Honda Type Rs: Integra, Civic and Accord reunite

| 16 Aug 2022

Someone far wiser and far more responsible than me once said that dizzyingly high rev limits were a waste of time.

In road cars, anyway. Their reasoning was that no one would be foolish and careless enough to regularly take their own car to its redline, so why have 8000rpm or 9000rpm limits?

You’d be bonkers to subject your car to such torture.

They may share the same badge, but the Type R Accord (closest), Civic (middle) and Integra offer very different experiences

Well, sir or madam, whoever you were, there are many of us who can’t help but use every last rev available, drawn to the redline like moths to a flame.

While wailing valvegear is torture for some, to others it’s sweet music.

As one of these self-confessed rev obsessives, today is my lucky day.

I’ll be let loose with three Type R Hondas.

The Honda Accord Type R is the most civilised on the road

The lowest rev limit between them is 8000rpm. I am giddy with excitement.

Awaiting me is the first Honda Civic Type R, the EK9 generation, and the first Integra Type R, the DC2.

If it isn’t clear yet, fans of Type Rs – like many 1990s Japanese car enthusiasts (me included) – love a nerdy model designation.

Why call it a Mk1 when you can display your detailed knowledge by using an obscure chassis or engine code?

The bewinged Accord appears almost subdued compared to Honda’s modern Type R offerings

Outside my window, to transport me to the other two, is a Honda Accord Type R, the CH1.

In a world where a normal, innocent Fiesta has a boot spoiler and a modern Civic Type R has so many wings and vents that it looks like a Hollywood Transformer halfway through its metamorphosis, this Accord looks tame.

The late-’90s saloon rides high on its 17in Speedline alloy wheels and its not-so-bright-red paint seems to be a leftover from the days when Honda was in bed with Rover: dignified and stately, but not exactly sporty.

Brake dust sticks to the 17in Speedline alloy wheels after some spirited driving

Its twin exhausts and high spoiler simply don’t have the impact to help it live up to its Type R billing.

The interior follows a similar trend: it’s mostly black and very sensible, but, while the materials are shiny and plastic, it does feel solid.

Spicing things up a little are a set of embracing Recaro seats, which are comfier than they look, white dials and an aluminium gearlever.

The Accord Type R’s 2.2-litre four-pot is refined at a cruise, but delivers an intoxicating VTEC surge on the way to its 209bhp peak at a heady 7200rpm

While the interior and exterior feel more standard Honda than Type R, underneath, where it matters, the balance is shifted.

The CH1 chassis received new springs, dampers, bushes and anti-roll bars for its double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension.

It also stole the brakes from Honda’s supercar, the NSX, and has a limited-slip differential.

The Honda Accord Type R’s red badge is a hint towards its capabilities

The engine is the real star: a hand-finished, 2.2-litre 16-valve four-cylinder unit called the H22A7.

Equipped with VTEC, Honda’s two-stage valve-opening system, peak power of 209bhp is produced at 7200rpm and maximum torque of 158lb ft comes in at 6700rpm.

There are three very important tasks to complete this morning.

I have to get the car to our photoshoot and make sure it has enough fuel for the day, that it’s relatively clean and that it’s in one piece.

The sombre interior belies the potent Accord Type R’s talents

Exploring every bit of the Accord’s engine, keeping the VTEC system engaged and changing gear at the very last second, will put all three of my necessary objectives at risk.

But who am I kidding? I just don’t have the willpower to refrain from exploring the upper reaches of the Accord’s 8000-rev range.

I’m not a complete animal, however, so the Accord gets an easy start to the journey and some time to warm through properly.

The addition of Recaro seats spice up the Accord Type R’s interior

This should be a frustrating process, but the CH1 is a gifted cruiser.

It’s calm, comfortable and quiet. It’s incredibly… well, normal.

Suited to swanning about it might be, but the constant reminders of the white dials and the red wing in the rear-view mirror mean that, as soon as it’s responsible, I plant my foot and experience the whole rev range in one sweep.

The aluminium gearstick is another indication of the Accord Type R’s sporting credentials

Its big-for-a-four-cylinder capacity helps the car lunge forward; the noise is deep and muffled.

Then the rev counter needle hits 5700rpm and everything intensifies.

There’s a slight surge in acceleration and the sound from the engine bay becomes a proper induction bark.

It’s still a bellow, with none of the raspiness you expect of a Japanese engine: the Accord sounds more European.

The Accord’s modified CH1 chassis is firmly sprung and delivers sharp, quick steering, yet it remains reassuringly stable at speed

There’s a hint of the Cosworth BDA to its voice.

