WEBVTT - Round Two: Sports Sedans with Elana Scherr 0:00:15.316 --> 0:00:23.876 Pushkin. I love the idea of this big engine presence, 0:00:23.916 --> 0:00:25.956 like a big V eight or even a V twelve 0:00:26.836 --> 0:00:29.916 in a sedan that you can just haul ass in, 0:00:30.276 --> 0:00:34.236 all right, for the dignified hooligan, exactly exactly, so we 0:00:34.756 --> 0:00:37.116 know what we're looking for. We're looking for a car, 0:00:38.076 --> 0:00:41.756 the most dignified car for the biggest hooligan. I'm ready. 0:00:43.516 --> 0:00:46.116 On this season of Car Show, we're putting cars in 0:00:46.236 --> 0:00:49.476 four brackets to the test, all in the pursuit of 0:00:49.516 --> 0:00:51.876 crowning a winner of our very own Car of the 0:00:51.956 --> 0:00:56.116 Year contest and hopefully helping you decide how to spend 0:00:56.156 --> 0:01:00.236 your hard earned money. This episode is about my favorite 0:01:00.276 --> 0:01:04.316 segment of all sports sedans. I've driven about two hundred 0:01:04.316 --> 0:01:08.316 cars this year, and four sports sedans stood out, some 0:01:08.476 --> 0:01:12.036 because they were great, one because it was a little disappointing. 0:01:12.996 --> 0:01:18.036 Those four cars are the Audi RS three, the Cadillac 0:01:18.316 --> 0:01:22.356 CT five V Black Wing, the Honda Civic Type R, 0:01:22.956 --> 0:01:27.316 and the Undilantra N. I've enlisted Alanna Share to help 0:01:27.356 --> 0:01:30.916 me rank them. Alana is a hot rodder and muscle 0:01:30.956 --> 0:01:34.276 car freak from back in the day, and she's currently 0:01:34.396 --> 0:01:38.556 senior editor and a columnist for Car and driver. Together, 0:01:38.676 --> 0:01:41.196 we'll decide which will pass through the gauntlet to the 0:01:41.236 --> 0:01:46.316 final round. I'm Eddie Alterman, and this is car show, 0:01:48.836 --> 0:01:54.356 So creamy, so good. The brakes are insane and so 0:01:54.436 --> 0:01:58.956 easy to modulate. They just haul this thing down without drama. 0:01:59.756 --> 0:02:13.036 It's wonderful. Before we start talking about the cars, i'd 0:02:13.036 --> 0:02:15.436 like to get your take on what you think a 0:02:15.596 --> 0:02:19.516 great sport sedan should be. Oh, I mean sports sedan. 0:02:19.796 --> 0:02:23.276 When you first think about it is kind of you're like, no, what, No, 0:02:23.396 --> 0:02:28.196 sedans they're not Sporty sedans are for families. Sedans are 0:02:28.276 --> 0:02:32.036 for people who need to look important and go stately, 0:02:33.276 --> 0:02:35.756 or maybe for people who just like to fill the 0:02:35.796 --> 0:02:37.876 backseat of their car with all their luggage or their 0:02:37.876 --> 0:02:39.956 groceries or something. You know, some people don't like trunks. 0:02:39.996 --> 0:02:41.876 I'm fine, I understand that, you know, you just want 0:02:41.876 --> 0:02:45.196 to be close to your stuff. But I don't know. 0:02:45.236 --> 0:02:48.796 Then they started making fast forward doors, right, and they're 0:02:48.796 --> 0:02:51.276 always sleepers. I do like a sleeper, you know, even 0:02:51.316 --> 0:02:53.636 in the muscle car days. You know, if you think 0:02:53.636 --> 0:02:55.876 about it, like the way that muscle cars even started 0:02:56.316 --> 0:03:01.116 was with the engine from a sedan that they they 0:03:01.116 --> 0:03:04.156 and would put into a smaller two door car or 0:03:04.196 --> 0:03:09.076 a sportier car. So really, sports sedans are the perform 0:03:09.196 --> 0:03:14.356 min's car. They're they're under the radar performance, right, They're 0:03:14.396 --> 0:03:17.676 the car that, you know, a middle aged person could 0:03:17.756 --> 0:03:21.556 drive respectively and not attract the attention of the cops. 0:03:21.956 --> 0:03:24.316 But you know, get on the highway, put the hammer down, 0:03:24.716 --> 0:03:27.156 or take an off ramp, a highway off ramp like 0:03:27.196 --> 0:03:30.916 a complete lunatic and you know, go back to being 0:03:31.236 --> 0:03:37.116 you know, a respectable Burger by day and Batman by night. Right, 0:03:37.836 --> 0:03:43.156 And it's that great incongruity of formal envelope, you know, 0:03:43.276 --> 0:03:47.236 like a formal sedan shape with just a huge stunkin 0:03:47.796 --> 0:03:51.996 engine in it. And I feel like these cars are 0:03:52.036 --> 0:03:55.556 sort of do it all. You know, the original BMW 0:03:55.756 --> 0:03:58.556 M fives are sort of like four door nine to elevens. 