Civic Type R is a real hot shot
DESPITE having been around for more than 40 years, hot hatchbacks remain resolutely popular in the car market. Other car niches may come and go but the concept of a performance car with an added element of practicality remains a package that is still tempting for many, after the original 1976 arrival of Volkswagen’s Golf GTI.
Except that now the niche has fractured so much that there are several different forms of hot hatchback, from the merely mildly warm to those capable of slaying serious sports cars.
And in this latter category alone the contenders have become faster, more powerful and more hard-core than ever – none more so in fact than Honda’s Civic Type R.
The sheer irony of some hot hatches has never been more perfectly demonstrated than with the Civic Type R. In standard form the Civic hatchback has always been seen as about as fashionable and youthful as a tartan shopping trolley and fur-lined shoes with zips up the front. The Type R, however, introduced to the range in 1997, was viewed by many as a four-wheeled god.
While that attitude hasn’t changed much in the intervening 20 years, the Civic has.
With every model iteration the Type R has become tougher, more focused and sharper, perhaps too much so with the most recent version. As great as it was to drive the Type R required quite an understanding temperament to use on a daily basis. It could put a smile on your face every time down an empty twisty B road but the reality of commuting on the M25 on a wet Monday morning was a different matter.
Compromise simply wasn’t in the Honda’s vocabulary.
So has this new fifth generation of the Civic Type R softened?
According to Honda, yes. The Japanese firm claims that this new hot Civic is not only the fastest accelerating and quickest car in its class, with a sharper-than-ever driving experience, but is also more usable than ever thanks to a revised suspension system.
Longer, wider and lower than the outgoing Civic, the new Type R certainly looks the part. An aggressively low and purposeful front end is matched with bright red Brembo brake calipers, large 20in alloy wheels and a huge, in-your-face rear spoiler that Honda claims is necessary to generate downforce.
Even the eye-catching centrally-mounted triple exhausts serve a purpose for better cruising refinement apparently (though not entirely successfully – more of which later).
Those looks are backed by an
even more powerful 2.0-litre, turbocharged petrol engine putting 320bhp through the front wheels (there’s no four-wheel drive as with the Ford Focus RS and VW Golf R) and capable of the 0 to 60mph sprint in just 5.7 seconds and on to a 169mph top speed. Make no mistake this is not a slow car.
Average fuel economy and emissions figures stand at 36.7mpg and 176g/km respectively, although neither are likely to be high up any potential owner’s list of priorities.
What will be is just how the Type R goes on the road and perhaps even a race circuit on the odd track day too. As those looks suggest, the Type R is certainly far more driver-focused than most other hot hatches. Drop into the heavily-bolstered sports seats and there’s no doubt of the Honda’s intentions.
Press the starter button and the engine fires into life, settling into a deep burble from those three exhausts.
Although it always starts in Sport mode, there is also Comfort for more everyday use and a +R mode for more focused driving.
What becomes immediately apparent is how much more refined the Civic is compared to before. Fair enough, a Penny Farthing would probably be more refined than the previous generation car but it seems Honda has listened to past criticism.
Don’t get us wrong, the Civic has in no way gone soft but everything from the ride quality to the noise insulation and overall feel has improved.
Not that it is perfect, mind you. The engine is still boomy when cruising at motorway speeds and the suspension and Continental tyres are sensitive to changes in the road surface.
But Type R fans are likely to be more interested in how the car performs when driven harder and here the Civic excels.
As good as the previous car was, it could be slightly twitchy at times and always demanded 100 per cent concentration.
That extra refinement mentioned earlier continues when driving hard. Steering is precise and confident, the brakes are powerful, there’s little body roll through corners and masses of grip from those huge tyres.
Crucially there’s plenty of feedback about what the car is doing beneath you both from steering wheel and seat, making it a great driver’s car. When pressing on this new Type R feels a little heavier with its controls and responses than the previous version (despite actually being slightly lighter on the scales) but on the plus side it certainly feels less like it’s about to throw you into the nearest field for the slightest mistake. Now it feels eager to help, rather than hinder.
Somewhat incredibly too, given that power output, you never miss the four-wheel drive of its rivals either. Even better, those switchable driving modes make an immediate and obvious difference to the car.
Honda has essentially managed to remove much of the rawness of the old car while retaining its high driver-enjoyment levels.
Inside there’s those sports seats, finished in black webbing and bright red suede-effect alcantara together with an alloy gearknob and a decent amount of space front and rear – although we’d still like some of the plastics to be better around the cabin and the graphics on the dials and central display to be clearer.
Overall there’s no question the new Civic Type R has been vastly improved, particularly in terms of driving it on a daily basis.
There’s also no question the Civic is more competitive than ever alongside the likes of the Ford Focus RS and VW Golf R.
Buyers after a hot hatch have never had it so good.