and revitalized from a long-overdue redo.
ELECTRICAL CONNECTION
The Toyota Camry, the Honda Accord, and the Hyundai Sonata all take different approaches to hybridization, but which one does it best?
The Achilles Kneel
Mercedes-Benz W123 wagons doing the Carolina Squat can get their droopy self-leveling rear suspension back up to snuff courtesy of a Californian.
Dollars to Donuts
Despite the high cost, automakers are still drawn to racing.
G to the Power of E
Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology HIGHS: Quicker than the old G550, improved handling, better braking. LOWS: Cubist shape torpedoes highway range, cramped inside, dorky name.
The Best Odds
The cars I recall most fondly were neither the prettiest nor the quickest. Certainly not the most expensive. They were machines that emerged willfully peculiar and intractably idiosyncratic.