0:03:58.596 --> 0:04:01.276 You know, they gave you everything in a great package. Yeah, 0:04:01.356 --> 0:04:04.036 do you feel like M five started the true sportiness 0:04:04.036 --> 0:04:05.996 because you know, I'm thinking sort of, you know, I 0:04:06.036 --> 0:04:07.716 went way back and went to kind of like the 0:04:07.836 --> 0:04:10.876 muscle and in the big car, but those were not 0:04:11.996 --> 0:04:14.876 good handling cars, right, like a Cadillac or a big 0:04:14.916 --> 0:04:17.196 Mercedes that was not a car you wanted to take 0:04:17.196 --> 0:04:19.956 a corner in no like the six point nine Mercedes. Yes, 0:04:20.156 --> 0:04:24.796 tons of motor, but not truly kind of track focused 0:04:25.276 --> 0:04:28.476 four door. You know you think that, Well, this car 0:04:28.556 --> 0:04:30.876 is bigger than a two door. It's not a coup 0:04:30.956 --> 0:04:32.836 it's not as low to the ground, it's got a 0:04:32.836 --> 0:04:36.516 lot of extra mass. Why are we bothering making it sporty? 0:04:36.596 --> 0:04:41.436 But comfort and performance really are great bedfellows. They really 0:04:41.476 --> 0:04:44.596 do go together like chocolate and peanut butter. And I 0:04:45.076 --> 0:04:49.156 love a car like this. This is my personal favorite category. 0:04:49.636 --> 0:04:53.196 And I think we're sort of at the end of 0:04:53.236 --> 0:04:58.436 the traditional big engine kind of midsize sports stand. I 0:04:58.476 --> 0:05:01.436 think they're all in the future going to be electric 0:05:01.476 --> 0:05:04.316 powered and they'll be very, very quick, don't get me wrong. 0:05:05.196 --> 0:05:07.196 So let's talk about these cars, and we're going to 0:05:07.276 --> 0:05:10.476 go in alphabetical order. The first one that i'd like 0:05:10.516 --> 0:05:14.036 to talk to you about is the Audi RS three. 0:05:15.556 --> 0:05:20.036 Now RS three means it is the A three body 0:05:20.676 --> 0:05:25.116 with not just the S Performance Kit, it's the RS 0:05:25.236 --> 0:05:30.956 Performance Kit, and it's gigantically powerful. The Audi RS three's 0:05:31.076 --> 0:05:34.556 natural predators are the BMW M two coupe and the 0:05:34.636 --> 0:05:40.556 Mercedes AMG CLA forty five. It's a sixty thousand dollars 0:05:40.636 --> 0:05:44.796 nugget with a thrumbing five cylinder engine making four hundred 0:05:44.796 --> 0:05:48.036 and one horse power, and it's all wheel drive system 0:05:48.076 --> 0:05:50.596 has a drift mode that helps you pull off lurid 0:05:50.956 --> 0:05:59.276 frame filling power slides. So the first time that I 0:05:59.396 --> 0:06:01.316 drove one, first of all, the one that we drove 0:06:01.436 --> 0:06:04.996 was like bright spring green, like it was just like 0:06:05.076 --> 0:06:07.916 fluorescent green, like highlighter green. I was like an Audi 0:06:08.076 --> 0:06:11.356 really kind of surprised me a little bit. And I 0:06:11.436 --> 0:06:13.716 knew on paper what it was supposed to be, but 0:06:13.796 --> 0:06:17.236 I hadn't ever been in one. And I like the 0:06:17.276 --> 0:06:19.836 fact that it's kind of like the more and more three, 0:06:19.836 --> 0:06:22.116 Like you know S three is like more and then 0:06:22.156 --> 0:06:25.916 the RS is more and more. So that's promising. And 0:06:25.996 --> 0:06:32.996 it was ridiculously fast, I mean, like because it didn't 0:06:32.996 --> 0:06:36.356 hold anything back. You know, sometimes you'll get in a 0:06:36.476 --> 0:06:38.876 very powerful car, but it has like a little bit 0:06:38.916 --> 0:06:41.476 of a pause, not like a turboline, just like a 0:06:41.516 --> 