With many miles of A-roads behind us, the novelty of the H22A7 motor is starting to subside – just – and, as the journey gets more interesting, I can dedicate some brain space to exploring how the Accord handles.

The steering is sharp and fast, but the long wheelbase means that the car never feels twitchy.

The Civic (right), Integra (middle) and Accord Type Rs all deliver intoxicating, high-revving thrills

In fact, the Accord is incredibly dignified in the way it glides around.

The barking engine encourages you to build pace, but the saloon feels reassuring and secure as it skims through corners at speed.

The torque-biasing limited-slip differential never snags or pulls at the steering, emphasising what a skilfully engineered package this is.

The Civic Type R is less refined and noisier than the hot Accord, but it suits the car’s demeanour

We find the other two Type Rs at our meeting point.

Meagre driving skills and the close proximity of a fuel station have helped me complete two out of three of my tasks: thanks to the dry weather the Accord’s red paint is still shiny and clean, but, betraying me and revealing that I might not have been as careful as I could have, there’s perhaps a little too much brake dust on its front wheels.

If these were anything other than three Hondas, any other hot hatch, coupé and fast saloon from any other manufacturer, going through their engine specs would be dead easy.

The EK9 Civic Type R was only sold in Japan

They’d all have the same basic motor, same capacity, same internals.

They might have different power outputs, but that would be dictated by the ECU or a minor tweak to the inlet.

We’d be done describing them by now.

Not Honda. The Accord’s 2.2-litre engine isn’t seen in the rest of the trio.

The Civic Type R’s 1.6-litre B16B engine makes 182bhp at 8200rpm and spins to 8600rpm

Instead, the Civic has a 1.6-litre, twin-cam, 16-valve four-cylinder engine, called the B16B, that revs to 8600rpm, produces 118lb ft of torque at 7500rpm and, most importantly, 182bhp at 8200rpm.

When it was launched in 1997, that meant it had the highest specific output of any production car engine, at 114.1bhp per litre.

The Integra’s motor is different again, but it is from the same family as the Civic’s.

It’s another B-series engine, specifically the B18C, with a 1.8-litre capacity that makes 187bhp at 8000rpm, 131lb ft at 7300rpm, and spins to 8400rpm.

‘Our’ Honda Civic Type R sits on a set of body-coloured alloy wheels

Like the Civic, the Integra is equipped with a limited-slip differential and a similar chassis set-up.

They both retain the suspension of the regular Civic and Integra, which was already over-the-top for a little hatchback and coupé respectively yet perfectly suited to the Type Rs: double-wishbone front and semi-trailing arms at the rear.

Just like the Accord Type R, the Integra’s suspension was upgraded with new dampers, coil springs, bushes and anti-roll bars.

The Honda Civic Type R also features a pair of supportive Recaro bucket seats

The bodyshells were also strengthened, with seam-welding and new strut braces.

We started with the newest car of the trio – the Accord Type R was launched in 1998 – so if we’re working our way back, it’s the pretty little Civic next.

This is true hot-hatch territory: small, light and simple.

If it weren’t for its fully independent suspension and the red Honda badge, this Type R could easily be a successor to the Peugeot 205 GTI.

The Civic Type R is fitted with a purposeful rear wing

It even has red carpets.

Amazingly, despite our love for hot hatches, the EK9 Type R was never sold in Europe; it was for Japan only.

It would be cruel to suggest that the Civic’s interior seems cheap.

But the fake carbonfibre dial surround, those flashy floor mats and the matching seats don’t scream quality.

Flashes of red adorn the Civic Type R’s engine bay

Fun? Yes. Sophisticated? No.

Then you touch the titanium gearknob and wiggle the lever to make sure it’s in neutral, and feel a tight and well-sprung gate.

Now you know where the money has been spent.

The quality is below the surface.

The Civic Type R’s engine buzzes with excitement; it feels like a spiritual successor to the Peugeot 205 GTI

The engine starts as instantly as the Accord’s, but there’s none of the refinement of the saloon.

The tinny, hollow bodyshell does a poor job of isolating you from the road – and it’s brilliant for it, even before the engine has had a chance to make an impression.

It isn’t just the lack of sound-deadening that gives the EK9 an edge; the Civic’s throttle feels as if it’s designed for a race car.

Stickers help to differentiate the Type R from standard Civic models

The pedal travel is so short that you only really have two choices: fully on or fully off.

Fully on seems most appropriate.

The Civic’s engine buzzes away as it works hard to 6000rpm, at which predetermined point it enters VTEC territory with a scream and the rev needle powers towards the end of the dial.

