► Day-to-day with the latest Honda hot hatch
► Most rounded Civic Type R yet
► GT spec brings extra kit
For the last few months, Honda has been taking a Civic Type R to different tracks around the world to demolish the lap record for production front-wheel-drive cars. This week, the Civic Type R took the lap record at the Hungaroring with Jenson Button behind the wheel.
The ex-F1 and current Super GT competitor set a time of 2min 10.19sec around the track where he also took his first F1 win ever, for Honda in 2006. After the lap, Button also gave some feedback on the new Type R – the same one I’m running as a long-termer.
‘The first thing I noticed when I left the pitlane was how neutral the car was,' he said. 'I come from a background that is not front-wheel drive focused, so it was very different for me but because the Type R is so well balanced it was instantly really enjoyable and more natural.
‘The thing that surprised me most is how late you can brake with this car. The manual gearbox works really well, too. Most cars these days don’t come with manual boxes, so it’s nice to have that manual feel. You always feel a lot more connected to the car.’
Month 4 living with a Honda Civic Type R: how does it compare with a GT3?
This month involved a little less Honda than usual and a bit more Porsche 911 GT3.
Yet I wasn’t as disappointed by having to jump back into the Type R as you’d expect. Sure, the Honda lacks the Porsche’s fizzing 8000rpm redline or timeless looks, but it’s obscenely planted, with just the right amount of power under that gaping air scoop – and it’s begging to be thrown around.
Its usability inspires confidence, and the looks are starting to grow on us, too.
As tested £32,995
Engine 1996cc 16v turbo 4-cyl, 316bhp @ 6500rpm, 295lb ft @ 2500rpm
Transmission 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Performance 5.8sec 0-62mph, 169mph, 176g/km CO2
Miles this month 1040
Total 5565
Our mpg 28.65
Official mpg 36.7
Fuel this month £219.17
Extra costs None
Diary update: James Taylor's take on the Honda CTR
Curtis and I swapped cars over the weekend, with him driving my usual Hyundai i30 N long-termer and me borrowing his Civic Type R.
It’s a little while since I’ve been behind the wheel of the Civic, and I’d forgotten just how brilliant it is. I wish my i30 N had the same sense of precision; the Civic’s steering and body control are leagues ahead of the Hyundai's, which itself is a great driver’s car. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, of course, given the Civic’s higher price point and the fact that the base Civic has a more sophisticated chassis than the i30 N’s donor car.
For me, what makes the Civic such a satisfying car to drive are its control weights and touch points - there’s plenty of feel through the brake pedal, the clutch and gearshift are perfectly weighted, and the steering rack is geared just-so. All that means you can enjoy the car at almost any speed - it’s almost as much fun to drive slowly as it is quickly, picking the perfect line through a corner and enjoying the instant response from the steering, lack of body roll, and yet supple ride quality. I suspect the Type R’s dampers are quite expensive.
Another plus point: although the Civic is more powerful than the i30 N, it’s much less thirsty.
The Type R’s looks have started to (slightly) grow on me, too, and I think it’s a better-looking car than its FK2 predecessor. It is a shame it has such extreme styling, though. As much as I love driving the Type R, I still can’t get used to people staring, first at the car, and then its driver, everywhere it goes. The Civic’s drivetrain and chassis inside the i30N’s body - maybe that would be the perfect combo.
Month 2 living with a Type R: scratching the surface
One mile-heavy month into life with the Type R and my brain is now fully dialled into manual-gearbox driving. With the rustiness gone I’ve been fully appreciating the crisp but solid, firm yet smooth feel of the Honda’s six-speed ‘box. And on quite a few slip roads, I’ve been making the most of what those gears can extract from the turbocharged petrol engine.
Blasting the Type R to cruising speed from third is the perfect antidote to miles of A1 (M). After that burst of fun, it’s then easy to drop it into sixth, click on adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist, and fire up a podcast.
A car that looks this lairy has no right to be this comfortable on the motorway, but that’s a benefit of the Type R being developed at the same time as the rest of the Civic range. But now to find some B-roads, and explore the other end of the spectrum.