0:06:45.636 little bit of a drivetrain, cushioned protected a little And 0:06:45.636 --> 0:06:47.076 Audie was just like, no, you can have it all 0:06:47.116 --> 0:06:48.996 you want it, all of it's it's on you man. 0:06:49.076 --> 0:06:54.076 You made the decision. So that was startling and delightful 0:06:54.076 --> 0:06:56.076 because it doesn't look like it's something that's going to 0:06:56.156 --> 0:06:58.116 do that, even in bright bright green. I was like, 0:06:58.476 --> 0:07:01.956 but it's pretty wide, slow to the ground. It looks mean, yeah, 0:07:01.996 --> 0:07:04.996 but it doesn't have like crazy wings or really that 0:07:05.036 --> 0:07:07.476 many slats or openings or anything like. It's you know, 0:07:07.516 --> 0:07:10.436 if you got it in silver, no one who didn't 0:07:10.476 --> 0:07:15.796 know would know, right right, But you know, I drove 0:07:15.876 --> 0:07:19.236 that thing and I was like, you very impressed with 0:07:19.276 --> 0:07:22.596 the speed. I thought it was insanely quick and it 0:07:22.596 --> 0:07:25.156 looked great, and I like the fact that it was small. 0:07:25.836 --> 0:07:27.836 I didn't like the fact that you couldn't get a 0:07:27.916 --> 0:07:32.356 manual transmission in it. And I didn't like how sort 0:07:32.396 --> 0:07:34.396 of cold it was to the touch. I mean, this 0:07:34.436 --> 0:07:37.516 thing was like colder than a polar bear's ass. It 0:07:37.596 --> 0:07:43.036 was just like, you know, very very inert feeling in 0:07:43.076 --> 0:07:47.516 a way like mechanical, robotic, not a lot of feedback. 0:07:47.836 --> 0:07:49.836 And you know, if we're talking about sports and ants, 0:07:50.116 --> 0:07:52.276 they should have some elements of a sports car. They 0:07:52.276 --> 0:07:55.436 should have that sensitivity and that feedback and really be 0:07:55.756 --> 0:07:58.836 rewarding to all the senses like a sports car is. 0:07:59.036 --> 0:08:01.956 They should give you something. This one was just sort 0:08:01.996 --> 0:08:05.276 of like not a very willing partner. I don't know 0:08:05.396 --> 0:08:08.396 what's your take on that. I totally know what you're 0:08:08.436 --> 0:08:11.316 talking about. It's not even that it's unwilling. It's that 0:08:11.916 --> 0:08:15.396 it didn't care one way or the other. Right, Like 0:08:15.796 --> 0:08:17.796 it's like, you want to go, we can go. You 0:08:17.836 --> 0:08:19.836 don't want to go. We don't have to go. What 0:08:19.876 --> 0:08:21.956 do you want for? What do you want for dinner? 0:08:21.996 --> 0:08:24.996 I don't know what do you want? You know? And 0:08:25.036 --> 0:08:29.436 also this is a small quibble, but you know, keeping 0:08:29.436 --> 0:08:33.036 with my relationship metaphor, you know, when you like somebody 0:08:33.076 --> 0:08:36.756 but they have one super irritating small habit, like like 0:08:36.796 --> 0:08:39.476 they just chew too loudly or something, and eventually you're like, 0:08:39.516 --> 0:08:42.636 I can't I can't live with this person, Like we 0:08:42.716 --> 0:08:47.476 have to break up. The brakes on that car were 0:08:48.156 --> 0:08:50.116 I just like, I just hate the way they feel. 0:08:50.276 --> 0:08:53.756 It's not that it didn't stop, they just every time 0:08:53.796 --> 0:08:56.996 I hit the brakes. That was like, yeah, so talk 0:08:57.076 --> 0:08:59.916 more about that. I felt the same way. They were unpredictable. 0:09:00.316 --> 0:09:03.316 And really, anyone who knows me and knows my background 0:09:03.476 --> 0:09:06.396 might be right now yelling at this podcast, like Alana 0:09:06.476 --> 0:09:08.796 you have no right to talk about breaks. You drive 0:09:08.836 --> 0:09:11.556 cars that don't even currently have working breaks, and you're 0:09:11.556 --> 0:09:14.556 still driving and I'm like, yes, that's true, and it 0:09:14.596 --> 0:09:17.356 pulls to the side, but it does it the same 0:09:17.436 --> 0:09:20.196 every time, so I know what I know what to expect. 