written by jazzRS360 on 24/11/2008
It is not every day you find something which pleases both your heart and your head. For example, that bikini model smiling your way may well look a million dollars, but in the back of your mind you just know she isn't the sort of girl your parents want to see at the family dinners. Or maybe you want that plush, fashionable London flat but for the same money you could instead buy that slightly boring but bigger semi-detached house which will better accommodate your growing family. It's usually your head, or your heart, but seldom both. But then there are always exceptions to the rule...
Meet the Honda Accord Type R. It is still a sensible four door saloon car which is roomy, practical and easy to drive. It is well built, reliable and pretty solid should you bang into something. But on the flipside, it has 209bhp, redlines at 7800rpm and can top out at well over 140mph. All out of a modest sized 4 cylinder engine without any hardcore turbo or supercharger. And if we add the sporty bodykit, 17 inch alloy wheels and Recaro sports seats into the equation, it seems Mr. Head has met Mr. Heart.
The Accord Type R (or ATR), is a family car that has been on steroids and a proper fitness plan. And the result is fantastic. Honda have long known a few tricks on how to make a car handle and the ATR is a keen driver's tool as a result. Its Front drive chassis has been gifted with a Limited slip differential which reduces understeer in sharp bends and keeps this saloon poised on the twisty lanes. A decent suspension setup means that body roll is kept to a minimum, and the strong brakes and direct gearchange all combine to make a fabulously involving drive. The Momo Steering wheel is a lovely touch, and feels top quality, while the Recaro seats hug you into place.
The engine is really the icing on the cake. It is a 2.2 4 cylinder 'H22A7' which incorporates Honda's VTEC technology. I won't bore you with an engineering lesson but it's all to do with different camshaft profiles and timing. What you might like to know is that when on full throttle, when the revs climb passed 5800rpm, you enter the second camshaft profile and you really feel the car pulling hard. Evo magazine timed the ATR 0-60mph in 6.1 seconds, which is astonishing for a naturally aspirated 4 cylinder saloon of this size. It is a racy-sounding powerplant and loves to be revved, but the downside is that it lacks the torque of bigger V6 or turbocharged engines which are found in many of the ATR's rivals. My old Octavia vRS has a 1.8 Turbo with 180bhp and if they both had a rolling start at around 3.5k rpm, the vRS would have no trouble pulling away. The Honda needs higher revs, but if you are prepared to hammer it right up to the redline, then you will have a pretty rapid weapon with a soundtrack to match. And then the vRS will be checking out your shiny tailpipes.
Like all performance cars, insurance isn't cheap at group 17, but it isn't excessive for the type of car it is, and fuel consumption isn't brilliant, but at around 29 miles per gallon, it's good enough when you're not going for it.
Overall there is little not to like about a car like this. The family will love it for its many talents, as will you after you've dropped them off to the shopping centre and seek out some winding country lanes. It combines everyday practicality and dependability with excitement and desirability. It's a commitment you can be happy with in all respects, and even the parents will approve.
written by on 02/01/2008
It's a fab car if you haven't got one then get one or at least test drive one.
written by silverleaf on 22/05/2006
What a relief and not a turbo in sight. The Honda Accord 2.2 Type-R engine (thankfully) is a secret to why this will go to the moon and back. Where as other " Japanese" makes look so tired after 60k. From suede trim to keen brakes, this car drives and feels safe. Having vowed in previous years to stick to rumbling V8's I'm converted - this Type R is vibrant and will sing long after other turbo's have lagged.
written by Phil Type R on 20/04/2006
Imported from Belgium in May 2000 and at a cost of £18K (RRP £24K) and asked for the Honda Accord 2.2 Type-R to be ordered WITHOUT the high wing spoiler as I did not want to be unduly bothered by the police or Novas/Saxos etc (yawn).
Nothing has gone wrong in 6 yrs and 85,000 miles! I'm still on the original clutch!!
The front tyres last 15-20,000 miles and the rears 25-30,000.
I always run it on Optimax and on the motorway at 80-85 get 30-33mpg (27-29 on normal unleaded).
Doesn't use much oil and a full Honda service every 9,000 miles/12 mths is about £200-250 which is okay.
It meets my criteria for a reliable but quick car and the only thing I would change would be to be able to have a 6th gear specifically for motorway cruising. 70 mph in 5th = 3500 rpm, so a 6th gear to take the revs to 2000 would save a lot of fuel and be quieter. Cruise control would have been nice as an option too.
Off the motorway, the Type R is a *lot* of fun, especially accelerating away from roundabouts in 2nd (VTEC changeover is 40-60 mph in 2nd) but the car works equally well around town going to the shops.
