29 Mar 07
The Type-R brand is pretty unique. The closest that any other manufacturer comes to replicating its engineering purity and obsession with weight reduction is BMW with its 'dial M for Motorsport' tuning arm. And that particular M definitely doesn't stand for affordable performance, as its Honda equivalent does.
With the possible exception of Renault, builder of the mighty fine RenaultSport Clio 197, nobody really does the classic 'pull all the weight and cost out of it and make it go faster' hot hatch thing anymore.
Unfortunately, neither does Honda judging by the new Civic Type-R. A full 80kg heavier than the standard 1.8-litre three-door - just a few kilos short of this writer's decidedly less-than-lithe kerb weight - and just a single paltry horsepower more powerful than the outgoing flagship model, it makes you wonder whether the polite Japanese men in white coats over in Tokyo have been overdoing the sake.
An extensive test drive of the car a few weeks ago sent that school of thought straight to the back of the class with a sharp rap on the knuckles. After a few minutes behind the wheel you find yourself mentally applauding Honda for not entering the hot hatch power war.
And the weight? Replacing the rear window with a Perspex screen and ripping all the sound deadening from around the gearbox might have been okay back in the mid-90s - the Integra Type-R of that era is probably the most extreme front-wheel-drive car ever built - but these days even car nuts like me want to be able to hear themselves think while they're driving.
The new 'R' is an absolutely fantastic piece of kit, undoubtedly the most engaging car in this price and size bracket and a superb all-rounder. The gearshift alone is worth the £17,600 asking price.