0:09:20.316 --> 0:09:22.196 Like with the Audi is like a little bite, then 0:09:22.236 --> 0:09:24.996 it was soft again, then it was really soft, then 0:09:24.996 --> 0:09:28.436 it like hit. I want like linear breaking that is 0:09:28.476 --> 0:09:31.276 the same all the way through the Audie breaks almost 0:09:31.276 --> 0:09:34.236 felt like electric car brakes, which is my pet peeve 0:09:34.276 --> 0:09:39.796 about electric cars. Breaks are your pet peeve about electric cars? Interesting, Yeah, 0:09:39.836 --> 0:09:42.756 you said something about consistency. I feel like what I 0:09:42.796 --> 0:09:45.756 want from breaks is exactly the same every single time. 0:09:45.956 --> 0:09:48.036 They can be kind of bad every time, but if 0:09:48.036 --> 0:09:49.756 they're bad in the same way, I'm okay with that. 0:09:50.876 --> 0:09:54.316 It's true. Like a sports car, sports dan should be predictable, 0:09:54.516 --> 0:09:57.236 and I also think the responses should be very linear. 0:09:57.476 --> 0:09:59.956 That gives you a lot of predictability. Like you know 0:10:00.316 --> 0:10:02.796 when you turn the steering wheel, how much steering you're 0:10:02.796 --> 0:10:04.916 gonna get, how much turning you're going to get when 0:10:04.916 --> 0:10:06.956 you hit the brakes. You want to know how much 0:10:06.956 --> 0:10:08.796 breaking force you're gonna get. You don't want to have 0:10:08.836 --> 0:10:11.916 to get because when things get busy, you want to 0:10:11.916 --> 0:10:14.076 be thinking, you want to just be. You want to 0:10:14.076 --> 0:10:16.676 be in a flow state, right, and this Audia I 0:10:16.676 --> 0:10:18.916 just couldn't get in a flow state. And yeah, it's 0:10:18.916 --> 0:10:22.476 got this super cool five cylinder engine. But I got 0:10:22.516 --> 0:10:26.476 out of this car and into the GR Corolla, and 0:10:27.596 --> 0:10:32.156 the GR Corolla just had this incredible brap and burble 0:10:32.316 --> 0:10:36.156 and this voice that I thought that the RS three 0:10:36.156 --> 0:10:39.236 would have, but it really didn't. You know, it just 0:10:39.316 --> 0:10:44.276 sounded sort of but sewing machine like, Yeah, but tons 0:10:44.276 --> 0:10:46.796 of pull. A lot of great things about this car. 0:10:46.876 --> 0:10:49.276 That's kind of why it's on the semi final list, 0:10:49.356 --> 0:10:52.036 but it sounds like a hive of bees, and it 0:10:52.156 --> 0:10:55.156 just didn't work for me. It's a it's a fairly 0:10:55.236 --> 0:10:58.396 large amount of money for something that doesn't love you 0:10:58.436 --> 0:11:01.956 back exactly. Not a lot of soul. The next guy 0:11:01.996 --> 0:11:06.196 we're going to talk about soul out the Wazoo. This 0:11:06.236 --> 0:11:10.676 one comes from the home of soul and motile, Cadillac 0:11:11.116 --> 0:11:16.836 CT five V Black Wing. Now, the CT five V 0:11:16.956 --> 0:11:20.036 Black Wing didn't come out in twenty twenty two. It's 0:11:20.116 --> 0:11:23.796 technically in its second model year, but I drove it 0:11:23.876 --> 0:11:26.996 this year and this is my show, so it's magically 0:11:27.036 --> 0:11:34.236 eligible for our Car of the Year award. The CT 0:11:34.396 --> 0:11:39.596 five V Black Wing has rapier like handling, incredible ride, sophistication, 0:11:40.036 --> 0:11:44.676 and the mother of all engines, a supercharged six hundred 0:11:44.716 --> 0:11:48.516 and sixty eight horsepower six point two leader V eight. 0:11:57.116 --> 0:12:01.436 So this car just hits all my buttons, you know, 0:12:02.116 --> 0:12:05.436 not just that it's from Detroit, but Cadillac has been 0:12:05.556 --> 0:12:07.716 on this mission for a very very long time with 0:12:07.756 --> 0:12:12.116 the performance cars, to outdo BMW, to build a better 0:12:12.276 --> 0:12:15.316 M five or a better M three. And they've done it. 0:12:15.836 --> 0:12:21.316 They've outdone the original kind of M division masters with 0:12:21.356 --> 0:12:25.516 this car. It is just so full, it's so brimming 0:12:25.516 --> 0:12:29.316 with feedback. It's so alive to the touch, it is 0:12:29.356 --> 0:12:32.396 so predictable. It just goes exactly where you want to 0:12:32.396 --> 0:12:35.676 put it. And it's fun at thirty miles an hour, 0:12:35.756 --> 0:12:37.956 doesn't You don't have to be honking on it to 0:12:38.116 --> 0:12:40.916 really enjoy it. Tell me about this car and how 0:12:40.956 --> 0:12:44.476 you reacted to it. So I've been very lucky to 0:12:44.516 --> 0:12:48.436 have multiple different goes in in the Cadillac CT as 0:12:48.636 --> 0:12:56.236 B five. I always say CTS that is five five black. 