VTEC Celebration - Part One

Honda’s high performance VTEC range is celebrating its tenth birthday in Australia. The innovative concept of altering cam timing and valve lift enabled the new breed of Honda engines to produce power f-a-r beyond most of its atmo rivals – and a good VTEC can also give a turbo engine a bit of a hurry-along!

So with ten years of local sales behind it, now is a good time to check out the VTEC screamers that are available second-hand – and to drool over some of the Japanese-market versions (or at least, the engines) that can be imported.

Local VTEC Models

The first VTEC model to appear in Australia was the 1992-onward CRX.

With a removable Targa roof providing wind-in-you-hair motoring it’s easy to categorise the late CRX as more pose than go. Guess again. With a 1.6-litre B16A DOHC VTEC between the front suspension towers, the CRX is blessed with 118kW of power at 7600 rpm and 148Nm of torque at 7000 rpm. Curiously, the VTEC switchover (where it switches to its high-lift cam profile) is more pronounced in the B16A than any other Honda VTEC engine.

Available as a 5-speed manual only, the front-drive VTEC CRX launches its 1115kg kerb mass to 100 km/h in about 8.5 seconds. That’s easily on the pace of the comparable Ford Capri turbo. The CRX will also run to a top speed of around 215 km/h.

The CRX is a compact package with only two body-hugging seats but it does offer pretty generous boot storage. Inside, there are all the usual mod-cons and everything is laid out conveniently. The ride is surprisingly supple but, according to contemporary road tests, it does trip over with understeer when pushed.

Visually, the CRX’s ‘bubble gum’ styling was trendy in the early ‘90s but it has aged a bit – still, it remains well proportioned and tidy. The standard 14-inch alloys are also pretty small.

Released at around AUD$35,000 you can now pick one of these babies up from as little as AUD$13,000. The last of the series (from 1998) will set you back about another 7 grand, depending on kilometres.

Based on a very similar platform is the Civic VTi-R.

Debuting in Australia in 1995, the EK4-series Honda Civic VTi-R remains one of the fastest non-turbo hatches ever sold. While the base Civic got by with 88kW, the VTi-R (which uses the same B16A engine as the CRX) upped the ante to 118kW. Peak power arrives at 7600 rpm while peak torque (148Nm) arrives at 7000 rpm. Compression ratio is 10.2:1, which necessitates a diet of premium unleaded.

Local road testers said it was a "revaholic’s delight."

At 1131kg, the VTi-R is not a featherweight hatch but it can capably accelerate to 100 km/h in 8.7 seconds. The quarter mile sprint takes just over 16 seconds and top speed varies between 200 and 220 km/h.

The Civic is a great day-to-day conveyance thanks to its airy and surprisingly spacious interior. Just don’t expect to fit too much luggage into the back – that’s where the trade-off has been made.

A good Civic VTi-R costs anywhere between AUD$13,000 and $20,000. Note that the Civic VTi-R hatch was replaced by a coupe version in 1999. These fetch anywhere up to AUD$24,000.

See The Uncivil Civic for more on the hot Honda hatch.

Slightly larger than the Civic VTi-R and CRX is the Honda Integra VTi-R.

Prior to the VTi-R model, the Integra name had always been associated with a comfortable and high-quality coupe – but it was never up to sportscar standards. This association was torpedoed by the 1993-shape VTi-R that runs a 10.0:1 compression B18C DOHC VTEC mill. This 1.8-litre four screams out 125kW at 7300 rpm – and that equates to 69.5kW per litre.

Back in those days, such a huge specific power output (without forced induction) meant there had to be massive sacrifices in bottom-end performance and drivability. The Integra VT-R was different. Thanks to VTEC, it pulled just as hard as the conventional GSi model at low revs and then – at about 4400 rpm – it switched to ‘high load breathing’ and maintained torque all the way to a 8200 rpm cut-out. Peak torque was a mild 173Nm, though at 6200 rpm.

Available only as a 5-speed manual, the 1176kg VTi-R Integra is only 45kg heavier than the Civic VTi-R. This modest weight gain allows it to accelerate to 100 km/h in around 8 seconds, cover the quarter mile in 16 seconds dead and reach a top-end of almost 230 km/h.

Using Honda-style double wishbones, a front strut brace and underside bracing as factory, the Integra VTi-R provides good handling with relatively little body roll. Ride quality remains liveable. Liveable is also the best way to describe the compact interior – the seats are comfortable, the controls are well laid out and there’s adequate front space. Rear space is limited - think of this as a short-haul 2+2.

The Integra VTi-R entered the market at just under AUD$40,000 but its base price rose incrementally until it was eventually axed in 1999. Today, you can pick up an Integra VTi-R for as little as AUD$13,000 and as much as AUD$23,000 depending on year and kilometres. This is one of the best bang-for-buck models you can buy.

The Integra VTi-R was closely followed by the larger – and slightly peculiar - Prelude VTi-R.

The Prelude’s swoopy shape arrived in 1991, but it was another few years before we received the VTEC VTi-R variant. The Prelude had always been a luxury cruiser in the Honda coupe range but that emphasis changed with the introduction of the H22A 2.2-litre VTEC four. (Incidentally, this stands as the largest capacity VTEC four ever manufactured by Honda.)

The combination of cubes and VTEC gives the 1325kg Prelude a power-to-weight ratio close to that of the turbocharged Subaru Liberty RS and Mitsubishi Galant VR4 (but the Honda has a much lower average torque through the rev range). Pumping out 142kW at 6800 rpm and 212Nm at 5250 rpm, the VTEC ‘lude sprints to 100 km/h in 8.0 seconds. This is similar to the Integra VTi-R, but the Prelude VTi-R runs away down the quarter mile – 15.3-second ETs have been quoted.

Inside, the VTi-R Prelude has a full-width digital dashboard that looked trick when introduced – but it’s now pretty strange. Again, the seats are comfortable but rear space is not a strong point - despite the Prelude’s extra size. Overall packaging is not particularly impressive.

Behind the wheel, the Prelude VTi-R is pretty sweet. Handling is large FWD understeery but – largely thanks to a four-wheel-steer system – it’s not excessive. Ride is generally good, but a bit unsettled over sharp bumps.

When new, the Prelude VTi-R sold for nearly AUD$50,000 but you can now grab one second-hand from AU$14,000. This model was discontinued when the updated series appeared in 1997.

The updated model was widely praised for its improved handling and precise steering. Larger wheels were certainly responsible for part of this. A massive re-engineering of the front and rear hide what is essentially the original Prelude body design. The interior was also hauled back to something a little more conventional.

Interestingly, the late Prelude VTi-R was offered with an automatic trans option as well as ATTS – a system that maximised traction from the torque-rich front-wheel-drive chassis. An update Prelude VTi-R starts at about 20 grand but few examples were sold leading up to its 2001 death.

In Part Two we’ll look at the remaining locally-delivered VTEC models and look and what’s available out of Japan.