The first and more important set of upgrades came in cooling and aerodynamics. Where the 2.0 hybrid Civic easily manages mid-50s miles per gallon, Type R ekes out 34.5, less if you get carried away with the performance.While the previous generation of Civic Type R that Honda introduced in 2017 delivered some impressive press, we now realize how much they could've improved, and they now did improve it. The only slight fly in the ointment is the fall off in economy which is only to be expected as performance trumps frugality. There’s no compromise either as it remains a Civic, which, now in its 11 th generation, is supremely practical, large and accommodating. The dash is spot on with easy to use buttons, touchscreen and virtual clocks, which turn red when you press the Type R performance button. The fabulous sports seats are bright red, as are the seatbelts. Type R looks the part, drives stunningly well and the interior is every bit everything you would want and expect from a performance car. Even the huge spoiler manages somehow to stay out of the way – you actually look through it as it’s high enough to frame the rear window – so all round visibility is great and it’s an easy car to park despite its generous length. Yet around town the Type R is a pussycat with a reasonable steering lock for manoeuvring. You rarely need to drop below fourth gear even for overtakes as there’s just so much power available any time you want it. Ironically, you don’t need to use the box that much because the highly tuned motor is exceptionally tractable – it will pull sixth gear cleanly from as low as 40mph, lower still if you have a bit of patience. The six speed box, operated by a tiny tactile alloy gearlever, is glorious and makes you want to swap cogs just to enjoy the super-slick action. There’s no cabin roll yet the ride is never harsh or uncomfortable I just don’t know how Honda does it. It just loves bends, cornering flatly and gripping like a barnacle to a trawler’s hull. Without breaking any legal limits on the motorway Type R knocks ten minutes off the school run as it allows the car to carry much more speed through the twisty sections, without being too hooligan, of course. With a sprint time to 60mph of just over five seconds very few vehicles will beat the Civic off the line.īut the real-life driving experience is more impressive still. Strangely muted on start up the 2.0 turbo does offer the driver almost 330PS of seamless power making Type R an absolute flying machine. Bright blue livery, a deep air dam, huge boot spoiler and 19in matt black alloys complete an image that is unapologetically all about speed – it’s the fastest front wheel drive road car around Suzuka race circuit by the way. Triple trumpet exhausts emerge centrally from a prominent rear air diffuser like rocket launchers on a military vehicle. Lower, wider and sportier than the normal, and I must say excellent, Civic, Type R shouts at the world. That’s because we are in the latest Honda Civic Type R – and it ain’t no shrinking violet. What on earth is going on?Īpparently I’ve inadvertently joined an automotive sub-culture known as JDM, which stands for Japanese domestic market but stretches worldwide. That guy there is actually videoing me as I drive by and my boy tells me we look cool. THERE’s a young man over there looking at me – well, the test car – and another and another.
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