0:12:56.716 --> 0:12:59.876 See this is my big complaint about this car. Um. 0:13:00.396 --> 0:13:02.636 You know, I think you can get zero to sixty 0:13:02.676 --> 0:13:05.036 in it quicker than you could say its full name. 0:13:07.596 --> 0:13:10.676 But CT five Black I also like the CT four 0:13:10.716 --> 0:13:14.516 Black Wing. But my first drive in it was pouring 0:13:14.676 --> 0:13:17.876 rain in an arbor in Michigan, like pouring and I'm 0:13:17.876 --> 0:13:20.196 from California. I don't understand rain. I was like, what 0:13:20.316 --> 0:13:24.156 do I do. I'm in this like manual car with 0:13:24.436 --> 0:13:27.156 six hundred plus horse power. I'm gonna die. And the 0:13:27.196 --> 0:13:30.396 car was just like, You're fine, it's okay. I'm just 0:13:30.476 --> 0:13:33.156 gonna like trundle along. I'm a big old tires. I 0:13:33.196 --> 0:13:36.236 will stay in the lane, like, don't worry about it. 0:13:36.876 --> 0:13:39.836 We're gonna get you home. Um. So I was kind 0:13:39.876 --> 0:13:43.396 of immediately like, whoa, you're so friendly, What a nice 0:13:43.476 --> 0:13:45.876 pal you are. And then on a dry day, you know, 0:13:46.076 --> 0:13:48.076 we got to take them on track and I was like, oh, 0:13:49.196 --> 0:13:52.876 you're vicious and I love you, and you know this 0:13:53.276 --> 0:13:55.716 it really does anything. I had the chance to drive 0:13:55.756 --> 0:13:59.156 it on track and uh, we were joking about how 0:13:59.236 --> 0:14:00.876 much torque it has and I was like, you know, 0:14:00.996 --> 0:14:03.756 I bet you could start this car dead stop from 0:14:03.876 --> 0:14:06.396 fourth and then do a whole lap never shifting, and 0:14:06.516 --> 0:14:10.956 we did. I think you could do it in fifth, 0:14:11.036 --> 0:14:13.316 but we didn't want to try. Just a tidal wave 0:14:13.356 --> 0:14:16.276 of torque from this car. And it just it's so 0:14:16.876 --> 0:14:22.276 instantaneously responsive. The engine just loves to come off the throttle. 0:14:22.396 --> 0:14:25.516 It's just so so there for you all the time. 0:14:25.636 --> 0:14:28.556 And that applies to the steering, that applies to the brakes, 0:14:29.036 --> 0:14:32.716 and Cadillac has gone way out on the ass and 0:14:32.796 --> 0:14:36.156 toe and keeps tuning and tuning until there's nothing left 0:14:36.196 --> 0:14:38.516 that's wrong with the car. It's just honing and honing. 0:14:38.916 --> 0:14:41.676 And I talked to one of the chassis engineers and 0:14:41.956 --> 0:14:45.556 he said, you know, this car has electric power steering. 0:14:45.716 --> 0:14:48.316 It does not have hydraulic power steering. And a lot 0:14:48.356 --> 0:14:51.636 of cars with electric power steering don't have any road feel. 0:14:51.676 --> 0:14:53.876 You can't feel the texture of the road, and I 0:14:53.916 --> 0:14:55.756 would say most of them. And it's a huge pet 0:14:55.796 --> 0:14:58.996 peeva mind that. You know, a car that should be 0:14:59.076 --> 0:15:03.436 really sporting, performance oriented doesn't give you tactile feedback through 0:15:03.476 --> 0:15:07.156 the wheel. And he said, we really really worked on 0:15:07.276 --> 0:15:11.996 all those transitional phases of steering inputs to give you 0:15:12.076 --> 0:15:14.916 that feedback, and that's why that car feels so alive 0:15:15.036 --> 0:15:17.756 and feels so good, and it's so big, but it 0:15:17.876 --> 0:15:21.436 just totally shrinks around you. It's super comfortable. It's really 0:15:21.476 --> 0:15:25.316 a Cadillac in every way, super smooth, but man, it 0:15:25.476 --> 0:15:27.796 just goes and goes and goes and just never wants 0:15:27.836 --> 0:15:31.636 to give up. Yeah. Oh, you're talking about the steering feedback. 