Price £32,995
As tested £32,995
Engine 1996cc 16v 4-cyl turbo, 316bhp @ 6500rpm, 295lb ft @ 2500rpm
Transmission 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Performance 5.8sec 0-62mph,169mph, 176g/km CO2
Miles this month 1742
Total 2208
Our mpg 28.8
Official mpg 36.7
Fuel this month £340.22
Extra costs None
Diary update: the Type R goes to Goodwood 76MM
The annual Goodwood Members Meeting is a celebration of all things vintage, with flowing bodywork, low mechanical grip and the sound of crude naturally-aspirated power providing a rich atmosphere.
If you had to choose a car that’d stick out there then, you’d probably put the turbo-powered Honda Civic Type R near the top of your list – and you’d be right to. It’s engineered to carve through b-roads, it’s full of technology to make your life easier – and with that wing on the back, it looks more like a 1920’s biplane than an automobile.
Nevertheless, with the car packed on Saturday morning, full of clothes that were nowhere near warm enough for what was to come – the Honda and I set off from Stamford.
The journey to Goodwood takes around three and a half hours, but I’m now well aware how easy it is to eat up the miles in the Type R. Tanked up with fuel and prepared with a decent playlist, the journey was relatively simple – though the weather had other ideas.
Goodwood car parks always seems to turn into a no mans land of stranded classics and hatchbacks, and the appearance of snow now added to the equation, I knew things would be tricky. After getting interesting looks by those in MGs, Healeys and other classics, I parked the Honda somewhere in a field, and guessed I’d need it towed out.
In fact, I made it out, but only by reversing for around 10 minutes along a safe path of metal ramping; any three point turns would’ve left me on the mud, and likely stranded. I survived then, but perhaps the car’s interior will need a serious valet.
After making a break for it, I probably experienced one of my most unhinged drives with the Type R ever. With the roads car covered in snow and girt, and the tyres slick with mud, almost every press of the accelerator saw a flicker of the traction light – but even in the most adverse conditions, the Type R was still predictable.
Sure, launching out of Chichester’s numerous roundabouts resulted in several big losses of traction - just enough to put a grin on my face. It may look modern, brash and be highly engineered, but the Civic really feels like a direct, responsive drivers’ car. And isn’t that partly what Goodwood is about?
Bulging with extra air intakes and wild vortex generators, and finished with an enormous OTT spoiler, the Type R isn’t what you’d call discreet. In fact, it looks more like a Transformer – and I like it.
When CAR reviewed the Type R last year, we found it to be the most well-rounded hot hatch in ages. That’s something of a relief, because a good amount of my life is in London, so I’ll be using the performance-minded Honda to shuttle myself between Stamford and Bromley. That’s not the nicest two-and-a-half-hour journey in any car, and takes in driver’s favourites such as the M25, M11 and A1(M). But it looks like the Type R may be better suited to the mundane than many other hot hatches.
Comfort mode – new for this year’s model – softens the suspension, cools the powertrain and lightens the steering, while adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping – part of the £2000 GT package – give you a helping hand when you need it, too. Throw in four seats for normal-sized humans and a proper boot, and the Type R could actually be rather practical.
What about the interior? Posh cabins have never been the Civic’s forte and this one is far from the plushest among today’s hot hatches. Its infotainment in particular looks quite basic – but it’s clear most of the £30,995 you pay for this car has gone into performance. Still, credit where it’s due: it has a wireless charging pad for compatible smartphones.
I’m looking forward to doing some serious miles. While Comfort mode will probably be the setting I use when travelling to London and in day-to-day commuting, the Sport and R+ modes are clearly where it comes most to life.
The six-speed transmission is both mechanical and tactile – making gearchanges incredibly satisfying. Thanks to a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder VTEC engine, the Civic is quick enough, and gets to 62mph in 5.8 seconds. The car boots up on Sport mode by default, but flicking a switch selects R mode, and with it a more aggressive set-up. The suspension is firmer, the steering heavier, and it’s a setting I’ll no doubt enjoy exploring in the coming months.
The Civic Type R is a car I’m really looking forward to using day to day. On paper it’s the best of both worlds. We’ll be finding out if that’s the case.
Price £32,995
As tested £32,995
Engine 1996cc 16v 4-cyl turbo, 316bhp @ 6500rpm, 295lb ft @ 2500rpm
Transmission 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Performance 5.8sec 0-62mph,169mph, 176g/km CO2
Miles this month 0
Total 466
Our mpg n/a
Official mpg 36.7mpg
Fuel this month £0
Extra costs None
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