Welsh Motoring Writers
  • Home
  • About us
  • News
  • Car Reviews
  • Blogs
  • Contact
  • Members
  • Blog

Honda Civic Type R

10/12/2010

 
Picture
Never judge a book by its cover, don't get too excited or you'll only be disappointed and don't run before you can walk.

All valuable lessons taught to me by my mother.

That other well-known phrase 'always listen to your mum' is a lesson I obviously paid no attention to because when the Civic Type R arrived on my doorstep on the eve of its decommissioning by Honda, I'd had the last three years to pre-empt what I was going to write: "Super fast, super fun, but largely impracticable for more than two people."

The problem being I have always wanted a Civic Type R.

For years it has been revered as the hottest hot hatch on the market and for that reason alone I judged it before driving it and got far too excited about driving it.

A review had already been written in my head and my brain was sprinting faster than Usain Bolt trying to get away from Delhi.

It is not that the Honda is a bad car, far from it, because in many ways it is a far better car than I was ever expecting. It just wasn't what I was expecting.

There are quicker rivals on the market, yet few can match the Civic Type R's engaging nature.

It's a car that simply becomes more enjoyable the longer you spend behind wheel.
The 2.0-litre VTEC engine produces only 198bhp which, compared to the 261 horses in the Seat Leon Cupra R or the Renault Meganesport 250, is relatively low, but the Honda is more impressive than the statistics suggest.

Low down the Honda, while punchy, is not as ferocious as the Seat but take it above 5,500 revs per minute and it comes alive, before screaming all the way up to the red line.

It's a bit like watching someone sneezing eight times in a row, in a way you feel kind of sorry for them but deep down you know they're having fun!

So I wasn't entirely wrong. The Civic Type R, like any good hot hatchback is fast and fun (just in a much more Japanese way that its rivals).

It also excels on A and B-roads thanks to responsive steering and great traction, but it is the package as a whole where the Honda really excels - it is also spacious and practical.

I used the car to take a few friends to the train station this week - not that I needed a quick car to get them to the platform in time as trains in this country always run late - and despite them all being in excess of six-foot tall not one of them complained of a lack of leg room.

It is the same in the boot too, where there was ample room for four large suitcases.
When this car was launched in 2007 its biggest rival was not the VW Golf GTi or the Ford Focus ST, but the car it was replacing: the old Civic Type R.

Three years down the line and as it's about to go off sale, the Civic Type R is still rates hotter than hot in the hot hatch segment.

By Richard Jones

Comments are closed.

    View by date

    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    December 2020
    August 2020
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    August 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    September 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    March 2014
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    July 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    October 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    May 2010
    December 2009
    October 2009
    August 2009
    November 2001


    View by tags

    All
    Alfa Romeo Giulietta
    Alfa Romeo Mito
    Aston Martin Rapide
    Audi A3
    Audi A6
    Audi A7 Sportback
    Audi Q3
    Bmw 520d
    Bmw 5 Series Touring
    Bugatti Veyron Super Sports
    Fiat 500 Twinair
    Ford Focus
    Honda Civic Type R
    Honda CR-Z
    Hyundai Ix35
    Infiniti Ex37
    Infiniti Fx
    Infiniti G37 Cabrio
    Jaguar Xf
    Jeep Grand Cherokee
    Kia Soul
    Kia Sportage
    Land Rover Discovery 4
    Lexus Ct200h
    Mazda3
    Mazda CX-5
    Mercedes-Benz C-Class
    Mini Countyman
    Mitsubishi Shogun
    Nissan X-Trail
    Peugeot 3008
    Peugeot 508 Rxh
    Peugeot 508 Saloon
    Peugeot Rcz
    Range Rover Evoque
    Renault Mégane
    Renault Mégane Coupe Cabriolet
    Renaultsport Clio Gordini
    Renault Wind
    Seat Leon Cupra R
    Seat Leon Ecomotive
    Skoda Octavia Scout
    Skoda Superb Estate
    Skoda Yeti
    Ssangyong Korando
    Suzuki Alto
    Suzuki Swift
    Toyota Avensis Saloon
    Volkswagen California
    Volkswagen Tiguan
    Volkswagen Touareg
    Volvo S60
    Volvo V60

    RSS Feed

© WELSH MOTORING WRITERS 2023