0:15:31.756 --> 0:15:33.596 And one of the things that is kind of amazing 0:15:33.636 --> 0:15:36.116 about that car is you can tell what's happening at 0:15:36.156 --> 0:15:39.796 the tires, but it's not jittering under your hand, because 0:15:39.836 --> 0:15:41.876 you know, you get in like a hyper car or 0:15:41.876 --> 0:15:44.836 a real sports car, and you know you could you 0:15:44.956 --> 0:15:47.916 could tell not just where the ruts are, but where 0:15:47.996 --> 0:15:49.956 like each pebble is and how big it is and 0:15:50.076 --> 0:15:52.716 maybe what color it is from, like how much everything 0:15:52.836 --> 0:15:55.356 is moving around and you're kind of can it can 0:15:55.396 --> 0:15:57.436 be exhausting if you're doing it as a daily driver, 0:15:57.596 --> 0:16:00.636 and it would be inappropriate for a Cadillac to be 0:16:01.556 --> 0:16:05.436 that hyperactive. And it's not, you know, like it's still 0:16:05.676 --> 0:16:08.436 like you said, it's still a comfortable car, you know. 0:16:08.436 --> 0:16:11.756 I mean, it always sounds rowdy, but not It's not 0:16:12.116 --> 0:16:15.116 a muscle car, even though it hangs with the muscle cars. 0:16:15.396 --> 0:16:20.156 You know much better manners. Yeah, incredible, impeccable manners. Knows 0:16:20.196 --> 0:16:23.876 which fork to use, and it's got those trick dampers 0:16:23.956 --> 0:16:27.436 that really work wanders on the car's ride. It also 0:16:27.516 --> 0:16:29.956 has a usable back seat, which I know is you know, 0:16:30.116 --> 0:16:33.756 maybe an afterthought in this conversation, but since we are 0:16:33.836 --> 0:16:36.916 talking about sedans, you can have four people in that 0:16:37.076 --> 0:16:41.356 car and they will they will all be reasonably comfortable. Yeah, 0:16:41.476 --> 0:16:43.396 it's true. You can take it to the opera. It's 0:16:43.436 --> 0:16:45.916 like what Fairy Porsche Is said about the nine to eleven. 0:16:46.756 --> 0:16:50.236 You can take it to the East African Safari Rally, 0:16:50.356 --> 0:16:52.596 and you can take it to the opera. I don't 0:16:52.636 --> 0:16:54.156 want to sit in the back of a nine to eleven, 0:16:55.596 --> 0:16:59.036 No one does. Those are seats for insurance purposes only 0:16:59.396 --> 0:17:06.876 and some groceries. After the break, more sports sedans with 0:17:07.036 --> 0:17:19.916 our guest Alana Share. Okay, So moving on from a 0:17:20.036 --> 0:17:22.076 car that you know has a whole myth around it 0:17:22.316 --> 0:17:24.276 to another one that has a whole myth around it. 0:17:24.796 --> 0:17:30.116 The Honda Civic Type are the new for twenty twenty three. 0:17:30.196 --> 0:17:33.636 Civic Type are just loves to attack corners and on ramps. 0:17:34.356 --> 0:17:39.316 It's three fifteen horsepower turbocharged four banger sends power through 0:17:39.396 --> 0:17:43.796 one of the greatest manual transmissions ever made. The Type 0:17:43.956 --> 0:17:47.236 R costs forty four thousand dollars, but good luck prying 0:17:47.276 --> 0:17:51.356 it out of the dealer's hands for that price. The 0:17:51.476 --> 0:17:53.596 one I drove, I think you drove the same one 0:17:54.156 --> 0:17:58.836 was white with a full red and black interior, red carpets. Oh. 0:17:59.076 --> 0:18:02.556 It was insane, and I think really really beautiful, And 0:18:03.436 --> 0:18:05.636 I just love the way this corresponded. It felt so 0:18:06.076 --> 0:18:09.756 kind of cheerful. What was your take on the Civic Type. Well, 0:18:09.756 --> 0:18:11.796 it's funny because we started off by saying that we 0:18:11.916 --> 0:18:14.676 felt like a perfect sport sedan was like for the 0:18:14.796 --> 0:18:19.956 dignified hooligan, and if you think about the previous Type are, 0:18:20.956 --> 0:18:23.956 there was nothing dignified about it. It was all hooligan. 