I was just wondering about a few things:

Is it a highly compromised road car in standard form (not the racing version) or quite civil when you want it to be with reasonable noise and comfort levels? Also, how much space is there in the back compared to say, a Prelude for example?

Thanks for any info.

 

There's some good press write ups on the Litchfield site...

MB

 

SJ_Skyline and scoob_babe own one

 

Its easier to live with than the DC2, build quality is better, everything has been developed. I find the suspension a little bit hard for UK roads, but you have to expect that as it is designed for Jap roads, not the crap we have here.

Fantastic car the only FWD car I would own if I wasnt into RWD fast cars, and did for about 6 weeks IIRC

 

I have owned one since last September. My other car is a WRX MY96. The DC5 is an excellent car. There is not quite the same mid range grunt as the WRX, but once you get into VTEC it is very quick. So above 90-100 mph it feels quicker than the WRX. It carries 10-20 mph more speed through corners and the brakes (Brembo) are superb. The other weekend at Knockhill I was outbreaking Caterhams and Elises.
Comfort wise it is slightly less harsh than the WRX (HKS lowering springs + Bilstein shocks). At motorway speeds it is quieter than the WRX due to better aerodynamics. Front seats are Recaros and very supportive. Back seats are OK, but I'm not sure I would like to spend more than acouple of hours in them.
Boot space is HUGE. Also back seats fold down to give an even bigger load carrying space. I have driven it from the Aberdeen area down to west Cornwall a couple of times and it makes a perfectly acceptable long distance cruiser.
Fuel economy is much better than the WRX. Average consumption is about 30-32 mpg. On track last weekend I did 80+ miles on 25 litres. The WRX would use nearly 50 litres for the same distance!
So on the whole I am pretty pleased with it.

 

Agree the brakes are excellent although having a non assisted car I find the brakes a bit to assisted for my liking.

The one thing that really gripes me is the size of the steering wheel, it is huge, and the gear gaitor needs to be where the CTR's is, but we all know why not apart from that there is nothing to critisise.

 

Thanks for the info guys - it sounds very impressive.
Where do you go for servicing (would Honda UK do it) and are you confident you could get parts reasonably quickly if needed? Also, what's the insurance like compared to a Japanese import Impreza and can you get many tuning parts? Thanks again.

 

Honda will service a DC5. They will even sell you a Hondacare Warranty. I am not sure about the availability of parts, though some will be the same as the Civic Type R. Steels Honda of Hereford hold a stock of parts.

http://www.steelshonda.com

Insurance is much the same as for an imported Subaru. Some insurers may not look at it as it is not on their database. My wife and I are insured with Tesco for £470 a year.

Tuning parts are available from Mugen and Spoon, but it is already pretty highly tuned and there are not huge gains to be had. There are some good reports of Hondata remaps.

See

http://www.itr-dc5.com/forum/index.php

 

I think Charles insurance is the cheapest ever, most are paying around 1K.

Servicing as said above can be done by the dealer, most parts come from Belgium, and can be ordered through Honda Dealerships. This can be a PIA if you need to replace a windscreen, mine took 2 weeks including the trim.