Taking the R through its paces in sunshine means at least you can see where you’re going; in darkness its headlights are a let-down
It’s something that happens to me quite a lot: I’m sitting here trying to think of the right word. What I want is a word to describe the sensation of exhilaration, tempered by slight unease that rests with me now, having driven Honda’s new Civic Type R.
It’s not the ability it demonstrated despite the limitations of its front-drive, five-door hatch configuration that is the source of my disquiet, though at times it feels like witchcraft. Nor is it, per se, a list price of £46,995, a rise of almost 50% relative to its predecessor (from which it is derived) when it went on sale seven years ago. Option in the carbon pack and you can spend 50 grand on a Honda Civic, and while that price means numbers will be tiny, it’s not a limited edition.
No, it’s that sense that this is Honda saying to us all, “Well, boys and girls, this is the last of these cars we’ll ever make, so we made it the best we possibly could. Enjoy it while you can, because it won’t be here for long.” That missing word? ‘Ominous’ probably covers it.
There are other reasons it’s so damn expensive of course, inflation being one, the fact the car is built in Japan but its engine in US, meaning at least some of it has already been around the world before it even reaches you is another. But really it’s all about car manufacturers balancing emissions: for every Type R it sells, Honda will have to sell x number of saintly hybrids and EVs, where x is not a small number.
Lightweight driving seats are set even lower than the previous model for better lumbar support
So perversely it’s in Honda’s interest to not sell too many Type Rs, and putting the price through the roof is a very effective way of achieving just that and covering its costs at the same time. So it did.
The result feels like a comprehensive upgrade of the old car, and for this kind of money I would hope so too. It’s better looking, though that’s still not saying much, and with a considerably better-presented, better-connected, more cohesive interior.
But the really interesting stuff you’ll struggle to see at all. For instance it has a longer wheelbase and a wider track, the former no easy (or cheap) feat when you’re retaining the old platform design. That platform is now torsionally stiffer, as are its steering rack and suspension mounting points. The already brilliant and defiantly manual gearbox has been sharpened up some more. By contrast, the additional 9hp found for the 2-litre turbo motor is really neither here nor there, especially as it’s offset by a 30kg weight increase, which is largely down to the requirement for a petrol particulate filter to be fitted.
Best of all, however, at least to me, is the belated fitting of an ‘individual’ driving mode, which allows you to choose one of three settings for each of the powertrain, suspension and steering. So I set an alarm for the very early morning, then selected the full-on racetrack ‘R’ settings for the engine, ‘comfort’ for the dampers and ‘sport’ which gave the best weighting for the very direct rack and went to work.
“This is so good it’s almost worth the absurd amount of money”
At first it all went really rather badly, resulting in me being so piqued I took to Twitter to ask why on earth Honda might fit a car so good with headlights so poor that for half the time you end up not being able to drive it the way you want. I’d trade the £3000 you can lose on a carbon rear wing for being able to see where you’re going during the hours of darkness. But maybe that’s just me.
But when I needed the lights no longer it was scintillating. And I say that without the almost always required ‘for a front-drive hatch’ qualifier. This Civic Type R is a brilliant driver’s car, period. I spend a lot of time knocking about in a not dissimilarly priced Alpine A110 at the moment, a car designed from scratch for the almost sole purpose of being as good to drive as it possibly can, yet the Civic is not so far away, but has five doors, a rear seat and a big boot. And manual gears.
The acceleration figures look none too impressive, but that’s only because it’s a front-drive car with a manual box. With all-wheel drive and paddles the same powertrain would be a full second faster to 62mph. There are plenty of other hatchbacks that go this hard, but none on sale close to being this deft. It’s not down to its grip – though it’s on 265/35 section tyres, the widest I recall on any front-drive car – but its feel and poise.
While the engine power earns all the headlines, it’s the chassis tune that deserves the praise. No comparable car makes you feel more connected to the road. If you want to trim your line through a corner, you do so by foot, not hand.
On cold damp roads the front end can develop a mind of its own if you dose it with more torque than it can manage and it will slew across the road if you let it, but when this is as easily averted as simply lifting your toes, it’s hardly a problem. Yet despite all this, the ride quality is exceptional.
This, then, is the most enjoyable hatchback on sale, so good it’s almost worth the absurd amount of money being asked for it. Unless it’s dark. If, after 26 years, this really is the last laugh of the Civic Type R, then it will be as fitting a farewell as you could reasonably hope or expect.
• Price £46,995
• Engine 2 litres, four cylinders, petrol, turbocharged
• Power 325bhp at 6500rpm
• Torque 310lb ft at 2200rpm
• Weight 1429kg (DIN)
• Power to weight 227bhp per tonne
• Transmission Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
• 0-62mph 5.4sec
• Top speed 170mph
• Economy 34.5mpg
• CO2 186g/km
• Verdict A true driver’s car (in daylight).
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