Honda Accord 2.2 Type-R

18 years and 163,000 miles....That is how long I have owned this beauty of a car, and I cannot see that time coming to an end anytime soon.

These really are fantastic cars. From the very first day that I purchased this car brand new and drove it off the forecourt, I fell in love. The main attraction for me is first of all, the looks....The car gives off a real BTCC racing car vibe, something that is lost nowadays what with the fascination in superminis and hatchbacks.

Next up is the interior. It's very "90's Honda", or in other words, bland. However, it's very driver focused and the full Recaro and Momo interior more than make up for it. The controls are heavy but nicely weighted, and the car requires high focus but very little effort to fling down a country road. Talking of country roads, that is where this car surpasses almost every other saloon out there. Now for a little background, I have owned a multitude of performance cars, ranging from BMW M cars, to Mitsubishi Evolutions and Ford Cosworths, and yet nothing this side of reality can match the Accord for the way it can get around bends.

These cars are very picky over tyre choice, so a good set of tyres is a necessity. Do that, and you will find a chassis that is responsive and lively. Throw it into a bend and the car instantly responds with very little understeer, and if it does understeer, you simply plant the throttle and the LSD box will instantly lock and pull the car harder into the bend. The engine gives a glorious VTEC howl all through to over 8k RPM and pulls like an absolute train, with the gearbox giving a direct throw slotting straight into gear.

Once you're done driving like a newly qualified 17 year old in his Renault clio, you simply slot the car back into 5th gear and straight away the cars personality changes. Like a bi-polar nutcase, the car then settles down into a comfortable family cruiser and will happily turn into a school run machine.

Overall, you really cannot find a better car for the money if it's a fast saloon you are after. They are reliable, return satisfactory MPG on a run and can carry you and 4 mates to the pub in good comfort.

Issues....All cars have them and these are the same.

1. Rust. Unfortunately, these cars at now at an age where this is becoming a concern. The main areas are the subframe mounts and bulkhead, so when checking out a potential buy, get your hear under the footwells and look around the pedal area.

2. Gearbox, crunching 5th and reverse. Common issue with the synhro rings. You will hear a lot of people saying this was fixed when they facelifted the car, which is false. When testdriving the car, go high in 4th gear then go for 5th. If there is any sort of crunching, it will need a rebuild.

That's pretty much it! Other than that, just check it over thoroughly especially over the suspension, and make sure it's on good tyres and brake pads.

Highly recommended car!

I hav owned my car now for 6 years and I haven't found a car, I would like to buy to replace it. Sure you have to keep it wound up, but everyone knows that's what you have to do with a VTEC.

The seats are comfy, still after the 80,000 miles I have travelled in it. The handling is superb, the limited slip differential makes you feel like it's rear wheel drive car at sometime. Little sign of understeer, so push the throttle(in the dry) round a country bend and it grips brilliantly....safely.

Tyres are important, the front ones get chewed quicky even with sensible driving so I opt always now for Michelin as they last 3 times as long a the OEM fitted Bridgestones(6 months). I had a Civic VTI 1996 before and it was great except for the steering which was far too Japanses light. The Accord steering is right on the button, direct and responsive, nice sized wheel too. My car is totally standard as God (Honda) intended.............

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.

It's a fab car if you haven't got one then get one or at least test drive one.

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.

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).

Had the Honda Accord 2.2 Type-R about 4 months and can't believe how underated it is. I have wanted one for a few years but had never driven one so I was in for a suprise when I got to test drive one and saw what it did at 5800 rpm and also how well it corners. I absolutely love the car, it is so fast to drive yet can be driven economically if you want to. My local Honda dealership recommends

1. Running it on Shell Optimax

2. And I quote '' thrashing it frequently '' to stop carbon deposits building up in the inlet manifold.

If this does happen on yours don't let them tell you that you need a new inlet manifold (v.expensive) as a London dealership told me, as they can soak to manifold to clear all the carbon (cost me 80 quid).

