The Honda Civic Type R has never been a shrinking violet. It's an aggressive,
snorting beast whose rivals include some of the very best hot hatchbacks on
sale today. We're talking cars such as the Ford Focus RS, Volkswagen Golf R,
Hyundai i30 N, and BMWs M140i. So to compete against that lot then this
Type R needs to be very good indeed. But looking at its spec sheet it's been
given the right tools for the job. Aggressive bodywork, check, a powerful
engine, check, a price tag which won't break the bank, and let's not forget that
Type R badge and a pedigree which stretches all the way back to 1997,
and to the launch of the very first Civic Type R. So is this latest version up to
the mark then? In this review we'll tell you what it's like to drive, what it's
like inside, and how easy it is to live with. And if at the end of it all you're
interested in buying a new car then just head to whatcar.com and click on our
New Car Deals section and find out how we can save you thousands on your next car.
First though, let's take this Civic Type R out for a spin. Powering this Civic
Type R is a turbocharged 2-litre petrol engine developing 316 brake horsepower.
Now on paper at least that means the Civic Type R is down on power compared
with its rivals from Ford and BMW but out here on the road it feels every bit
as eager and as fast as those cars. This is an engine which loves to rev and it's
easy to find yourself heading towards that 7200 rpm redline before changing
gear, but when you do you'll love the way this manual gearbox feel, and the way the
lever seems to fall into the next gear that's something that even premium
rivals such as the M140i can't match. Now true the Civic Type R is front-wheel
drive where both of its rivals from Ford and Volkswagen send their power to
all four wheels. But what the Type R does have is a clever limited slip
differential. which does a great job of distributing power to whichever front
wheel can cope with it best and that makes the Type R really easy to place
on the road. There are different driving modes to try too, comfort mode is best
reserved for everyday driving because it can smooth out the larger bumps and ruts
you'll find on British roads. Sport mode makes the car firmer but more agile and
the most hardcore +R mode is best left for the smoothest
roads or if you plan to take your Type R on track. All in all then it's a
very deserving package that rewards keen drivers, in fact our only complaint is
that that booming exhaust note could become a bit of an annoyance on longer
motorway trips. You sit low down in this Civic Type R but that's exactly how it
should be in a car like this. These sleek sport seats do a great job of holding
you in place through the bends, and you should be able to get comfy quickly
thanks to there being plenty of adjustment both in the seat and in the
steering wheel. Now the latest Civic styling doesn't make it particularly
brilliant to park and there's lots of angular parts on this Type R. Thankfully
though every Type R comes with a reversing camera as standard and you can
add front and rear parking sensors for a small cost, but they do come as standard
on this GT model. Now this dashboard is well laid out with lots of buttons
grouped conveniently around you, but things do take a turn for the worse with
this infotainment touchscreen it's slow to respond, clunky to use, and its menus
are infuriatingly laid out. In fact it's only saving grace is that Apple CarPlay
and Android Auto connectivity come as standard, meaning you can control your
phone from your car. And on this version we've also got a wireless charging mat.
Now nobody is going to buy a Civic Type R solely for its practicality but
there's still a good amount of space here in the front, even for a larger
driver like me. There's also plenty of space to store your odds and ends. These
door bins can take a small water bottle, there’s a cup holder here on the centre
console, a space underneath the armrest, and of course a reasonably sized
glovebox as well. You'll find more legroom in the
back of the Civic Type R than you would in either the Focus RS or BMW M140i.
Headroom is less impressive though because of this sloping roofline, but two
six-footers will still be able to sit one behind the other and be comfortable
enough over longer journeys. The Civic Type R boot is impressive by class
standards and you'll be able to get more inside than you would in either the
Focus RS or the BMW M140i. There’s plenty of space inside for a couple of
suitcases, a large weekly shop, or even a pram, but if you do need to extend that
space even further than you can drop those rear seats to create a large, flat
loading area, ideal if you're going to be driving to the
shops to do some DIY. The Type R is a performance car at the end of the day so
don't expect it to be as cheap to run as other regular Civics. That said it's
official fuel economy is rated at 36.7 MPG and when we put this
car through our TrueMPG tests it returned a respectable 35MPG. You also get plenty
of equipment as standard including those 20-inch alloy wheels, that 7-inch
touchscreen infotainment system, and climate control, but we still think it's
worth upgrading to GT trim - because that gets you more safety kit including a
blind spot monitoring system, and cross traffic alerts, as well as parking
sensors, and sat-nav. Now make no mistake the Type R is a truly exceptional hot
hatchback, it offers awesome performance yet
remains practical and comfortable enough to use as an everyday car. Now for plenty
more on the Civic Type R including our full online review of both this car and
its key rivals head to whatcar.com and while you're there click on our New Car
Deals section to see how much we can save you on your next car. But before you do
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