DSC’s travel schedule during the first quarter of 2024 has been, at times, beyond intense, covering 12 major race meetings, over seven countries and just over 3,000 miles on the road.
A significant chunk of time, as you may expect, has been spent behind the wheel, traveling to airports, hotels, Air BnBs, and circuits. Thankfully, DSC’s staff have always loved a road trip and relish the chance to take the scenic route where possible.
However, if you’re doing lengthy commutes like DSC does on a near-weekly basis, comfort is as important as performance, and cutting-edge tech is as welcome as intuitive controls. Traveling in a well-rounded car can make an enormous difference in fatigue and mood when completing longer journeys.
Since the turn of the year DSC’s staff have sampled a dozen cars, everything from a clapped-out Nissan Sunny with a fire extinguisher bolted to the bottom of the front passenger footwell in Qatar, to a fully kitted-out Genesis GV80 SUV in Florida and a gloriously ropey Lancia Epsilon in Bologna.
Of this pack, two cars stood out and left a memorable impression: the Cadillac CT4-V and Honda Civic Type R, which DSC’s editor and deputy editor used for the opening rounds of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.
Starting with the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, DSC spent two weeks with the CT4-V, a luxury sedan offering from Cadillac that promises style and comfort in equal measure.
From the outside, the CT4-V is a real looker. It’s a perfect example of a road-going model featuring styling cues mirrored by an LMDh prototype too, as the headlight clusters share a similar design to Cadillac’s V-Series.R that competes in IMSA GTP and FIA WEC Hypercar.
Sitting on its own, viewed from a distance from certain angles, its size is deceptive. This is not a bulky machine that fills out every parking space, instead it’s a small, efficiently packaged car. It’s aggressively styled in places, but as a whole feels understated. This is not a car that’s so flashy that you’d worry about leaving parked for long periods of time in unfamiliar surroundings.
And it’s all the better for it because the CT4-V does an exceptional job of disguising the fact that under the bonnet it packs a real punch. With its 2.7l turbocharged engine in V Series spec that produces 310 horsepower, this is a car that’s nimble on narrow city streets and country roads, yet balanced enough to effortlessly tackle lengthy highway drives at higher speeds.
In just about every area, the CT4’s ride is smooth. Whether you are in the front or rear seats, you feel like you’re gliding and the road noise is a non-factor even on the most abrasive, worn roads. Better still, over a long distance, the front seats remain comfortable at any speed.
The only real pitfall is in the lack of space in the rear. Anyone over six feet may find it a squeeze and struggle for head and leg room if the car is filled to capacity over a full day of driving. For shorter journeys though, it was not an issue. This writer, who is six-two, didn’t suffer in the back at any point during Rolex 24 Hours race week, which featured an hour or so of driving to and from the speedway each day.
The CT4 is also a sedan that houses its fair share of cutting-edge tech, including ‘Super Cruise’, a setting that transforms the car into a hands-free experience for the driver. It’s simple to use – flick on Adaptive Cruise Control and if you find yourself on one of the 400,000 miles of compatible road in North America, the Super Cruise button will illuminate. Press that and away you go.
Once you learn to trust the system – and it is jarring at first – you can take a lot of stress out of longer drives. You’re not going to sleep behind the wheel or grab your iPad and begin surfing the web while using this function. But if you’re fatigued after a tough work week, as DSC’s staff were on Sunday night after Rolex, letting the car take the strain out of a tedious stretch of motorway has an undeniable appeal.
Trust us when we say that the CT4-V is a perfectly suited machine for an all-American road trip solo or with a friend.
Fast forward two months and DSC found itself back in Florida on similar stretches of road, driving from Miami to Sebring for the second leg of the 36 hours of IMSA racing in the Sunshine state. This time the journey was tackled in a Civic Type R, making for a radically different experience.
Climbing aboard the Civic for the first time, DSC was delighted to find a manual shifter, a rarity in the States. That was the first sign that the experience of driving it and the CT4-V was set to be radically different. The CT4-V’s objective is to get you from A to B in a relative state of calm, while the Civic Type R expects you to feel a kick of adrenaline after even the briefest of journeys.
Being a modern sport hatch, the Type R was never going to be without its toys. But it’s the raw, analogue driving experience that you expect will shine brightest; this is this area where your overall opinion on the car will ultimately stem from.
Thankfully, it doesn’t disappoint, at all. Installed in the red suede and black leather seats for the first and 50th time, you can’t help but feel compelled to avoid motorways altogether and get a feel for the capabilities of the 2.0l turbocharged engine that delivers 315 horsepower. Marketed as “The Fastest Civic Ever”, expectations are set high. Putting the power down from a set of traffic lights on a quiet road though, and you realise it’s more than just a slogan.
There is nothing subtle about this model. The engine note is always present (even on tick over) the steering is responsive, the car feels stiff when cornering at speed and the gearbox is tight and begs you to abuse it. If you want it too, this car is capable of delivering a sensory overload for every grocery run, without becoming overwhelming or tiring.
None of this should be considered out of the ordinary though. If you find yourself driving a high-performance hatchback like a Civic Type R, you expect fully engaged for every inch of tarmac you traverse. And you hope that what you lose in comfort, you stand to gain in performance.
However, where the Civic Type R springs its biggest surprise is in its versatility. This is a four-door, which can reach 62 miles per hour in under six seconds, that growls every time you feather the throttle pedal. Yet it has ample space for two passengers in the back with comfy seats, and a boot that can swallow multiple suitcases and hand luggage.
Its eight-speaker stereo system is punchy too. It can drown out the car’s engine notes with music, podcasts and audiobooks alike for days when you require a more tranquil experience.
It doesn’t compromise in any area and strikes a fine balance between track day crowd-pleaser and urban all-rounder, all for a price (a fraction over £50,000 in the UK) that delivers real value.
Every time you switch off the ignition and climb out, it asks you: ‘Do you need anything more from a hot hatch?’
And the answer is ‘no, you don’t’.
With thanks to Dave Lewandowski and Dan Layton
