I have always loved Honda's K20A engine for what it represents: smooth, willing and sweet to the redline; having owned the 7th gen Accord for quite a while back in 2004.
However, I didn't quite subscribe to the early understeer tendency and easy chirping/squealing of its front tyres - which I blamed on the FWD dynamics (and maybe poor OE-grade tyres) - and decidedly switched to a rear-wheel drive sedan ever since.
In addition, my first car back in the 1990s was a Proton Wira 1.3GL manual, which was incidentally also in white. Thus, it was with a tinge of scepticism that I took out an 8th gen Civic Type-R (sedan) for my NST-CBT Car of The Year (COTY) 2008 review. Yep! It's another front wheel driven car equipped a stick shifter, albeit a 6-speed 'box.
Also, having driven the Golf GTI Mk5 (DSG) countless times, I swored that this has to be one of the best FWD car around. Now I guess that the crown - in my book at least - will be taken over by the Civic Type-R, with another accolade added to it: the best front-wheel-drive AND manual tranny car I have ever driven so far!
Watch out for the full test report coming up soon and possibly a mini shootout with the new Lancer Evolution (X) :)
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