CARBARN | Honda Integra | This car is one of the best Honda output, because of the type of car Honda modify it again so that it possessed other variants, ranging from standard to his racing form, want to know? The following report With the arrival of the Type R in the late '90s, suddenly, every other Honda Integra variant appeared to be off the pace. It was noisy, short-geared, harsh-riding and completely unsuitable for Australian conditions, but the Integra Type R gained a faithful following because it was a brilliant piece of work. The banzai four-cylinder engine only performed well when you were working it hard, while the chassis was only truly at home on smooth surfaces with plenty of corners.
 |
| Honda Integra |
Plus there was a fantastic shifter for the five-speed manual, supportive front seats and some of the most advanced engine technology money could buy. Flawed genius? Almost certainly. When Honda came to unleash the Type R version of the all-new Integra in 2001, it was at a cossroads. Should it retain the maniacal, frenetic engine, the pogo-stick handling and the thrash-metal soundtrack? Or should it tame the car, recognising that it and its fans had probably matured a little?
 |
| Honda Integra |
In the end, Honda had a few bob each way - a decision that can be clearly seen in the resulting car. Gone, for instance, was the raucous, spitting engine note, despite the similar technology in the new, bigger engine. The original car's 1.8-litre engine with its VTEC variable camshaft timing needed revs to thrive, but the newer 2.0-litre engine was somehow a little tamer, even though it used VTEC smarts. The new engine wasn't much more powerful, with just an extra 6 kW for 147 kW, but it made more torque, which is why the newer car could be driven at more moderate revs and make good progress.
 |
| Honda Integra |
The new car's suspension was still nimble and agile, but gone was the bone-shaking ride of the original. It looked more modern and, while the interior was bigger, it was also more comfortable and better built. Safety was good, too, and included dual front airbags, anti-lock brakes and seatbelt pretensioners. Despite the all-new design, crash tests revealed both versions of the Type R to be four-star performers. The new car was a superior piece of gear, but some still regard the first Type R as the real deal and the second as a watered-down version. All the factors that made the first car unbearable are what made it such a visceral, blood-and-guts type of thing. While the noise and short gearing would wear you down over a long distance, when used in the short bursts that Honda intended, the original Type R was sheer bliss. Essentially, the sort of driver attracted to such a car wants a noisy, peaky power delivery and short, sharp suspension that only really works coherently on a racetrack. Call it masochism, but that's the way it is. Meanwhile, despite being a better car, the newer Type R never assaulted the senses in the same way as the first version, and failed to win over its market. the just-released Type R version of the all-new Civic is poised to recapture some of the first Integra Type R's magic and, if it can, Honda will doubtless have another winner on its hands. The short intake of air you just heard was the sound of thousands of enthusiasts holding their collective breath.
