JUST MY TYPE
People love rooting for the underdog. It’s the disruption of establishment and predictability; a trend as old as David and Goliath.
It’s the reason there’s always been such a buzz and expectation around anything that wears the Type R badge.
And, even in all of its hyperaggressive glory, the new FK8generation Honda Civic Type R — the first sold new in New Zealand — is still that underdog.
It walks into what is a rather crowded segment, coming up against the bubbly Ford Focus RS, the mature Volkswagen Golf R, and the rally- bred Subaru WRX STI. And it takes on these rivals with one arm tied behind its back; they are all- wheel drive, while the Civic is still merely front- wheel drive.
But, things get spicy when you compare numbers. At $ 59,900 and 1413kg it’s the cheapest and lightest of them all — a significant $ 13,090 cheaper and 144kg lighter than the Focus RS segment king. It also has the highest top speed ( 271km/ h), and the best drag coefficient.
That final point is indicative of something that some of the Type R’s loudest critics would scarcely like to admit; all of those wings, vents, and scoops make a difference.
Well, most of them, anyway.
Two stacks of portals that sit on the flanks on the front bumper help channel air around the front wheels, while the aggresive upswept side skirts do the same for the rear wheels, and a group of fish finger- sized “vortex generators” on top of the hatch guide wind into that greedy rear wing . . . and that’s just a tiny snapshot.
The level of meticulous aerodynamic intricacy is impressive, but the obvious trade- off of this wind wizardry is that it results in a car that’s
blissfully ugly. Function is well and truly ahead of form, although the nerds and purists will love that stuff.
Inside, well- bolstered seats complement a driving position that's just about perfect. The stubby gear lever is topped by the traditional metal knob, and just below it lies a stamped serial number unique to each car. But, not much else about the cabin ranks a mention. It's well equipped, but the materials disappoint, and the infotainment system is of the “too fiddly” variety.
The engine should be familiar to Honda fans. It's the latest iteration of the ever popular 2.0- litre K- Series.
Honda has used a version of this engine in every generation of Civic Type R it has made, barring the first one.
Its latest application produces 228kW and 400Nm of torque, slotting it above the Golf R and STI, and below the RS.
Of course, there are those out