22/05/08
- Price18,827
- We like...Revvy engine, sporty cabin
- We don't...No rear wiper, poor view rearwards
Latest version of performance hatchback just wants to rev whenever you'll let itWith this Civic, the engine’s the thing. Drive it, and you’ll come away certain that Honda’s engineers started with the motor. They decided how it would rev, how it would respond, what noise it might make. That settled, they fitted the car around it.
Like the original Type R Civic that this car replaces, it’s a focused machine: it’s all about travelling fast. If you’re in the mood, it's a marvel. If you're not, it won’t relent and you’ll (possibly) hate it. You sit low in a cabin decked out in racer-boy red and black, wrapped in a big, huggy and very comfortable seat.
As is the fashion, the pedals have shiny metal facings, which is chancy if you shs are slippy and wet. There’s also a huge metal foot-rest beside the clutch. The gearshift sits high and is topped by a big metal ball, cold enough to stick your fingers to on chilly mornings. It slots easily, though the clutch’s stiff enough for you to stall the engine, first time out.
Even trickling along, the car makes like it wants faster. Keeping to town speed limits demands restraint and an eye on the big, digital speedo. Once on faster roads, the engine spins easily, rasping as it gs. For a 198bhp car, the Type-R dsn’t feel super-quick, but sounds it.
The steering is direct and firmly weighted, while the wheel you hold is thick-rimmed and looks terrific. The lock is poor because of the wide tyres, making turns in tight spaces a series of shuffles. The ride, meantime, is as stiff as you’d expect from the car’s big alloy wheels and skinny-sided tyres.
At £18,627, the Civic’s fairly priced when keeping company with VW’s Golf GTi (£20,815) or the Vauxhall Astra VXR (£19,420). But it’s harder to live with than either rival. First, it’s definitely just for four. Whether other Civics squeeze in five, there are just two chairs and two belts in the rear. What’s more, clambering past the heavy front chairs is something only those fit and agile should attempt.
Then there’s the view out of the rear, restricted by a fat spoiler that sits across the back screen just where it shouldn’t and also by the absence of a wiper to shift muck. If that’s not enough, the rear screen heater is poor at clearing morning damp.
Finally, the scattering of controls across the futuristic-looking, two-decker dash is a puzzle. A switch to flip the speedo display from miles to kms is prominent; the one to reset the trip meter isn’t.
Still, at least the boot is a fair size and sensibly shaped, while the rear seats drop easily to free enough space to drop in a bicycle, or a big load of tip-bound rubbish.
If you love driving, and thrill to the sound of a revvy engine, then the Type R will make you want it. And if it ds, its price compares well against the competition.
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- Engines2.0
- Power198bhp
- 0-60 mph7.2sec
- Economy31.0
- CO2g/km215
- Insurance groups17
- EuroNCAP
- Airbags4
- Seats4
Motors.co.uk value verdict:
