It’s in the blood as they say and in the case of Honda, performance is definitely a primary gene that has long been infused into its intricate deoxyribonucleic acid, that’s DNA to us lounge-chair lackeys that can’t tell the difference between an organelle and an organism.

Anybody that has sprinkled a pinch of Honda into their driving batter would always be left with a pleasant and distinct aftertaste of performance in their throat. Not all the vehicles bearing Soichiro Honda’s Family initials would be labeled tarmac-scorchers but nonetheless, getting behind the wheel of a Honda, you somehow felt more in-tune with the car; as if it was edging you on to push it just a little bit more while giving feedback assuring you it could well handle that limit.

History would be on its side too regarding this. Mention the word ‘Civic’ and we’re instantly reminded of our formative years pinning to get a Civic with a ‘Big V-TEC’ engine under the hood. Granted , the Civic line has taken a more stately turn in recent times but drive the latest version and you can tell sporty still figures largely in its plans.

And how can we mention the words Honda and performance in the same sentence whilst remitting the race-bred, road-raping Type-R badged vehicles. That alone is an adage unto itself.

Basically, the point Honda are pushing here is that their vehicles have an extra spoonful of performance mixed in compared to the rest of the field. No doubt we take their word on the value of their cars but just to prove their point, Honda Malaysia let us loose with the full array of their line-up at Sepang International Circuit (SIC) with a few nifty sets designed specifically to demonstrate the full capabilities of their arsenal.

The full jing-bang had gathered at SIC not just for a groovy family portrait but to prove its go. Present were all three variants of the Accord (2.0, 2.4 and 3.5 V6), City (Grade E and Grade S), CR-V, Stream RSZ, Jazz (Grade V and Grade S) and of course the venerable Civic (1.8 and 2.0) as well as its over-achieving brother the Civic Type-R. The other Civic, the responsible and dreary Civic Hybrid was nowhere to be found. Understandably, pedal-to-the-metal feats around a circuit would defeat the purpose of its very existence.

Theory before practical has always been how the doctors do it and if it works for them it’ll work for us. So a brief briefing dissected the entire layout and stages as well as the usual proper driving position that has become a prerequisite for driving courses.

If you’re reading this you should already know the gist of a proper seating position for driving but just to cover all angles we’ll bounce through it in a jiffy.

Always ensure you are as upright as possible without actually having to hold yourself against the seat. An important thing to take note of is to make sure the small of your back is actually pressed against the seat and not hanging in the space between the top half and bottom half of the seat. If you’re unsure about the precise location of the small of the back, here’s a quick guide for you. Next time you go clubbing and see this gorgeous girl by the bar, you walk up to her and oh-so-gently tap her on the back, if your hands are low enough you might just end up with her cosmopolitan on your shirt and the precise location of the small of her back.

Next, adjust the distance from the steering wheel and pedals so your wrists rest loosely on the steering wheel with your hands loosely outstretched and your knees are still at a slight bend with the pedals fully depressed. Following that, adjust your rearview mirrors, buckle up and redline that beast into Turn 1. Just a reminder, don’t forget to pull the top part of your seatbelt to tighten it after you’ve buckled up.

There were four driving stages in all and in this case the best was served up first. On track driving was the first stop of the day. We managed to sample a variant each from the three complete model line-ups on hand.

First impressions are the biggest flaw in reviewing a vehicle because for the first few minutes all cars feel the same. So as we took the Accord 2.4, City Grade-S and Civic 1.8 for a run on the Sepang North layout, the first thing to hit us were the asthmatic powerplants and its distinct lack of breath.

However, after pulling in a couple of laps and letting first impressions retreat, the car’s precise handling begun to take center stage. From the City right through the Civic and up to the Accord, the cars held their own pretty well on the turns that dotted Sepang North.

Understeer was especially apparent on the City and Civic but giving the other offerings in its class, it most certainly stood out for its higher tolerance of centrifugal forces before letting the front slip. The more portly Accord on the other hand had a bit more neutrality to it through the curves and hardly showed its weight.

If the correct lines and braking were applied, all cars tracked rather nicely through the corners. Highspeed corners were dealt with a rather strong semblance of surety. In fact, tyre wall flex was the first thing to give up the ghost and perhaps with larger wheels and lower profile tyres, the cars could be pushed just that bit more through the turns.

Handling such as this doesn’t just come from well sorted suspension but goes down all the way to a proper chassis. This is exactly the point Honda is highlighting. Their vehicles don’t just sit pretty and do the morning school-runs well, they can be pushed and revel when do.

Having had a sampling of the cars on track, it was time to see how they performed in a set of specific situations.

A basic slalom test was laid out to showcase the maneuverability of the CR-V. As simple as it was, the layout allowed the driver to gauge the handling and control the CR-V offered in return for its behemoth size.

Zigzagging through cones gave feedback on the CR-V’s road holding under acceleration whilst narrow lane changes allowed the driver to experience its maneuverability. Surprisingly for an SUV, the CR-V was more akin to a sedan through the slalom.

Of course the automatic 4WD system was doing its thing throughout to ensure maximum grip was available.

It definitely met the three criteria in the acronym of its name. The ride was Comfortable, it took the tight Roundabout in the slalom as well as an SUV could and was an all-round Vehicle that served its purpose.

Moving on to the third station on the Lets Hack Some Hondas Tour led us to some plastic sheets, water sprinklers and VSA.

Yes we’re aware anybody worth their automotive salt-flat runs would know what VSA is but in the name of education another recap is in order. Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) is a program that aides in keeping a vehicle stable and prevents skids or lose of control. This is especially useful in wet-braking situations.