I will be selling mine late 06/early 07 and will be looking at the new Civic Type R.
I'd recommend the Accord Type R as it is reliable, fast, fun and practical (handy if it is the family car).
written by Jimmy Footski on 01/08/2005
Well it has been nearly a year since I parted with just over £8,000 for my W Reg Honda Accord Type R, and I'm still pretty happy with my purchase!!!
I do a lot of miles and really should have bought something else...ie a diesel or something boring but considering I've done nearly 25k since Sept 04 it's not been that bad. The transmission problems haven't gone away though and I now have to replace the clutch master cylinder some time in the near future and now also have a slight ticking noise which sounds like the CV joint going. Since my last transmission he's been serviced several times and had the alternator tweaked, timing belt replaced and two new sets of tyres!!! But apart from that it's been Great!!! I can state that the book specs are nowhere near what this little beast is capable of!! 0-60mph 7.2secs - more like 6.1secs. Top speed 140mph more like 155mph plus I've embarrassed several more expensive automobiles over the last few months, Jaguar XK8s, Audi TTs etc, etc and made a fool of a very upset Sierra Cosworth!!!
I will probably sell the Type R next year and I'm thinking of getting an Audi S4 but one thing's for sure it will be a very sad day when the little scamp and I part company.
written by spoole on 16/05/2005
I agree with all above reviews about the Honda Accord 2.2 Type-R Sports Car, Totally impressive performance for the relatively cheap price.
Love the seats, love engine bay, love tail wing, love vtec, I love driving the beast.
Just picking out some probs that I have had,
The reverse gear problem is annoying and sounds expensive
Interior is bland but adequate.
Exhaust is a little unsightly, replace with scorpion if you can.
Ride hight is massive, great for clearing speed bumps but does give rise to slightly excessive role on fast cornering.
I have had my type-r for two years and fancied a newer car with less miles. However what do you choose after having such a good car. I opted for doing mine up.
Just getting myself new scorpion exhaust, stainless discs and greenstuff pads and tinted windows, will look the business.
Anyone know where to get styling mods?
Written on: 19/05/2005
There aren't many mod available as the accord type-r was never made in japan, home of 90% of all mod's available.
You can get a certain amount like green filter panel replacment/induction kits, fse valve, magnacore ignition leads but the rest is few and far between. Superchips, powerchips nor starchips do anything for the type-r.
One gem is Hayward & Scott. They are a custom exhaust manufacturer and did a peach of a job for me over a year ago now - cheaper than a lesser quality scorpion system to!
Written on: 03/11/2010
the revease gear you mentioned is a costly problem and very commen on the ATRs unfortinatly. its the 5th gear syncro. had that problem on mine. ended up having to rebuild the gearbox costing £1200
written by Midland Blue on 24/12/2004
I bought my Honda Accord 2.2 Type R Sports Car brand new two and a half years ago and it's never let me down. The only visits to the garage have been for routine (9,000 miles) services, new tyres and three visits to repair the air conditioning. Most people choose the aircon as an option and once you've got it, you tend to use it, but it's nowhere near as good as what you get as standard in any cheap hatchback.
With over 60,000 miles on the clock I cannot complain. The fabled VTEC engine has actually got better and smoother as it's got older. I only wish there were more opportunities to kick it into action when entering a motorway or dual carriageway. Unfortunately, I do a lot of 5th gear motorway driving and, whilst this is perfectly comfortable, I admit that sometimes I'd rather have the cosseted comfort of a Mondeo Ghia than the ability to have the occasional rollercoaster ride.
Having said all that, I like driving it and it makes me feel good. People in the know, know that it's a good car, and it attracts respect and not a little envy. I wouldn't get that in a Mondeo!
And, whilst it's a bit on the thirsty side, its low maintenance costs combined with excellent residuals make it a superb piece of kit for no more, really, than that Mondeo. I'd much rather have the Type-R on my driveway!