0:18:24.276 --> 0:18:28.356 M I kind of loved it because I enjoy a 0:18:28.516 --> 0:18:33.116 certain kind of rudeness in design, where people are like 0:18:33.556 --> 0:18:36.356 I remember once that I was in a parking lot 0:18:36.516 --> 0:18:38.676 and it wasn't a Type AR. I think it was 0:18:38.716 --> 0:18:41.196 a WRX or something, but there's some something with a 0:18:41.236 --> 0:18:43.836 big wing in the parking lot and this older couple 0:18:43.916 --> 0:18:47.436 walked by and the husband was like, Oh, that spoiler, 0:18:47.636 --> 0:18:49.116 and the wife was like, why is it called a 0:18:49.156 --> 0:18:53.036 spoiler because it spoils the look of the car. I 0:18:53.156 --> 0:18:55.756 always think about it. I like them, but I always 0:18:55.796 --> 0:18:57.796 think about what they must look like to people who 0:18:57.836 --> 0:19:01.876 don't understand, you know, the tradition or the point of them. 0:19:03.276 --> 0:19:07.076 It must just be very confusing. So anyway, now, the 0:19:07.156 --> 0:19:10.396 type bar is definitely dignified. I mean, you know, from 0:19:10.476 --> 0:19:13.756 the front, you're like, oh yeah, classy car looks good, 0:19:14.676 --> 0:19:16.596 and then in the back it's just enough to be like, 0:19:17.196 --> 0:19:21.836 what's going on here? It does have that big spoiler 0:19:21.956 --> 0:19:24.316 on the back looks more like a tall rack than 0:19:24.716 --> 0:19:27.676 an aero device, right, But it's a bit of a mullet. 0:19:28.036 --> 0:19:32.356 It's business upfront, party in the back. They couldn't resist. 0:19:32.516 --> 0:19:35.516 I'm sure it's very functional. I'm sure it's great, but 0:19:36.276 --> 0:19:41.436 I would I would take that off. You're gonna look 0:19:41.476 --> 0:19:43.916 really silly driving around in your super Bird with no 0:19:44.076 --> 0:19:47.876 wing on the pond the back. Sure, I thought the 0:19:47.956 --> 0:19:50.596 shifter in this car was incredible. I'm just gonna say that. 0:19:50.876 --> 0:19:53.116 I was just gonna say that. You know, if you 0:19:53.196 --> 0:19:55.916 have not for some reason been won over to a 0:19:55.996 --> 0:20:00.236 manual transmission, this is just a delight to drive. It's 0:20:00.316 --> 0:20:04.836 so easy, so easy. The shifts are very short and 0:20:05.036 --> 0:20:10.276 very positive. You have that beautiful metal shift nab that's 0:20:10.916 --> 0:20:15.036 just really rewarding to touch, and it just feels great. 0:20:15.556 --> 0:20:19.516 They have automatic rev matching, so you can downshift and 0:20:19.636 --> 0:20:23.156 look like a superstar in this car. You don't need 0:20:23.196 --> 0:20:26.036 to heal and toe and it just makes you incredibly smooth. 0:20:26.836 --> 0:20:30.876 And this whole thing to me felt like the essence 0:20:30.956 --> 0:20:35.716 of Honda, which was, you know, this idea of man maximum, 0:20:36.116 --> 0:20:39.596 machine minimum. So it's very driving focus. You know, that's 0:20:39.636 --> 0:20:43.716 their sort of philosophy. It's sort of outdated gender wise, however, 0:20:44.836 --> 0:20:48.836 the idea, the idea is that the vehicle should serve 0:20:48.916 --> 0:20:52.396 the person rather than the other way around. And I 0:20:52.556 --> 0:20:54.996 felt like, instead of just sort of driving this car, 0:20:55.036 --> 0:20:58.636 you sort of plug into it and it's supernatural, super fluid, 0:20:58.996 --> 0:21:03.716 really floats beautifully and you know, I don't know, it's 0:21:03.756 --> 0:21:06.156 forty three grand or something like that, I think it's 0:21:06.196 --> 0:21:09.036 worth it, especially when the average transaction price of a 0:21:09.156 --> 0:21:12.916 car is like forty eight thousand dollars. Yeah, I am 0:21:12.996 --> 0:21:15.516 a little bit disappointed in the price, I have to say, 0:21:15.596 --> 0:21:18.716 because I kind of always wanted this to be a 0:21:18.836 --> 0:21:25.716 car that you know, younger people could have, um, you know, 0:21:25.796 --> 0:21:28.476 and before it was a car that really only younger 0:21:28.516 --> 0:21:32.196 people would have wanted to have been seen in Great Point. 