Honda Civic Type R

Living with a Honda Civic Type R THIRD REPORT Extrovert styling has polarised the Auto Express office

WE’RE going to have to talk about it at some point – it’s unavoidable. Having lived with the Honda Civic Type R for five months, I have no doubts about its ability as a hot hatch – it’s fast, feisty and frantic. However, one thing that is proving controversial is the way the Type R looks.

Divisive would be a fair description; calling it an eyesore is perhaps a little too harsh, although several Auto Express staff members don’t think so. It’s a car that’s been designed with one thing in mind: speed.

Everything on the Civic is there for a reason: the massive wing generates downforce to keep it stable at high speeds, the blistering wheelarches house chunky alloys wrapped in sticky rubber, while the maze of slashes and vents feed air to the wild 306bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged engine. But look closely at some of the vents, and they’re blanked off, serving no purpose.

However, I can see what Honda has tried to do. The hot hatch market is bubbling over with talent and choice, so manufacturers are being forced to do something that will make them stand out.

Mercedes and Audi are lodged in a power struggle, while Renault and Ford are battling to make their respective hot hatch as affordable as possible. Honda has gone for visual impact, and lots of it. It attracts plenty of attention – if people aren’t standing open-mouthed gawping at it, they have their smartphones out snapping pictures.

But the longer I spend with it, the more it grows on me and the less offensive it appears. It’s an exciting car to look at – every surface has some sort of crease, kink or detail you hadn’t previously noticed.

There are some drawbacks to the design, though. Firstly, that huge rear wing and brake light perfectly obstruct your view out the rear view mirror. Those intricate alloy wheels protrude beyond the tyres’ sidewalls, so kerbing the rims is irritatingly easy.

The Civic isn’t exactly in its natural habitat around London, where our office is based, so I grab any opportunity I get to head outside the confines of the M25.when it has the space to stretch its legs, it really comes alive; it’s one of the most exciting hot hatches around. It’s easy to get frustrated with the firm ride, eager engine and feisty character, but out on the right road, it’s fantastic. The snappy six-speed manual gearbox is one of the slickest I’ve ever sampled, and the front end has a huge amount of bite.

In terms of practicality, the Civic also scores well. The boot is a decent size and can swallow plenty of luggage, and while there is no middle seat, I haven’t had any complaints from passengers back there on my 270-mile trips back home to Newcastle.

Our cars