If you're thinking of getting one make sure it's got aircon, don't buy the silver one (that's for normal Honda Accord drivers who've upgraded), and stick to the servicing schedule. And watch out for speed cameras!
written by Jimmy Footski on 01/12/2004
I've now had my Honda Accord 2.2 Type-R Sports Car since the end of Sept 04, living in Swindon the European home of Honda you would of thought that there would have been a couple of examples to choose from on the second hand market !!?? WRONG!!! in the end I had to travel to Kent to have a look at the only one in my price range that had the spec and mileage I was looking for...having parted with my £8,500 for my W Reg with 43K on the clock and a FHSH, new brakes and new'ish tyres!! I trundelled back down the M25 to the home of Honda drifting in and out of the magical 5500RPM+ racing my mate home who was driving my knackered chipped VW Passat 1.8T (Who I later sold it to HA HA HA) along the way I noticed even more so than during the test drive that the engine was a bit on the noisey side when not accelerating...is this usual anyone?? and also that 3rd gear wasn't the easiest to find to say the least. A few weeks past and my love for this half brit half Jap nutter mobile increased on a daily basis, until one cold November night whilst trying to engage reverse to tidy up some rubbish parking on my drive I found the little scamp was having none of it!!!
Next day I managed to drag it to Honda to be told that my gearbox needed 3 new synchros, a new clutch plate and other assorted goodies coming to a total of £1,050!!! They had the thing for over "2" weeks waiting for parts!??!
You would of thought that as they kind of assembled the things just 3 miles down the road not that long ago, that they would have had a few bits and bobs knocking around the place!!! Sorry... this is supposed to be a review isn't it, well apart from having to shell out over a grand on a re-built gearbox it's been great, pulling off slip roads on to dual carriage ways and motorways has never been more fun, other than when my parents let me have their old 911 SC for a month a couple of years back....I mean it hasnt got the pulling power of a porsche or some other sports cars I've had the pleasure to drive over the years, but for less than 10k and only 4 years old I cant think of anything else that even comes close to it...if you're thinking of buying somthing a little different with 4 doors thats not to old then this is the car for you...
Written on: 10/07/2005
Hello, I bought my accord type R bout 3 months ago, and i can honestly say its the best car ive ever had, and that includes a gt4, and an fto! The power of this machine is unbeleivable ecspecially when you hit the v-tech zone at 5800 rpm then it takes off like a rocket but fortunatley it handles amazingly as well with its excellent 4wd, the looks are stunning and the price was great too a 51 reg for £9500 with only 25k on clock! So far my only concerns are when you hit the v-tech zone it's so easy to red line and pop it out of gear ecspecially when in first gear because of its power and it will pin you back and nearly rip the steering wheel out of your hands!
Written on: 07/09/2005
Hello Richard,
<br>
<br>good to see there are others out there with taste in automobiles !!!
<br>I'm a bit confussed though that you stated within your comments that yours has 4WD??? I have heard that these things exist but were'nt on sale in the UK...is yours an import ???
written by braddersmvf4 on 25/11/2004
I used to love my Honda Accord 2.2 Type-R Sports Car but eventually it became tiring having to thrash it to move along at a brisk pace. There is just hardly any power below 6000 revs!
Have bought a skyline now & boy does it murder the type R in every way !
Sell yours now & get a skyline!
written by l9nux on 22/07/2004
Introduction To The Type-R:
Many of you may be familiar with the already acclaimed Integra Type-R, but it's quieter and subtly more impressive counterpart the Accord Type-R is well worth a look if you're considering buying a performance car such as the Honda Type-R range. It's 209bhp engine will propel you from 0-60 in 7.1 seconds and give you a top speed of 140mph, although some may tell you it's 0-60 is anything between 6.8 and 7.2 seconds.
It's a front wheel drive, but don't let that put you off it's other rear wheel drive competitors. Saying that, you can get a 4 wheel drive version imported from Japan but they are so rare if you get one I want to have a drive!! Thanks to the rigid body and the new and improved steering system, it has a lot more feedback than the Integra Type R, which was heavily criticised for this. It turns very smoothly, consistently and responsively which in my opinion is in the league of the BMW M3.
Unlike the Integra's 1.8 and Civic's 1.6 engine, the extra torque of the 2.2 Accord Type-R gives sufficient pull from 2000rpm, making it a very smooth ride. Power climbs nicely up to 5,500 rpm, then the high speed cams cut-in with the VTEC, and the engine goes wild until 7500rpm and the rev limiter cuts in before you know it. In fact the first time I started driving this, I kept hitting the rev limiter in 2nd gear as I expected it to keep going, but 7,500 revs is pretty high! That's something you'll have to get used to, but it only take a few days then you stare at the revs needle to convince yourself that you aren't piloting a fighter jet.
Compared to the standard Accord, the Type-R chassis has been strengthened by at least 30% (some say up to 40%) which is an impressive feat. It's got great suspension, which is much harder than a standard Accord but definitely a lot smoother than a Mondeo V6 or Vectra GSi (I hate Vectra's!)
