These two cars may never be seen in tandem again in my household, so I thought I'd capture them parked together -- the future and the past -- while I can. I was fortunate enough to own a Type R for two years, and I just picked up the Model 3 Performance (2020 Stealth version) a little over a week ago to replace it.
Here are my thoughts after having driven the Type R vs the Performance Model 3:
- Acceleration -- Model 3 wins
- The Civic Type R accelerates for sh*t. While it's not rated as bad as Chill Mode in the Model 3, it certainly feels worse because its wheels slip in 1st and 2nd at anything around 50-60% max torque. Even on the best tires in the best conditions imaginable, this car has wheel slippage issues and Honda is silly if they add more HP in the next generation R without making this car an AWD vehicle from henceforth. Every good thing you've ever heard about the Type R starts after the car gets to 30mph, because everything before that is absolute garbage.
- The Model 3 Performance accelerates like an M5 Competition at half the price and boy is it impressive. Track and drag strip performance aside, this is helpful from a variety of standpoints in day-to-day driving. People talk about point-and-click vehicles, and Tesla nailed it with the Model 3 Performance. You can use this vehicle to do just about anything you want in city/urban driving. It can hit any gap you need with its instant torque and speed, and there's no way anyone can beat you off the line at a stop light unless they're in something close to a supercar... or another Tesla.
- Daily Driving Ride Quality -- Model 3 wins
- Type R: The R has 3 driving modes: R+, Sport, and Comfort. In stock form, the R rides too stiff in R+ mode although its heavy steering is fun and direct. The ride quality is borderline comfortable in Sport mode, although it is still stiff. Meanwhile, comfort mode is way too bouncy for my liking, and its tapered-off throttle was silly. There's no dampening of the stiffness in the 2017-2019 model that makes sense unless you swap to 18" rims. At which point the R becomes a reasonable daily driver. Its seats are absolutely phenomenal, though.
- Model 3 Performance: The M3P has much better ride quality and stiffness in daily conditions, especially on the 18's in the stealth version I have. Its seats are comfortable overall, but they are nowhere near as good as the Type R's front seats for comfort and locking you into place.
- Cornering in the Twisty Bits -- Type R wins
- The Type R handles much better in the corners and turns. Once you add the super comfortably snug seats that grip you in and hold you tight, you can't ask for a tighter cornering car under $40K.
- Model 3 Performance: Its body roll is pronounced compared to the R's virtual lack of roll. I have not driven a lowered suspension Model 3, so there is a gap in my knowledge as to how those feel. Perhaps the .4 inches is a real difference maker, but I doubt it. Simply put, it's just not as fun to corner as the R.
- Brakes -- Type R wins
- Type R: It brakes like a Porsche 911. You can tail just about anyone a car length or two away if necessary in tight traffic and know you're stopping way sooner than they are as long as you're paying attention (and in a non-nanny car like a Type R, of course you're paying attention!)
- Model 3 Performance: The Model 3's emergency brake system is woefully lacking for a 2 ton car. And even though I don't have the performance brakes, I've seen plenty of videos showing the car still not performing well in braking scenarios to know that Tesla has underestimated the needs of a 4,000 lbs. vehicle and its braking demands. Where I used to ride 2-3 car lengths from those who were going "too slow", I've now increased my distance to the cars in front of me during daily driving because the Tesla Model 3's brakes are not ready for prime time tailing. The R is advertised as around 100 feet brake distance at 60mph while the Tesla is more like 133 feet brake distance at 60mph. And it feels like an eternity of a difference to get the two to stop.
- Side note: Yes, regenerative braking is awesome. Yes, the Model 3's brake pads will last longer due to regenerative braking. Yes, this is a good thing overall! But the lack of good emergency braking power (and track braking power) is a legitimate concern as far as safety and overall performance is concerned. The Type R feels light years ahead in this category.
- Washing/Detailing -- Model 3 wins
- Type R: It takes me roughly 45-50 minutes to wash the car and the wheels (depending on how long it's been since the previous wash as the brake dust can get insane on the R). And my right arm is dead tired at the end regardless. I never manually dried the car since it took so long to wash. All that aero comes with a steep washing price!
- M3P: It took me 25 minutes to wash the car and wheels plus dry off the glass on the windshield and sunroof. Not having all that crazy aero and venting sure does help cleaning time. The leather seats also make wiping things down a lot easier than the cloth and alcantara seating in the R.
- Storage and Miscellaneous -- Model 3 mostly wins
- Type R:
- It has an awful-sounding stereo system; my wife's CR-V stereo destroys it.
- It has tons of space both for passengers as well as for storage/transport. It has so much space I never knew what to do with it all.
- It has a crappy A/C system that Honda won't admit is a failure. There is a class action lawsuit for all Honda Civic A/C units designed in this era.
- Cabin storage is poorly designed. There is barely room for an iPhone Pro in the center console. If you have a larger phone and want to charge it, you're out of luck. The drink storage situation is silly, too, because who can row gears with a drink right behind the gear shifter?
- M3P:
- The stereo sound is much better than the R, but it lacks bass punch overall.
- I miss the ease of the hatch for storing and toting items. Anyone know of a good trunk divider or net for the Model 3?
- No problems with the A/C in the Model 3!
- Cabin storage is much more usefully separated and set-up in the Model 3. It's a breath of fresh air compared to the R.
- Type R:
- Final Thoughts
- Type R: Corners on rails, has amazing seats and brakes, and looks like a Decepticon -- these are all great things in my opinion. However, there are some notable negatives. The manual transmission occasionally grinds in 2nd, which can be incredibly annoying. Its econobox roots are obvious in some instances, too. The car rattles in places when its turbo kicks in and it drones at highway speeds. It is a formidable foe in and above its price range from a performance perspective but the downsides are that it is not a great city car in stock form and it accelerates well... for grandmas.
- Tesla Model 3 Performance: Its All Wheel Drive feels incredibly planted compared to the FWD R. Its acceleration and torque are unmatched in its price range. And it generally has an elegant and premium feel in its cabin compared to the R. Downsides are that it can't hang in the corners with the R, and since it doesn't have any exhaust drone I can now hear my toddler son when he has a meltdown in the back seat, lol. Overall it's a much more fun car to drive in the city where I live, so it suits my commute and family needs a lot better.
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Submitted March 30, 2021 at 06:55PM by magichourmarvel https://ift.tt/3rBQ4NS
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March 30, 2021 at 06:57PM
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