Interesting comments all, many thanks from a non-techi person like me
The ingenuity of the engine in the Mk3 (mine is pre-facelift) i.e. Atkinson and Otto (strange bedfellows !) is remarkable but asking the car to move smoothly and intuitively between the two makes me think this is not a marriage yet made in heaven !
Atkinson doesn't want you to leave, you have to 'put your foot down' sharpish and ignore its protesting screams to visit the more exciting Otto and then relent and return to Atkinson who sips petrol like its the most precious nectar there is. The result is something close to a Greek Tragedy for the poor adulterous driver. That little glowing green to blue indicator on the dash remains you of your misdemeanours in drinking too much fuel with Otto (like a normal driver). 'Get back' it flashes or it really is a divorce this time ! "I just wanted some fun" you say "please forgive me. Promise I won't do it again".
I'm joking and exaggerating a little bit but I do think the poor hapless non-technical driver needs better explanations and support from the dealers and Honda on this. I applaud the engineers' daring and creativity but someone at Honda needs to keep their feet on the ground and their sales people should explain more what Honda are doing and why it is such good idea, as this might avoid some serious misunderstandings later on as well as prevent the start an anti Honda club ! Equally it's clear that motoring journalists can't be relied upon to understand the cars they are reviewing. Most it seems are simply fashion journalists.
I better understand the car now, thanks, I appreciate the perfect quality of Japanese road surfaces, the unbelievable ingenuity of Japanese engineers at Honda and their attempts to design cars which are 'close to the edge' and very clever.....yes...very clever !
. Just think about the poor customer a bit more please Honda