The Accord Type-R is made here in the UK, but the engine is hand-finished in Japan which makes you feel very special indeed. I've also heard that there are only two specially trained technicians involved in this process! There are few imports around, in fact I've not seen any so this does help a tiny bit with insurance being a group 16 but insurance companies insist they are imports so if they do just hang up. I pay just over £600 to insure my 2000 Accord Type-R and that's with a totally clean license, no accidents, convictions and a full no-claims discount. Oh, that includes my business mileage too.
Buying the Accord Type-R:
My first choice of car was actually a Mitsubishi Evo VI, but with high servicing and running costs, and one very expensive car will put anybody off that will be travelling to work everyday. I then thought about a BMW M3, but they were way out of my price range considering I've never really been a fan of BMW.
I've always thought of the Honda Accord of a bit of an old mans car, that was until I sat in the Type-R! The first time I sat inside of an Accord Type-R was actually in 2001. It was in a Honda dealership nearby my work, and this particular silver model was going at £17,995 which the dealer told me was a good price. I never thought I'd be able to afford one, but the closer look inside definitely stirred something inside of me which came back a few years later.
I finally bought one for myself in December 2003 for £12,500 which is an excellent price for an X registration with 38,000 miles on the clock. As expected it has a full service history and immaculate bodywork and the Honda dealership even gave me 12 months road tax and a 12 month Honda warranty. I think I got a great deal, as it was originally up for £12,995 and at the time this was the only good example within 100 miles of where I live, and in the colour I wanted RED!
In fact, there are only 3 colours to choose from; Red, Black or Silver. My last car which was a black Honda Civic Coupe just got dirty looking so quickly, and I've had two red cars before which always stood out from the crowd! Silver was clearly not an option, as it reminds me of that awful TV advert for the Toyota Corolla, you know the one where the moron in a restaurant tells his girlfriend through a megaphone "I've got a Toyota Corolla " then a few moments later, "and it's silver". All I can say is, IDIOT!! They had to cut the advert short there because what actually happened was that his girlfriend stabbed him in the eye with the fork and left him.
If you are ever thinking of buying an Accord Type-R privately or through a back street dealer then take my advice and don't do it. For starters you won't get a warranty, and if you do then it'll probably be with someone like Warranty Holdings which should be avoided at all costs. Secondly, it's unlikely to have been checked over properly and I know that all Honda dealerships sell their cars with long Honda warranties, new MOT and a good service before they let you take it away.
The Test Drive:
I highly recommend taking your next potential car out for a long test drive of at least 10 miles. Any good Honda dealership will let you do this, in fact my local Honda dealer let me take my Type-R out for a 20 mile drive with my girlfriend on our own. This way I could relax and drive the car properly and test it's performance on the dual-carriageway (the car, not the girlfriend!).
When I drove it out of the showroom the first thing I noticed was how comfortable the Recaro seats held me in place. I've sat in many Recaro bucket seats before and they are normally very tight, but these were a nice (wider) fit that still held you in place like glue and were finished in Alacantra which is an expensive hard wearing suede like material but softer to touch.
Driving the Accord Type-R through the town was surprisingly pleasant for such a car. My first thought was how quiet it was considering Honda made this a lighter version to the standard Accord by reducing the amount of sound deadening. When I got on to the slip road I saw the dual-carriageway was empty so I put my foot down and watched that rev counter approach 5,000rpm with ease, and I was impressed! Before I knew it, I felt like Captain Piccard.
'Engage!' the VTEC kicked me in the arse and we're now doing warp factor 10! The VTEC will actually kick in at around 5,500rpm and I noticed in 1st and 2nd gear it quickly increases the speed. At this point I turned round to see the look on my girlfriends face, and I could tell I had her immediate approval to buy the car.
One thing I'll never forget is the great big wing on the rear of the car, as I kept catching a glimpse of it in the corner of my eye when I turned round to the side. It doesn't get in the way though, as the view through the rear view mirror kindly looks underneath the rear wing to the small dots I left behind oh they're cars still joining the dual carriageway! Another use for this rear wing (which is actually meant to improve the handling at high speed with the down force of the air), is to use it as a reference point when reversing. Sounds silly, but it works!
Written on: 03/10/2004
Can any one who owns an accord help me with a couple of points, I am looking at a 2nd hand one at the moment and the red paint on the engine block has peeled off in places? Is this a normal occurance?
<br>
<br>Also how many keys do you get with the car??? Should there be an overide key for the immobiliser??? It is a W-2000 reg.