The Civic Type R’s interior decor is a bit sudden, but all is forgiven once on the move

The limit is supposed to be 8600rpm, but I’m pretty sure the needle touched 9000.

I have no idea at what speed we’re travelling – I’m either looking out of the windscreen or down at the rev counter.

It’s probably nothing silly and I’m sure it’s still legal, but it sounds as if we’re trying to break the sound barrier.

The Civic Type R’s Recaro seats hold you tightly in place

With screams from the engine filling the cabin, we’re no longer in deepest Oxfordshire; we’ve been transported to Gunma Prefecture.

The leaves on the Tarmac are blossom, the road is a touge route up Mount Haruna.

I am living out all of my Japanese driving fantasies.

The Civic is rapid and agile, but also a delicate thing to drive

There is time to daydream because the Civic isn’t a flighty handful like a traditional European hot hatch.

Instead, it flows along the road, bobbing delicately from one bump to another, feeling light and controllable, but it’s also more stable when you do come across a bend.

There’s no fear of unwanted lift-off oversteer, no fighting to keep the car in a straight line whenever you hit the brakes.

That’s not to say it can’t muster all of the agility asked of it – it can, but it just does so less flamboyantly.

The Civic (back) and Accord (middle) chase down the Integra

The Integra is the oldest of the lot.

Launched in 1995, it was just the second Type R after the Honda NSX-R.

It’s also a whole lot more serious than the other pair – even more so than I’d expected.

‘The Integra impresses the most, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise because it’s the least compromised as a performance car’

I am caught out by how low and laid-back the seat is.

It’s a proper coupé, not some hatchback spin-off.

The engine is more intense, too; the gearshift, still with a titanium topper, is more solid.

There is none of the Civic’s tinniness, either; it’s as if the Integra’s muscle has filled in all of the hatch’s hollow parts.

The Integra Type R’s cabin is more grown-up than the Civic’s

The engine, thanks to its extra capacity perhaps, delivers real strength to match the brawny feel.

It makes the Integra more responsive and you feel less desperate to enter the world of VTEC than in the Civic.

But I’m still going to find it, of course.

The Integra Type R’s 1.6-litre engine produces 187bhp

Push the throttle pedal, which is longer compared to the Civic’s, and at just under 6000rpm the second cam profile engages.

The noise isn’t as intense as in the hatch, but there’s a noticeable thrust forward and the DC2 tracks the road with serious intent until the needle flexes close to 9000rpm.

Where the Accord and Civic grip impressively around a corner, holding on tenaciously so you can carry speed, the Integra has a different style, mostly thanks to its more enthusiastic LSD.

Subtle identification on this classic Honda Integra

Whenever you squeeze the throttle, the Integra’s differential adds a tension to the drivetrain that multiplies its cornering ability.

You simply point the coupé’s distinctive four-eyed face into a corner, then jump on the throttle to lock on to your chosen trajectory.

The strong engine and long pedal combination make it easier to mete out just the right amount of thrust needed to activate the differential but without overwhelming the front tyres.

The low-set, laid-back driving position in the Integra Type R reveals the car’s sporting intentions

With huge amounts of grip equally shared between all four corners, a low seating position that emphasises the car’s lack of roll and feedback telegraphed through the steering wheel and seat, the Integra Type R gives you all the tools needed to forensically dissect a corner.

Out of the three, it is undoubtedly the Integra that impresses the most.

But that shouldn’t come as a surprise because it’s the least compromised as a performance car, what with it being a low coupé, so it’s best suited for a blast across the countryside.

The Integra was only the second Honda to wear the Type R badge, following on from the NSX-R

The other two still have significant strengths.

The Accord’s practical, everyday abilities aren’t as valuable now it’s an older car, one you might use purely for enjoyment, but that doesn’t stop it from being an outstanding package.

The Civic is the one most dedicated to fun; it perfectly lives up to its hot-hatch role and more vividly expresses what you might want – or expect – from a Japanese performance car.

A numbered plaque in the Integra Type R is a nice touch

What is surprising is just how spectacularly different they are.

It is as if Honda designed each of them so that you’d need all three to get the full late-’90s front-wheel-drive Type R experience.

What they do share, however, is that despite their relatively ordinary hatchback, saloon and coupé profiles, they feel extraordinary.

It’s their high rev limits that bond them, giving each an exotic shot in the arm that sends a little bit of supercar coursing through them.

Words: Will Beaumont

Images: Luc Lacey

All three Type Rs offer a thrilling front-wheel-drive experience, but the Integra (front) impresses more than the Civic (middle) and Accord

What is VTEC and how does it work?

VTEC stands for ‘Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control’ – and ‘lift’ is the operative word.

