29 Mar 07
What's this got to do with my five-door Civic diesel? A lot, as it goes.
The fact that Honda has had to do so little to this car to turn it into the finest hot hatch that money can buy is testament to just how good the standard car really is. Already the boldest, most futuristic family car on the market, with a few visual tweaks - a new mesh grille here and there, some bigger rims, a longer (but no more view-obscuring) spoiler - and you've got something that wouldn't look out of place on the racetracks of 2010.
Honda's oft-derided decision to switch from costly double-wishbone rear suspension to a cheaper, more compact torsion bar set-up is totally vindicated too - the new R rides and handles brilliantly. And for the rest of us plain-Jane Civic drivers it means bags of rear legroom and the most user-friendly seat folding mechanism this side of an MPV.
The boot is another of the Honda's strengths. Aside from the fact that it's large, impeccably trimmed and almost rectangular (reduced wheelarch intrusion is another benefit of the suspension layout), it also features a gadget that I have recently decided I cannot live without: a boot within a boot.
A secondary compartment sunk into the floor, complete with concertina-style cover, provides an ideal way of keeping your bags of shopping and other breakables from flying all over the place. Much less hassle than the net-and-hook systems you find in estate cars.
