Honda's hustler

The Honda Integra R has been updated, but motoring editor ALASTAIR SLOANE finds it still provides rugged and exciting driving.

French novelist Alphonse Karr was around long before Honda came up with the Integra R. But perhaps he had a premonition of what it was planning when he coined the phrase, "The more things change, the more they remain the same".

That's the Integra R sports coupe. The first model was one of the most uncomfortable cars on the market. It was also one of the most exciting.

The latest model, costing $44,500 and launched in Auckland on Wednesday, is the same: bone-jarring ride, mind-blowing fun.

Honda is making no excuses for the mix. So what if the ride is more go-kart than car, it says. The Integra R is a precision instrument, its all-new chassis, slick six-speed manual gearbox and hip-hugging Recaro seats built for drivers who want performance and accuracy.

That's why it grips like fear, points like a good gun dog and goes like stink, its bigger 2-litre i-VTEC engine belting out 147kW (200 bhp) at 7400 rpm and 193Nm at 6000 rpm.

Honda has reinvented the Integra R without compromising the characteristics which set the original model apart from so many others in the first place.

It "has advanced every aspect of Integra - the engine, equipment levels, exterior and interior design, its crash performance and build quality," says Honda New Zealand director Graeme Seymour.

The latest car looks sharper than its predecessor, which was getting past its use-by date.

It is stronger and about 70kg heavier, mostly because of sound-proofing material and structural changes to increase torsional rigidity.

It has a bolder front end, thanks largely to the use of new-look headlights. The interior is uncluttered with a youthful mix of materials. The dash and instrumental cluster is an example of simplicity at its best.

It extends its racing theme with a Momo steering wheel, aluminium pedals, footrest and gear knob, a high-wing spoiler at the rear and body-coloured side sills and front spoiler.

But the familiar, razor-sharp, communicative steering - the soul of the original - is still there. So are the strong brakes

The R in Integra R is Honda-speak for Racing. It doesn't have the lazy mid-range oomph of the turbocharged 2-litre Nissan 200SX, another excellent two-door, but the high-revving four-cylinder is certainly involving as it heads towards the red line.

Its peaky nature keeps the enthusiastic driver's ear tuned to the revs, where frequent use of the close-ratio gearbox allows he or she to exploit the engine's power band.

The car is a hoot under the throttle above 5300 rpm, when the variable valve timing kicks in to provide extra oomph.

The R was launched along with the standard VTi Integra. The differences are obvious, down to the absence of a body-kit and less-frenzied i-VTEC engine, which puts out 118kW (160 bhp) at 4000 rpm and 191Nm at 6000 rpm.

The base model comes with a choice of gearboxes - a five-speed manual ($34,500) or five-speed manual/automatic Sportshift ($36,500).

The Integra VTi and R come with up-to-the-minute safety equipment including dual airbags, ABS brakes and seatbelts with pretensioners and load-limiters.

The arrival of the Integra coincides with another change to the way Honda New Zealand sells cars. It made national distribution changes last year and now its dealer network will become agencies employing salesmen on commission.

At present Honda dealers buy cars wholesale from Honda and then on-sell them to the public, earning a retailer's margin. Most of the new-car industry works this way.

But under the new setup Honda New Zealand will own the new stock on dealer's yards. Previously, dealers had to buy and stock their own yards.

"Stocking a dealership carried a high capital cost and considerable risk in assessing which new models would sell best," says Honda New Zealand managing director Sho Minekawa.

"Many dealers could only afford to make available a narrow range of models for stock.

"Under the new system, agents will be able to sell any vehicle on order nationally, not just the ones allocated to them."

Minekawa said the move would make better use of Honda's website and national call centre and provide a better service for customers.

"And it makes it easier for us to work with our sales network."