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A 2007 Honda Civic Type-R GT.
So, what did I think?
Looks.. crazy. Currently looks very 'futuristic' but I feel this could be its downfall and in 5 years time it will have dated horribly.
Interior was quite nice to look at - the Alcantara sports seats were very comfortable indeed but the plastics quality was a tad iffy in quite a few places. All the controls you needed were close to hand and for a hatchback it was pretty well loaded with kit.
So, on the road. Steering felt quite light, clutch was nice. What about the engine? Well it's no secret that I dislike VTEC engines, and to be honest, the power delivery of this one still doesn't take my fancy but the noise was absolutely great - nail it in 2nd and it makes a great noise all the way to the redline. The VTEC kick is not as pronounced as it was in the previous model Type R and appears to come in lower this time, circa 5500rpm.
It's also very refined, which I felt odd for a Type R. It had cruise control, etc etc and I felt that I could quite happily set the cruise, stick Radio 2 on the stereo and do a reasonable length journey except for one problem. The ride quality leaves much to be desired - it's very firm indeed, which would be at home in a raw car but somehow feels out of place in this Civic.
Oh, and one thing that drove me insane - it rattled like crazy. I had a rattle from inside the dash, a rattle in the headlining above me, and a rattle from the boot area. It was a virtually brand new car so this was very worrying indeed.
So, overall?
An odd car. It's less raw than the previous Civic in some areas, yet more so in others. It's a bit of a mismatch of a performance car - the huge level of toys, the more refined feeling encourages you to cruise yet the awful ride quality spoils this. The firm ride encourages you to throw it around, yet the extra weight and the slightly less sharp handling spoils this as well.
I was left wondernig who would buy one of these. If you are a VTEC fanboy who loves the raw feel of the Type-R Series then... don't buy one. Buy the previous model. If you want a more refined drive, but love the feel of a hot hatch then... don't buy one either. Buy a Focus ST.
It's a shame becuase it's not a bad car but it strikes me as more of a jack of all trades but a master of, I am afraid, none. Except sounding good.
So, what did I think?
Looks.. crazy. Currently looks very 'futuristic' but I feel this could be its downfall and in 5 years time it will have dated horribly.
Interior was quite nice to look at - the Alcantara sports seats were very comfortable indeed but the plastics quality was a tad iffy in quite a few places. All the controls you needed were close to hand and for a hatchback it was pretty well loaded with kit.
So, on the road. Steering felt quite light, clutch was nice. What about the engine? Well it's no secret that I dislike VTEC engines, and to be honest, the power delivery of this one still doesn't take my fancy but the noise was absolutely great - nail it in 2nd and it makes a great noise all the way to the redline. The VTEC kick is not as pronounced as it was in the previous model Type R and appears to come in lower this time, circa 5500rpm.
It's also very refined, which I felt odd for a Type R. It had cruise control, etc etc and I felt that I could quite happily set the cruise, stick Radio 2 on the stereo and do a reasonable length journey except for one problem. The ride quality leaves much to be desired - it's very firm indeed, which would be at home in a raw car but somehow feels out of place in this Civic.
Oh, and one thing that drove me insane - it rattled like crazy. I had a rattle from inside the dash, a rattle in the headlining above me, and a rattle from the boot area. It was a virtually brand new car so this was very worrying indeed.
So, overall?
An odd car. It's less raw than the previous Civic in some areas, yet more so in others. It's a bit of a mismatch of a performance car - the huge level of toys, the more refined feeling encourages you to cruise yet the awful ride quality spoils this. The firm ride encourages you to throw it around, yet the extra weight and the slightly less sharp handling spoils this as well.
I was left wondernig who would buy one of these. If you are a VTEC fanboy who loves the raw feel of the Type-R Series then... don't buy one. Buy the previous model. If you want a more refined drive, but love the feel of a hot hatch then... don't buy one either. Buy a Focus ST.
It's a shame becuase it's not a bad car but it strikes me as more of a jack of all trades but a master of, I am afraid, none. Except sounding good.