VSA incorporates a slew of sensors to diagnose the variation off the intended course and apply corrective measures. In the event of a skid, YAW sensors, steering angle sensors and wheel speed sensors measure the vehicles movement before you can say quote Robin with ‘Holy blue cow’ and rightly applies corrective measures such as single-wheel braking and cutting the engines power to regain stability. For example, in a case of understeer braking is applied to the outside front wheel to reign the vehicle back onto the intended line laid out by the steering input.

Just in case you’re wondering, accelerator input is not measured because if your feet are on anything but the brakes in such a situation you need to schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist immediately.

The layout required a lane change under hard braking in wet conditions from a speed of approximately 60km/h. Now we all know that wet is wild and not content with that half of the braking surface was covered in a sheet of plastic with water continuously being sprayed over it to simulate icy as well as dual-surface braking conditions.

Getting the VSA to kick in required a firm prod of the brakes to activate the system. Halfhearted braking was spared no mercy and with only the ABS kicking in you would most likely end up with airbags in your face.

Hard braking just before the lane change would kickstart the VSA and before you know it you’re back in control with the front wheels in the direction of your steering inputs. Continuous braking input was unnecessary as the VSA regulated the braking force to keep the vehicle’s direction and steering input speaking the same language.

The test accurately simulates avoidance of the vehicle in front of you by changing lanes under hard braking and highly probable wet conditions.

For this test, the Accord 2.4 and Stream RSZ had their number called. Unfortunately, not all the Honda vehicles offered locally have VSA. All the models that have this feature are the Accord 2.4 and 3.5 V6, the Civic 1.8 and 2.0 as well as the Stream RSZ. The rest of the line-up make do with ABS and EBD except for the Type-R that only has ABS to maintain its driving purity.

Finally, the last stop was the all-too regular skid control or better known as the half-circle test that induced oversteer. Of the two devils, understeer is the easier one to tame as relieving pressure off the accelerator will quickly bring it back under control but oversteer is a bit trickier as we’re not really in the habit of applying countersteer.

A substance that resembled dried up wax was applied onto the surface to aide in inducing oversteer plus an eager instructor in the passenger seat yanking the e-brake helped too.

The instructor will yank the e-brake as you near the apex of the semicircle and generous doses of countersteer will have to be applied to keep from facing the direction you came from.

This test was arguably the most important and offered a lot to learn from as generally we’re not accustomed to oversteer on the road.

A small vehicle like the Jazz would respond quicker to countersteer while the tubbier Accord would take a split second more as the weight shifted forward and the front end regained traction.

Both vehicles lived up well to expectations and responded clearly to steering inputs although the Accord demanded that bit more from the driver.

By now you’re probably done wondering why the Type-R experience wasn’t shared and concluded that we’re a bunch of narcissistic journalists that keep privy our time with the Type-R. We just kept the best for last.

It’s sacrilegious to have the Type-R at Sepang and not flog it on track. We managed to snare three laps in the coveted track tormentor that is as pure a driver’s machine as Megan Foxy is a goddess.

Now we know any petrol head would trade their ball-bearing turbos for some time behind the wheel of this high-revving racing pedigree machine. Even though the writer is a turbo man through and through, nothing could even remotely hold a candle to the goosebump-inducing shrill of a VTEC kicking in just as you think its breathe is full.

So yes, it was all it was made out to be. Razor-sharp steering input through a proper hydraulic steering rack, neutral handling and mechanical grip that would prove a bigger mystery to Isaac Newton now than gravity ever did.

Everything about the Type-R was made with performance in mind; it’s just a coincidence that it comes in the guise of a sedan. It’s purity in every inch of its Champion White body.

The clutch is soft to the touch even for a performance unit that has to take more abuse than a leather-clad dominatrix can shell out. This is the beauty of OEM quality that Honda has fine-tuned. If you’ve attended a track day before, you would notice how the Civic Type-R’s would sit and idle quietly in the corner minding their own business even after a downright lambastment on track. No chassis flexing sounds and certainly no warped brake discs. Your dream garage of modded Evo’s and Scoobies might be faster but would highly likely not be as fuss-free as no tuners touch can match the quality of OEM manufacturers and their levels of analness to quality control.

The Brembo’s show no signs of brake fade even after a few hard initiation laps and the aural pleasure of the VTEC is one of those things to experience before dying, along the lines of having a threesome with twins.

It’s the purity of the car that makes it such a delight to drive. No electronic nannies sans ABS, proper close-ratio six-speed manual, naturally aspirated, well sorted chassis and suspension make it one of the purest forms of driving out there. Grasping its steering wheel, you feel as if your hands are steering the front wheels directly, such is the feedback. No electric steering system with its ‘weighed’ feedback can provide steering feel akin to this.

To sum it up, driving a Type-R, or an FD2R Civic Type-R in this case, is one of those things that can’t be explained through words. It’s an experiential occasion that would reward any petrol head lucky enough to have a go behind its chunky steering wheel.

At the end of the day, Honda has proved that what it set out to disclose; that its vehicles have a sportier edge to them with performance DNA infused in its genome. Through the tests set out and the track time in the various models, handling is definitely a strength of the Hondas with no respite on safety to make it quality offerings in its class.

There are plenty of options out there but just remember that if your steering wheel is facing sporty most of the time, a Honda might be your answer. It’s a line of vehicles that combines sporty, stately, style and safety in a well-hammered together package that offers quite a big bang for your buck.

text & pix: Dinesh Appavu