Andrew Frankel
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Every time a car manufacturer produces a really good car, one problem will always remain: how on earth do you replace it with a successor when the time comes?
As the car magazines fill up with words about the new Honda Civic Type R over the next few weeks, it will probably emerge that its biggest rival is not a VW Golf GTi or Ford Focus ST, but a car no longer even on sale: the old Civic Type R. I am willing to bet the bulk of such comparisons will be of the less than flattering variety. They’ll point out the new car is heavier, slower, softer and less focussed than the one it seeks to replace. Gallingly for Honda, they’ll be right.
The old Civic Type R crept up on an unsuspecting market so stealthily that even Honda barely saw it coming. It originally hoped to sell 1,500 in the UK but in the end, they shifted over 35,000. It became an icon – the hottest of hatches for the most enthusiastic of enthusiasts. Whatever else the new Civic Type R is, it is not this. The world has moved on in the last six years and, while a 197bhp 2-litre engine seemed grounds on its own to buy a Type R then, now a 198bhp 2-litre engine is trounced by a Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra. Where the old Type R was as hardcore as hatchbacks came, by Honda’s own admission this one has been softened, made more pliant and easier to live with. It is that tricky second album on wheels.
Or is it? When I drove the Type R last week, instead of reminding me how much less fun it was to drive than its predecessor, I found myself thinking how much more fun it was than most other cars that could call themselves rivals. For a start, it doesn’t matter if your gaze falls on the Golf GTi, Focus ST, Astra VXR, Mazda3 MPS or Volvo C30 T5, all the Honda’s closest rivals use turbocharged engines. This brings big power for sure, but not without big problems too: throttle response becomes slack, engine noise is dulled and steering feel and handling prowess have to be compromised simply to direct safely so much power or, more specifically, torque through the cars steered wheels. The Civic has no such problem. It develops its 198bhp simply because its engine owes more to racing than road design. It will rev to 8400rpm, possesses a maniacal and addictive howl and more than makes up in the quality of its performance what little it loses to its quickest rivals in brute force. It also has perhaps the best six speed manual gearbox I have ever found in a hatchback.
It handles better not only than any rival save the Focus and very expensive Volvo, but also the old Type R. This should not be the case. The old Civic used wishbone suspension, universally regarded as the best configuration for racing and sporting road cars, while this Civic uses a system used by budget shopping cars because it’s cheap and doesn’t eat into your boot space. For all this, it works: the Type R corners at dizzy speeds, feels as secure as a lifeboat in a slight swell and, crucially, steers beautifully. This is something even the most charitable of commentators would struggle to say about the old Type R.
If all I ever had to do was drive the new Civic Type R as fast as I could, I’d love every minute we we’re together. My problem lies not in the adjustments that many will say are Honda’s failed attempt to make the Type R truly sporting, but those refinements done to make it more civilised. For it’s when the vehicle tries to fill the role as an everyday car, rather than a purely sporting car that the Type R seems least sure of itself.
For instance, its ride quality is uncomfortably firm. Thick door pillars mean your peripheral vision is badly obstructed while the huge rear spoiler does a great job of hiding the car behind you. Ergonomically it’s a mess and, at a constant cruise, cabin noise levels are just a little too wearing.
It’s also not as cheap as it appears. Honda proudly quotes a list price of £17,600 for the car, which seems a bargain only until you realise that price doesn’t even buy air conditioning, which many would simply presume as standard in a car like this. In fact, you need to spend another £1000 on the Type R GT before air (and a good level of additional equipment including cruise control and another couple of airbags) is included.
The car is still well-priced relative to the opposition, particularly when you consider that its residual values are reckoned by CAP to be better even than a Golf GTI, by far. As an all-round, all-purpose everyday weapon, I’d still say the Focus ST remains the most able car in the class while the Golf will prove easiest to live with. But the Civic is far from disgraced, if it’s raw character you want. Its outlandish looks and outstanding engine should make it the pick of the bunch.
Of one thing I am sure: however good the old Type R was, this is a worthy successor. It will never have the same impact nor, I suspect, earn the same slavish following because it is burdened with a level of expectation the old car never had to contend with.
It is a good and good-value product with charm, that will take a lot and return a greater proportion of your investment than any rival out there. The old Civic Type R was a tough act, but the new one has followed it. What a shame then, that I suspect it will never get the credit.
VITAL STATISTICS
Model Honda Civic Type R
Engine type Four cylinders in a line, 1998cc
Power/Torque 198bhp at 7800rpm/142lb ft at 5600rpm
Transmission Six speed manual
Tyres 225/40 R 18
Fuel/CO2 31.0mpg (combined), 215g/km
Acceleration 0-62mph: 6.6sec
Top speed 146mph
Price £17,600
Rating 4/5
Verdict Beaten only by the Focus ST
Date of release 1 March
THE OPPOSITION
Ford Focus ST2
For: Smooth, powerful engine, excellent handling, good value
Against: Not exactly a looker, blue collar image not for everyone
Volkswagen Golf GTI
For: Supremely easy to live with, handles well, strong image
Against: Not the fastest or most fun in the class, looks a little dowdy.
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