MOTORS: Why isn’t this as sought after as it should be?
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Some things never get the recognition they deserve and on occasion that applies to the cars we drive.
An example of that is the Civic Type R from Honda. It’s a cracking car with a great pedigree and
coupled with the Japanese brand’s renowned engineering expertise along with superb build quality it should be one of the most sought-after examples on the road.
Since it first appeared just over two decades ago it has been the object of desire of many petrolheads who appreciate its performance and literal track record as one of the most successful of the clutch of models competing in the British Touring Car Championship.
It was the car which took three-times BTCC champion Gordon Shedden, from Auchterarder, to the chequered flag on many occasions and for the current season fellow Scot Aiden Moffat, from Edinburgh, is behind the wheel in another Type R and bidding for the Independent’s Trophy.
But away from the circuit, the car is a pretty rare sight on the road with limited sales. There are quite a few reasons for this – not least the price and restricted imports from Japan where it is built.
The latest version, which is a superb piece of kit, costs just under £50,000 – before you add on any extra packs – and only several hundred examples will be coming to the UK, which is even fewer than the previous model. That’s because although there is undoubted demand even at that price, it is high on the emissions table and on a shoogly peg when it comes to the environment so its days must be numbered.
That means that if you are lucky enough to find a good example of the previous model hiding in your local Honda dealership, you can expect to have to dig deep in your pocket or purse to get your name on the registration document.
So let’s look at what you get with the latest 12th generation version which is also going to be a rare sight on the road.
From the outside its heritage is clear and the only major difference is that the previous huge rear spoiler is replaced by something a little more modest, but just as effective in keeping this machine glued to the tarmac.
It has pretty much the same lines as the standard hatchback, which is also a superb, if much tamer, proposition.
There’s been a slight increase in performance, flying from a standing start to 62mph in just 5.4 seconds up to a potential top speed of 171mph.
There’s still an excellent two-litre four cylinder engine under the bonnet but it now has a revised turbocharger to extract even more from it in terms of power and torque.
The signature triple exhaust at the centre of the rear end is still there but has been modified to be less restrictive and along with other small changes to the engine electronics and cooling system the result is a finely tuned performance machine.
There are four driving modes of Individual, Comfort and Sport and the +R button for extra oomph.
What is lovely is the quality of the six-speed gear change. It’s always been pretty good but the engineers have done some tweaking and it’s helped by a rev match control system to make it even slicker as you progress through the box.
The steering has also been worked on and it feels precise with better response, although it wasn’t half bad before. That’s probably helped by the lighter body with an aluminium bonnet and resin tailgate so it feels nimbler from a standing start and through the bends.
The test car came in Championship White paint job with 19-inch matt black alloys which looked great with bright red Brembo calipers behind but the interior was even more dramatic with red carpets, matching Alcantara bucket seats and seatbelts to keep you firmly in place.
Honda Civic Type R Manual
PRICE: £49,090 (£49,740 as tested)
ENGINE: 2.0 litre VTEC turbocharged 4-cyl petrol six-speed manual, front wheel drive
TORQUE: 420 Nm combined
TOP SPEED: 171mph
0-62mph: 5.4secs