Wicked, wicked car, looks subtle but blows away almost anything bar evos, some Imprezzas, er and Ferraris etc.

Buy one.

The Honda Accord 2.2 Type-R is a fast car with 220mhp. It has 17" alloy wheels, a big spoiler in silver, and it also has Recaro seats.

I bought mine brand new, with 10 miles on the clock, and I have been generally very pleased with it, 4+ years later. I owned a 1.8 LSS Auto prior to this, all the toys etc, and SSS gearbox - you lose all of these with the Type-r, but this isn't about toys.

I do not consider myself a 'boy racer' or 'mod-man' etc... as you may have picked up from my previous 'flatcap/grandad' car, however, I do do a lot of mileage, and spend a lot of time behind the wheel, of this, and many other cars.

It has bags of power, without being stupid, and backs it up with sharp handling, especially on country lanes, although, I think the suspension could have been a little lower. There is just too much gap between the bottom of the wing and top of the tyre. I didn't 'drop' it, as I figured the Honda lads knew what they were on about. I also did not want to compromise handling for already good looks.

The brakes are very good, and have to be if you are looking to get the best from this car, you need to 'release' it every now and then! The discs are huge, and the EBD on top of the ABS is warranted, and negates traction control.

The seats are very good, and do their job well round those bends.

Honda reliability goes without saying, and the paintwork (in Vesuvio Red - what else, but its launch colour)? still looks mint, apart from the stonechips from the motorway miles.

I have only had 1 major repair, and this was after 3yrs. Clutch failure.

Around town, it drives very well. Accommodating three children, or two adults comfortably in the rear, and contends easily with 12 to 15 shopping bags.

It is a car that looks good on the drive, the wing really sets it off. It is not as 'loud' as an Impreza or Evo, (great cars themselves, but I couldn't have either because of my customer facing job).

Bad points:

Fuel consumption, although not awful, can be bad, especially as it works at its best with 98+ RONS, and Optimax (unfortunately, with the prices these days), seems to fit the bill perfectly. If I had to pay for my fuel, I would be a little narked, to say the least.

I have had as little as 19mpg, (average over a full tank; long, straight and very fast journey - with both cams 'on' most of the time), and as much as 32mpg, over one tank on a few 'normal' journeys, occassionally having both cams 'on'.

Oil consumption - It goes through this stuff outside of normal service schedules, but this is normal for these sorts of cars. But once again, only the best will do - Helix Ultra - not cheap!

Power - It would have been nice if the 2nd cam kicked in at slightly lower revs. 5.7K is a long way to go before that rush kicks in, and how - It feels like being pushed from behind, from some imaginary huge hand! A six speed 'box would have been a great benefit, also.

Tyres - Hey, you all know how much rubber costs per corner, and it does go through the fronts quite aggressively, so I would advise the old 'rear to front' swap to balance the wear. I used the Potenzas for most of this cars life, but recently switched to Daton Sprints (same manufacturer, same price as the SO5 Pole Position). There is no loss in performance (wet or dry), from tyre to tyre, and the tread pattern is so much more aggressive looking. I will be sticking with these.

Overall, I have not looked back on this purchase, this car was purchased on finance, and I am glad I haven't felt as if it were a burden on the plastic, as service costs are reasonable, compared with stories I have heard from colleagues and customers, with similar (but different badged) classed cars.

It isn't a Subaru/Evo killer, but that shouldn't be a reason to buy this (or any) car, though I am sure that if those cars had no turbo, things would be very different, but that is probably something for a forum somewhere out there.

The only real problem I have had, is trying to find another car that will replace it. This has been the main reason for not switching. There is no car out there, that will give the same feeling and downright smugness, for the same money, and in their infinate wisdom, Honda have chosen to discontinue the model??

While we are on the subject of silly decisions. What was the idea behind going from those nice looking, double straight chrome pipes on the markI model, to these bent down double pipes, on the markII model that I own???

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.