0:21:32.796 --> 0:21:36.356 But now, you know, now it is so much more adult. 0:21:36.396 --> 0:21:39.716 It will have a much more mature audience, which means 0:21:39.796 --> 0:21:42.076 that there are going to be more people who can 0:21:42.196 --> 0:21:44.996 afford it, even as the price keeps going up. And 0:21:46.516 --> 0:21:50.916 you know that's uh, it's good for Honda, it's you know, 0:21:51.116 --> 0:21:53.876 good for grown ups. But you know, won't somebody think 0:21:53.916 --> 0:21:55.956 of the kids? Well, you know, speaking of the kids, 0:21:56.836 --> 0:22:03.316 I was looking at used versions of the twenty twenty 0:22:03.356 --> 0:22:06.716 one and earlier Civic type our and those things are 0:22:06.756 --> 0:22:11.196 going for fifty thousand dollars. So I have to imagine 0:22:11.236 --> 0:22:14.356 there's going to be some dealer price gouging on this thing. 0:22:14.796 --> 0:22:17.716 And you know, the forty three or whatever it is, 0:22:17.996 --> 0:22:20.476 I mean, the average transaction price might be higher than that. 0:22:22.316 --> 0:22:24.516 And we're just in a weird time, you know, because 0:22:24.556 --> 0:22:27.476 of the supply shortages. It's driving the cost of everything up. 0:22:28.316 --> 0:22:31.996 Hopefully it abates in twenty twenty three, but you know, 0:22:32.076 --> 0:22:36.356 I think if you get one at forty four, you're winning. Yeah, 0:22:36.396 --> 0:22:38.076 I don't think. I don't think there's going to be 0:22:38.196 --> 0:22:41.516 regrets from people who buy them. Yeah, no, I think 0:22:41.556 --> 0:22:43.956 they're going to be totally satisfied. I love the thing. 0:22:44.876 --> 0:22:48.636 Um you know, there is a car out there, however, 0:22:49.196 --> 0:22:51.196 that sort of does with the Civic type R does, 0:22:51.756 --> 0:22:55.556 but much more cheaply. And this thing was the surprise 0:22:55.716 --> 0:23:04.556 of the year for me. The Day Elantra N. Yes, 0:23:04.916 --> 0:23:09.876 the Unda Elantra N. This thing is no joke. It's 0:23:09.876 --> 0:23:13.636 a road gripping, corner eating monster. Even if it's two 0:23:13.756 --> 0:23:17.236 hundred and seventy six horsepower turbo four is less than 0:23:17.316 --> 0:23:27.036 half the engine in the black one. The Hyundai Elantra N. Okay, 0:23:27.156 --> 0:23:30.796 you think Elantra Okay, that's a rental car. Elantra N. 0:23:31.556 --> 0:23:33.836 Totally different. Ball Wax. This is a car that I've 0:23:33.916 --> 0:23:36.156 driven a lot. I just drove it on road and 0:23:36.236 --> 0:23:41.196 tracks Hudson Quatracento rally and the Ferraris could not get 0:23:41.236 --> 0:23:43.196 away from me in this thing. I was hounding them. 0:23:43.476 --> 0:23:47.476 It has so much driver feedback. You know exactly how 0:23:47.516 --> 0:23:50.316 to place this car. The power band is terrific. There's 0:23:50.356 --> 0:23:53.836 power sort of everywhere. The steering is great, the brakes 0:23:53.836 --> 0:23:56.916 are great. It's just so faithful. This car is like 0:23:57.036 --> 0:24:00.516 a trainer jet for guys who are going to be flying, 0:24:00.636 --> 0:24:04.276 you know, F thirty five. It's like reminds me of 0:24:04.676 --> 0:24:07.116 you know, Backlund I was growing up cars like the 0:24:07.276 --> 0:24:11.276 Nissan Sentra se are that we're sort of like your 0:24:11.356 --> 0:24:16.316 first step on the enthusiast performance ladder. Did you get 0:24:16.396 --> 0:24:19.796 some time in this thing? Absolutely yeah, I've I've done 0:24:19.836 --> 0:24:22.036 a couple of couple of stints in this car and 0:24:22.556 --> 0:24:29.116 it's hilarious. It's like, so if if the Audie that 0:24:29.236 --> 0:24:31.596 we talked about in the beginning is maybe a little 0:24:31.676 --> 0:24:35.596 too dignified and a little not Bouliganish enough, this one 0:24:36.076 --> 0:24:39.556 is edging up on not dignified enough because I mean it, 0:24:39.756 --> 0:24:42.076