Written on: 31/01/2005
Agree generally; but noisy exhaust? I'd rather not sound like a Chav thanks! The engine is fantastic inside the cabin at over 5500rpm. I'd disagree about private buying - bought mine off a guy who had good reason for sale - he'd clearly cherished it and had it main dealer serviced early...as have I over the last 3 years. Mine is welcome to any inspection when I sell it this summer. You won't find a better performance bargain for under £8k second-hand?? EVO Magazine have independently and reliably tested 0-60 at 6.1 sec.
Written on: 31/01/2005
Yep, paint is going on my block a bit, but it's nearly 6 years old and not a problem - exceptional engine.
Written on: 01/11/2004
Hi,
<br>
<br>Yes, I wrote this review about and my Accord Type-R which also has this problem. It seems to be fairly common, but it's not that expensive to get it re-painted and the DOHC VTEC polished up again to look nice and shiny!
<br>
<br>Don't let this put you off buying one though... I'm so pleased with mine and I've had it nearly 1 year now.
<br>
<br>Ray.
written by logic turbo on 19/06/2004
I never thought of this car until I looked at one at work I have a family so the likes of 2 door sports car sitting on the drive would be a no no and would probably make the Mrs retire to bed early every night in protest but when I seen the type R I thought there is no way she can moan about this 4 doors plenty of space enough room to get a weeks shopping in the boot and then some the only thing that was left to do is test the power and acceleration it was impressive, but nothing prepared me for 6 k boost and when that kicked in I was sold apart from the blowers the only other thing that went wrong was the air conditioning, you needed a small loan to get a new compressor from the Honda dealer but lucky for me it was just the coil that had gone which you can't buy separately but I got one. I had a Rover Tomcat before this car, I loved the look of the Tomcat and it was pretty nippy but when you opened the bonnet it looked like I had thrown a bucket of oil over it and I was putting as much oil in as petrol look under the type R bonnet and there is no oil to be seen the most impressive thing about the Honda accord type R is that it will take you round town as good as a Mondeo tdci but when the 18 year old down the road pulls up next to you in his Saxo vtr he soon realises why they don't insure any body under 30 on a type r unless your dad is Bill Gates, I have put 8 stars for practicality only because of the fuel bill if you hit 6k all the time which you really feel like doing.
Written on: 05/07/2004
I have had my Type R for just under a year now.
<br>The only thing that annoys me is a clicking clonking noise that comes from somewhere when I change gear.Its been in to the local dealer who couldnt find anything so I guess its ok. As its a noisy car I guess you tend to listen to everything.
<br>The air ducts are wouldnt blow the skin of your grannys rice pudding and is a liitle bit annoying.
<br>The one thing you should do is put an air intake kit on,you get an increase in power and a roar that puts a Subaru in the shade.
<br>Apart from the crippling fuel consumption and the tyres shredding on the front the car is a less expensive way to have a truly rare fast family car.
Written on: 14/09/2004
Are you sure you haven't got a loose plug or HT lead causing your misfire? My car is a Y plate, and my blowers are quite strong, but I still have to use my air-con every time when it's damp.
<br>
<br>Has anybody tried any other tyres rather than the Potenzas? The guy I go to for tyres has suggested a couple of others that should give longer life, but I'm worried about compromising on grip.
Written on: 26/08/2004
I was just wondering if any one had experienced misfire when driving 4 weeks ago I had the engine malfunction indicator lamp come on just before I was going on holiday to sunny Wales so I trotted of to Honda dealer who thankfully got it straight in and sorted the light out for me it was an EGR valve that was coked up so a bit of cleaning and the light was out so all was good and I was on my way up the m6 on my return I have found that when I start the car up after its been sitting there all night or day and drive down the road it starts miss firing for about 4 seconds then races of again I was just wondering if any one else had experienced this also being a cheeky person I was in the petrol station and there was a nice shiny red Honda accord type r there so when the driver came out I asked him if he’s blowers were powerful he said they was and invited me to see for my self and they were at least twice as powerful as mine he sat in my car and I put mine on and he couldn’t believe how crap they were the only difference in cars is he’s was a y reg and mines a w reg so im thinking there might have been a problem with the old models and they sorted it out on the 2001 model upgrade has any one owned both models or have heard of this problem I no its only the heaters but winter is a coming and I don’t want to be putting the air conditioning on when its 3 below zero when I going to work at 5 in the morning in the winter to demist my windows!
Written on: 10/08/2004
My type-r had to go back to Honda for a new 4th and 5th gear and synchro-mesh as I was experiencing a grind on the way into 5th at high revs. Luckily this was covered by the warranty.
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Andytyper's Response to Phil Type R's Review
Written on: 03/11/2010
totally agree. grate car but desperately needs a 6th gear for the long distances.