By Chris Riley, Marque Motoring
Honda’s hot hatch is a car that never seems to lose its appeal.
It’s probably the closest thing we mere mortals will ever get to a Ferrari-like driving experience.
The Type-R goes hard, stops hard and is engineered to thrill, but is not a car that will appeal to everyone.
And at $73K price creep threatens to put it beyond the reach of the very group of drivers at which it is targeted.
STYLING
Priced from $73,600 driveway, the Type R has gone up $1000 since we last tested it.
Not a huge increase but that’s on top of the $12,000 or so over the previous model.
That’s a national, haggle-free driveaway price and as such Honda says no negotiations will be entered into.
There are four colours to choose from: Sonic Grey, Rally Red, Crystal Black and Championship White.
The list of competitors with indicative pricing continues to grow, starting with the Hyundai i30 N at just $46,200.
Then there’s the Subaru WRX ($47,490), Mini Cooper JCW ($61,050), Renault Megane RS ($63,000), Toyota Corolla GR Sport ($64,190), VW Golf R ($70,590),
Audi S3 Quattro ($75,400), BMW M135i xDrive ($76,600) and the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4MATIC+ ($119,900).
Missing in action is the fondly-remembered Ford Focus RS which has disappeared along with the rest of the Focus lineup to make way for SUVs and electric vehicles.
At 4606mm new Type-R is 37mm longer, 15mm wider and 13mm lower than the car its predecessor, with a wheelbase that is 35mm longer.
At a kerb weight of 1429kg weight-saving devices include an aluminium bonnet, resin boot lid and smaller wheels which help to reduce unsprung mass by 2.8kg at each corner.
At first sight the latest Type-R looks similar yet different, with seating for four, a good-sized boot and tyre repair kit in lieu of a spare tyre.
A couple of cupholders are built into the centre of the back seat and while it is quite roomy, rear seat passengers could find it somewhat claustrophobic, especially with no air vents.
The front the fascia is similar but different, while the air intake has moved further forward on the bonnet.
The tail lights have been changed to reflect the styling of the latest Civic and while the signature, triple exhaust outlets remain, the rear spoiler is smaller and less impressive.
The black wheels look pretty much the same, but the pinstripe has gone and if you look closely you’ll see they are now 19s instead of 20s, but they wear wider rubber.
Michelin Pilot Sports 265 x 30s are fitted, increasing the car’s footprint and presumably grip.
The brakes are from Brembo, ventilated at front and solid at the rear. The 350mm front discs are equipped with four-piston aluminium callipers. The rears are 305mm in size.
Moving inside, the deep sports buckets are finished in bright vermilion red, with red seatbelts and foot well trim along with other red highlights, including red ambient lighting.
The chunky steering wheel has lost some of its red, but is now trimmed in suede leather.
It needs a 12 o’clock marker to keep track of the wheels, especially on a circuit.
A metal shifter and foot pedals round out the picture.
A touchscreen now perches atop the dash, with a digital display replacing the previous analogue instrument cluster.
Standard equipment includes ‘suede-style’ fabric, two-zone climate air, manual seat adjustment, LED head and tail lights, auto lights and wipers, auto dimming mirror, front and rear parking sensors, radar cruise control, adaptive suspension and a limited slip front diff.
There’s also a comprehensive data logging system for tracking the car, with expanded capability that displays all sorts of info like cornering G-force.
Civic Type-R is covered by a five-year warranty, five-year roadside assistance and five-year capped price servicing, with free map updates for five years and a five-year subscription to on-line services.
Service is due every 12 months or 10,000km.
INFOTAINMENT
A 9.0-inch Advanced Display Audio touchscreen has been designed to minimise driver distraction, with hard buttons and customisable shortcuts for functions used often.
The system features Bluetooth, AM/FM and DAB+ digital radio, satellite navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, wireless phone charger, plus 12 volt and 2 x USB-A ports.
