Car: Honda Civic Type-R Mugen
Prices: £38,599 - on the road
Insurance Group: 20
Emissions: 240g/km [est]
Performance: 0-60mph 5.9s / Max Speed 150mph [est]
Fuel Consumption: [combined] 30mpg [est]
Safety: Twin front, side and curtain airbags, ABS, VSA [est]
Dimensions: length/width/heightmm 4276/2046/1460mm [est]
Civic Type-R: Sporty Fun
Our Rating: No Rating Available
As a carmaker Honda has always taken it very seriously when they released sports car versions of their standard production cars. The Honda sports car line has always been one of the few that has never shied away from making a road-drivable car that sounded like a real racecar. They never seemed to care that the racing-style hum of the engine may scare a few customers away. They always knew that the true car enthusiasts would buy their cars and so far they have not been wrong. The second generation of the Honda Civic Type-R is no exception to that rule.
The good news for both Honda and the car buying public is while the latest version of the Honda Civic Type-R is still a super sporty car it is a little less intense to drive, but still has that sports car feel under the hood. The Honda Civic Type-R is powered by a 2.0-litre 198bhp iVtec engine that truly exerts its power between 5,000 rpm and 8,000 rpm. One of the few real draw backs it that the Honda Civic Type-R only offers 192Nm which is less than a lot of the other cars in the sporty, compact class.
Honda has equipped the Civic Type-R with a cool dash mounted 6-speed gear shifter with short-throw close ratios that is much better than the first version. Sadly for those people who liked the tough engine purr of the first generation Type-R, Honda has toned that down a little bit
Drivers who are good at shifting should be able to get the car from 0-60mph in less than six seconds. Our test driver got it to 60mph in 6.6 seconds. Top speed, if you can handle it, is a very nice 146mph which puts it in the top of this class for sure. However going straight is only one part of the drivability equation.
Under the chassis the Honda Civic Type-R has an advanced torsion beam suspension that caused a little bit of controversy when Honda first announced they were doing away with the independent suspension that many Type-R owners loved. While it isn't the best suspension in the class it does just fine. The car handles very nicely with a smooth ride and excellent grip around corners of all degrees.
The exterior style of the Honda Civic Type-R is a tour in sportiness. The front has a large intake that sends air directly to the induction system, black mesh inserts and triangle-shaped fog lamps. The Honda Civic Type-R comes with awesome 18-inch alloy wheels that and enthusiast will be pleased with. In the back there is a sexy looking tailgate spoiler done in the same colour as the body. The good news is that the spoiler is more than show it actually helps keep the car tucked down to the road.
Inside the car is as appealing as one would expect from a racing-styles cars. Bucket style front seats with black bolsters, red fabric seat cushions and backs. In the back you get the same colors on a bench-style seat. The rest of the interior is decked out like a real sports car with red illumination on the gages, racing pedals and an aluminum-finished gear shifter.
Car enthusiasts will be pleased with how this car drives and looks while regular folks looking to step into the sports car market for the first time will also find a lot to like. Honda has once again delivered a great sports-styled car in the Civic Type-R.
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