This hard-edged hot hatch delivers the driving satisfaction of a track-bred Porsche for a fifth of the asking price.
Good cars need time to reveal their finer qualities, but great cars show their colours within a few hundred metres. The Honda Civic Type R is both.
Settling into a purposeful-looking but surprisingly comfortable seat, you take hold of a beautifully machined metal gear knob and perfectly positioned steering wheel trimmed in suede-like material.
The Honda’s driving experience matches its powerful stance.
Pick first with the delightfully precise gear selector, brush the throttle, raise the clutch and set off. It feels taut and energetic as you merge with the traffic.
There’s a carefully honed quality to the Type R’s responses.
Cheap cars feel like they take a near-enough-is-good-enough approach to control weights and reactions, while the Civic feels like the result of a years-long obsession.
Honda’s interior is a leap beyond the competition.
It’s even better with pace.
Perfect brake response gives you confidence to dive deep into corners, relishing in rare poise. As with all great hot hatches, the Civic tightens its line with a mid-bend throttle adjustment, or loosens the tail on corner entry to help the nose sniff out an apex.
A limited slip differential helps the tyres find traction in the dry, encouraging drivers to take it by the scruff of the neck and make the most of a willing chassis.
The Civic’s handling shines brighter than its ‘championship white’ paint.
Doing so requires commitment, as the Honda’s grip is little short of astonishing.
Forged 19-inch alloys wear enormous 265mm-wide Michelins that give it the same footprint as the latest Porsche 911, endowing the Honda with more purchase power than an unlimited MasterCard.
The precision offered by its suede-wrapped steering wheel calls to mind the focused intensity of track-bred supercars.
The cabin only has room for four people.
It certainly feels like more car than the specifications sheet suggests.
Powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine, the Type R uses a new turbo to make 235kW and 420Nm – 7kW and 20Nm more than the previous model.
The engine has a free-revving, almost naturally aspirated character.
Huge tyres and oversized brakes deliver impressive performance.
It doesn’t burp or crackle like many turbocharged alternatives, trading punctuation for a fizzing intensity that feels more sophisticated, if a little less dramatic.
You need to hold onto gears to get the most out an engine that saves its best for the top of the tacho.
Doing so is no chore, as the delightful gear shift is something to savour.
We could sing songs about the Type R’s gear shift.
There is no automatic transmission option, and drive only goes to the front wheels – decisions that helped keep weight to about 1400 kilos.
The previous-generation Type R was roundly lauded as the best of its breed.
But it wasn’t perfect, and Honda listened to criticism before building the new model.
The biggest change was to its styling.
Honda’s hot hatch is a dead-set weapon when pushed.
Gone are the fake vents and overwrought aero bristles of its predecessor, replaced by a clean new look.
Fussy-looking 20-inch alloys have been replaced by more attractive 19-inch rims, and the Civic now has an “individual” drive mode allowing customisation of favourite settings for the steering, engine and electronically adjustable shock absorbers.
The cabin benefits from a new digital dash with customisable readouts, along with a central touchscreen home to sat nav, wireless smartphone mirroring and a race-bred data logging system.
The Type R delivers driving satifsaction normally reserved for supercars.
You can even download video from track sessions and compare laps with benchmarks set by other racers.
It’s a genuinely special space, with red seatbelts, suede-like surfaces and premium materials that help even the cheapest Civic feel a cut above rivals.
All of which contributes to a high price for Honda’s performance hero.
We winced when Honda announced the car would cost $72,600 drive-away – about $15,000 more than its predecessor.
You’re looking at a clear leader in the hot hatch class.
But performance cars are becoming expensive.
Entry to VW Golf R ownership has climbed by $20,000 in the past five years, and Toyota’s $5000 cheaper GR Corolla can’t match the lovely cabin or outright pace of this Civic.
Honda says the car is effectively sold out for the next two years, suggesting Aussie enthusiasts are comfortable paying a premium for the best hot hatch on sale.
VERDICT
Four and a half stars
The new Civic Type R is something special. Magnificent to drive and striking to behold.
The new Civic Type R is an impressive achievement.
HONDA CIVIC TYPE R
PRICE $72,600 drive-away
ENGINE 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo, 235kW and 420Nm
WARRANTY/SERVICE 5-yr/u’ltd km, $995 for 5 years
SAFETY 8 airbags, auto emergency braking, active cruise control, lane keeping, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert
THIRST 8.9L/100km
BOOT 410 litres
SPARE Repair kit
Keyword: New Honda Civic Type R review