Audio comes from an eight-speaker system, but there’s no mention of a brand, power output or whether it includes a subwoofer.
SAFETY
The current Civic has still not been tested for safety by ANCAP and that includes the Type R.
The previous five-star rating expired way back in October, 2021.
The safety fit out is extensive, however, with 10 airbags, a 360 degree reverse camera, two child seat anchor points and a body structure that has been optimised for safety.
Honda Sensing includes Blind Spot Monitor, Drive Attention Monitor, Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Lane
Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS), Road Departure Mitigation System (RDM), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), High Beam Support
System (HBSS) and Traffic Sign Recognition System (TSR).
ENGINES/TRANSMISSIONS
The previous model produced 228kW of power at 6500 rpm and 400Nm of torque from 2500 rpm.
It accelerated from 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds and uses 8.8L/100km.
Changes to the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine see an increase to 235kW of power and 420Nm of torque, the latter at a slightly higher 2600 revs.
The dash from 0-100km/h has been trimmed to just 5.2 seconds and it uses a fraction more fuel at 8.9L/100km.
The turbocharged engine is paired with a smooth, easy-to-use, quick-shifting six-speed manual transmission with automatic rev-matching.
DRIVING
Remember the Type R is focused on performance rather than comfort.
But it comes with all the trimmings to make you feel more comfortable with the price.
This includes suede-trimmed sports buckets in an attention-seeking red trim that add to the excitement.
The latest Civic Type-R offers a little more power and torque, but this is the preface to a much longer story.
The body is significantly more rigid, delivering improved dynamics and more refinement.
Topped with a solid aluminium shift knob (freezing in winter), the transmission has been engineered to deliver a crisp change action with very low internal friction.
Drive is to the front wheels through a helical-type limited-slip diff minimises wheel spin, allowing the vehicle to accelerate harder on surfaces with uneven traction.
There are four drive modes as well as adjustable suspension: Comfort, Sport, +R and a new Individual mode.
An active exhaust valve changes the pitch of the engine depending on mode, but needs to be louder.
The digital instrument cluster reflects the drive mode you chose, with a race style look in +R that prioritises revs and the current gear, with a string of LEDs allowing the driver to time the change up as you near the 7000 redline.
Talk about torque!
In most sports models you spend the time changing from second to third and back again in corner to corner driving, but in the Type-R the zone moves up to third and fourth, even reaching fifth on longer straights.
An upgraded Electric Power Steering (EPS) system delivers pin-sharp steering, with a stiffer torsion bar and improved software control resolution to enhance steering feel and control.
Steering weight is adjustable in settings.
The trick for getting the most comfortable, satisfying result out of the car is to put it in the new Individual mode, tick all the +R settings then switch the suspension to Comfort which stops the car from crashing through potholes.
And here’s the good bit, the car remembers and retains the drive mode settings between starts.
Grip is phenomenal and the car remains remarkably settled over undulations.
On the downside tyre noise ramps up quickly when moving from smooth to coarse bitumen.
The Brembos are exceptional and will stand the car on its front wheels if asked to.
All in all the Type-R is a fantastic car to drive.
Although premium 95 unleaded is recommended, it will happily take standard unleaded, but probably with a small decrease in power.
Rated at 8.9L/100km, we were getting a conservative 8.0L/100km after almost 660km.
SUMMING UP
The car is great, but the price is a worry.
Having said that, there’s plenty of cheaper and more expensive options.
But remember this is the car that holds the lap record for a front-wheel drive vehicle at the Nurburgring, or it was the last time we checked.
The Type R is a cracker to drive, just as happy to go shopping or for a blast around the race track. It’s a genuinely thrilling car to drive, even if my wife doesn’t like it (don’t tell her I said that).
RATINGS:
Looks: 8
Performance: 9
Safety: 7.5
Thirst: 7
Practicality: 5
Comfort: 7
Tech: 8
Value: 8
Overall: 7.4