It’s what makes Honda’s VTEC set-up different from other variable valve timing systems, which only shift the inlet camshaft position relative to the exhaust side.

A VTEC cam is relatively simple, except that there’s an extra lobe, a bigger one angled differently, for each pair of inlet and exhaust valves.

Rather than the cam directly pushing the top of each valve, the lobes hit a two-piece rocker arm.

One element of the rocker is attached to the top of the valves and touches the smaller cam lobes; the second part of the rocker is in contact with the bigger lobe.

This section moves independently from the first part, so at low revs the big lobe just pushes the rocker without actuating a valve.

Honda’s innovative VTEC engine

Once the engine hits certain revs, however, the electronic control unit opens a solenoid and high-pressure oil surges into a gallery in the rocker arms.

This then forces a pin to slide between the two parts of the rocker arm and lock them together.

Now the bigger lobe lifts the locked rocker away from the smaller cam lobes and pushes the valves further open.

It isn’t the VTEC system that directly gives the Type R Hondas such high rev limits.

In fact, such a complicated – and, inevitably, heavier – valvetrain is detrimental when spinning an engine so fast.

What VTEC does do, however, is permit these super-heated Hondas to be tuned for a wider, more flexible rev range.

The two-stage valve lift allows for better gas flow at high revs to boost peak power output, while also still offering the ability to idle sensibly, deliver smooth power in the mid-range and produce decent low-end torque – despite what the rumours might have you believe.

Factfiles

Honda Accord Type R (CH1)

Sold/number built 1998-2002/1980
Construction steel monocoque
Engine all-alloy, double-overhead-cam, 16-valve 2157cc ‘four’, with electronic fuel injection and VTEC
Max power 209bhp @ 7200rpm
Max torque 158lb ft @ 6700rpm
Transmission five-speed manual, FWD via torque-biasing limited-slip differential
Suspension independent, at front by double wishbones rear multi-link; telescopic dampers, coil springs, anti-roll bar f/r
Steering power-assisted rack and pinion
Brakes 11¾in (300mm) front, 10¼in (260mm) rear ventilated discs, with twin-piston calipers, servo and anti-lock
Length 14ft 9in (4495mm)
Width 5ft 9in (1750mm)
Height 4ft 8¼in (1430mm)
Wheelbase 8ft 9in (2670mm)
Weight 3097lb (1405kg)
0-60mph 7.5 secs
Top speed 142mph
Mpg 29.1
Price new £22,995 (1999)
Price now £4-8000*

Honda Civic Type R (EK9)

Sold/number built 1997-2000/c30,000
Construction steel monocoque
Engine all-alloy, double-overhead-cam, 16-valve 1595cc ‘four’, with electronic fuel injection and VTEC
Max power 182bhp @ 8200rpm
Max torque 118lb ft @ 7500rpm
Transmission five-speed manual, FWD via torque-biasing limited-slip differential
Suspension independent, at front by double wishbones rear trailing arms; telescopic dampers, coil springs, anti-roll bar f/r
Steering power-assisted rack and pinion
Brakes 11in (282mm) ventilated front, 10¼in (260mm) solid rear discs, with single-piston calipers, servo and anti-lock
Length 13ft 8½in (4180mm)
Width 5ft 6¾in (1695mm)
Height 4ft 5½in (1360mm)
Wheelbase 8ft 7¼in (2620mm)
Weight 2403lb (1090kg)
0-60mph 6.4 secs
Top speed 112mph
Mpg 29.7
Price new ¥1,998,000 (1997)
Price now £15-20,000*

Honda Integra Type R (DC2)

Sold/number built 1995-’01/30,000 (500 UK cars)
Construction steel monocoque
Engine all-alloy, double-overhead-cam, 16-valve 1797cc ‘four’, with electronic fuel injection and VTEC
Max power 187bhp @ 8000rpm
Max torque 131lb ft @ 7300rpm
Transmission five-speed manual, FWD via torque-biasing limited-slip differential
Suspension independent, at front by double wishbones rear trailing arms; telescopic dampers, coil springs, anti-roll bar f/r
Steering power-assisted rack and pinion
Brakes 11in (282mm) ventilated front, 10¼in (260mm) solid rear discs, with single-piston calipers, servo and anti-lock
Length 14ft 5¼in (4400mm)
Width 5ft 7in (1700mm)
Height 4ft 4in (1320mm)
Wheelbase 8ft 5¼in (2570mm)
Weight 2469lb (1120kg)
0-60mph 6.5 secs
Top speed 145mph
Mpg 32
Price new £22,500 (1997)
Price now £17-25,000*