Posted by Stefan Petrov on 12th Aug 2016
We all love our Supras and Skylines, but for 99% of us they're too expensive and in some places, still not legal. Luckily, there are cheaper ways of achieving the same amount of fun, if not even more. Here are 5 great Japanese vehicles which are front-wheel driven, proving that FWD is not always worse than RWD.
1. Honda Civic Type R EK9
Although the 1997-2000 Civic is practically the image of a rice car, the Type R version is anything but. People modifying their standard Civics to match the R is what basically started the rice movement back in the late 1990's, but the flagship R model is still regarded as one of the best FWD vehicles to be ever made. Weighing in at just 2400 pounds and producing 185 hp from a small 1.6 liter engine, the EK9 proved to be a pocket rocket. What's more, the engine is capable of being easily pushed to over 200 hp and the whole car can be stripped down to weight closer to 2100 pounds, making it even faster. As far as fast Civics go, this one definitely has our seal of approval.
2. Honda Civic Del Sol
The Del Sol was a replacement for the popular Honda CR-X and while it may not have matched its popularity, we still think it deserves a place in our list. The B16 engined Del Sols were almost as fast as the Type R Civic but you had one extra addition: a removable targa top. This made it so much more than just a fast small car. It gave you access to millions upon millions of cubic feet of open air, and that is worth so much more than a few extra horsepower.
3. Acura RSX Type S
It would be easy and expectable of us to include the JDM Integra Type R in this list as well, so instead of doing that we'll do a variation of it: the Acura RSX. The RSX is basically an Integra DC5, but for the American market. As such, it carries the same K-series engine. The K20A developed 217 horsepower, making the RSX surprisingly quick. Because it didn't weight a lot as well, you could push it around bends without too much effort. Yes, it is basically a Honda Integra in disguise but can you really blame us for putting 3 Hondas in our list?