I Have High Hopes for the Civic Type R, but I Drove the Focus RS and it is Amazing
What about the driving modes?
I’m ready to weather the storm of hatred that the dozen or so Focus RS fanbois who find this review unfurl upon me, but here it goes. The Focus RS has different “driving modes” that are controlled by a dial in the center stack. These driving modes: Normal; Sport; Track and Drift, are a big talking point about the RS, especially that last one. They control the AWD system (bias), the electronically-adjusted dampers, electric power steering, throttle mapping, stability and traction control, as well as the bi-modal exhaust.
Normal, is well, normal. I know, top-tier investigative journalism happening here. This is the default setting. Sport is the next setting from there. Going purely by feel, it seemed to firm up the steering, sharpen the throttle response and make the car sound better. The stiffened steering was hit and miss with me, and same with the throttle calibration. If I want more speed, I can use my accelerator. The love for things like “Sprint Boosters” is lost on me. The Sport’s exhaust setting is a MUST. Pops, burbles and occasional backfire, it’s fantastic. This car sounds great, like a little rally car, and leaving the dial in Normal muffles too much of this goodness. This is your daily driver mode. Set it and forget it right here, and please don’t turn that dial.
ALSO SEE: Honda Civic Type R Track Tested!
I say that because “Track” mode is where things take a turn for the worse. The appreciable change here is the damping firms up big time. It feels as is the rebound of the shocks is cranked up to the max. At first, I didn’t mind it. Sure, it was very firm, but livable, at least for my masochistic tastes. Then, I hit a few corners and the issues arose. Even with those super sticky tires and wide wheels, it seems like the dampers are too nervous and actually cause the car to lose grip more quickly. Making the suspension too stiff actually reduces grip if the tires aren’t kept in contact with the pavement. A lot of chassis setup in motorsport revolves around the least amount of something necessary to get the job done. This reminds me of a quote I heard from racing driver Randy Pobst, “Soft is fast, if you can handle the roll.” For comparison, the roads I was driving on were definitely smoother than Willow Springs International Raceway, outside of LA, so I can’t imagine “Track” mode actually being faster unless you’re running a really smooth track.
Swing the dial all the way over to “Drift” mode, and everything is alleviated. Funnily enough, the dampers are switched back to their standard setting in drift mode. Here is the oversteer inclination I was feeling before. It’s not snappy or scary, it just works. Of course, doing donuts on the public streets would be bad, so I don’t have video of that. However, take my word for it: drift mode works.
Wrap it up. What is the conclusion here?
Yeah, I do need to wrap it up, this review is over 1,300 words! To those of you who made it all the way to the end, thank you. In any case, for under $40,000 ($36,120 starting MSRP), this is the fun daily driver to buy. The Focus RS wipes the floor with everything else even near the hot hatch marketplace right now.
That said, having recently driven the tenth gen Civic Turbo, I know that Honda can put together a great turbocharged powertrain. The upcoming Civic Type R cedes some 50 horsepower and two driven wheels to the RS. However, having owned and driven other hot Hondas, I know that they can punch above their weight. If the CTR comes into the market swinging hard at about $32,000, it’ll be a damn good battle. Honda can’t do any half-measures, because the competition is stiff, and that’s a good thing. Competition in the marketplace drives innovation, and innovation is what has made Honda the company it is today.
We will be driving the Civic Type R this Summer when it lands here in the states. Hopefully, we can take it on track and see what it can really do.
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