When he was working at McLaren, Gordon Murray’s daily driver was a Honda NSX, so impressed was he by the car’s usability. Although it can’t keep up with the Civic Type R in terms of practicality, surely it must be able to keep up with it in terms of performance.
Well, after 30 years of development, the Civic Type R looks better off than the NSX on paper. Despite packing two fewer cylinders, it makes 316 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque to the NSX’s 290 hp and 220 lb-ft.
Even in terms of weight, the more capacious Civic has the supercar beat. According to Honda UK, the Civic Type R weighs in at 1,395 kg (3,075 lbs) in Sport Line trim. The 2001-2005 NSX, meanwhile, weighed 1,430 kg (3,152 lbs).
Fifth Gear host Jason Plato, though, is impressed by the NSX. Tuned with input from the legendary Ayrton Senna, the Japanese supercar is eager to turn in and easy to handle.
See Also: What Makes The Original Acura NSX So Desirable And Valuable
“The chassis is gorgeous,” says Plato. “It’s supple, yet stiff enough. The steering’s beautiful. I mean really lovely. That’s really delightful!”
In contrast, he has more than a few complaints about the Civic Type R. As he bounces in his seat, he says that the suspension is too stiff and that the rear is too planted. A bit more rotation, he says, would be welcome.
“The thing’s too stiff!” the BTCC driver says. “The rebound damping’s been wound up too much. That’s what makes it pump. Touring Cars don’t even hop like this.”
Rebound stiffness notwithstanding, Plato bounces his way to a 1:17.5 lap time at Castle Combe raceway – which is better by a large margin than the NSX’s time of 1:21.3. While the Civic Type R might not be as lovely a thing as the NSX, you definitely can’t accuse it of not being fast.
