One crazy car with wings ‘n fins, lots of information in short paragraphs.
What you need to know: The old Type R is dead, long live the new Type R! When Honda shocked the world with crazy turbo power in their new hot Civic, they did so (locally) with the spaceship hatchback body. Now though, for reasons I’m not sure about, they’ve killed that model off in favour of this sedan / fastback car.
This is a novelty for southern Africa – if we ignore the yummy older Type R sedans I’ve seen zipping about Walvis Bay and surrounds. Power outputs remain the same at 228kW or 400Nm from a 2-litre turbo-petrol and front-wheel drive. As is now customary, this Type R has ludicrous body styling and wafer-thin (30-profile) tyres.
More facts: In previous generations, or fast machinery from other manufacturers, that would mean a bone-breaking ride, blurred vision and hordes of rattles even if you’re just popping out for some milk. In this though, Honda has truly performed magic. It’s comfortable. More comfortable than most AMG’s…
Where we went: Our youngest journalist grabbed the keys and ran off for days… at some point I thought he’d never return. When he did, I attacked suburban streets, highways and business parks. The new Type R’s cushioning ride is remarkable and it only needs to fear the dreaded and ever-multiplying speed humps.
You’ll also make lots of friends and potential drag racing opponents in traffic because of the car’s ridiculous styling. Our performance testing yielded a best 0-100 time of 5.91 seconds amidst plenty of wheel spin while a single emergency stop from 100km/h was done in just 2.52 seconds and 35.01m; no thanks to superb Brembo brakes.
Watch out for: That 245/30ZR20 rubber from Continental costs 4,600 bucks (each) and won’t cushion out low-speed bumps or protect the rims from anything more than a medium-sized pebble. Rear visibility is compromised because of the coffee table on its bum, there’s no spare wheel and all of this costs 635k.
Consumption can pass 15L/100km if you cane it, which you will, but we were happy with our weekly average of just under 11L/100km. Honda claims 8.4 and I once achieved 6.6 on a steady 110km/h cruise. The top speed of 272km/h is rather illegal and some of the red cabin highlights are a tad garish.
Why you’ll want one: But that’s what surprised me about this car, I thought it would be as ridiculous to drive as its lipstick seats and Autostyle spoilers… but it isn’t. Sure, it goes like the clappers, but it steers and handles brilliantly, has an easy clutch, rides extremely well and is quite versatile with its 414 to 780L boot.
On top of that, each Civic Type R is sold with a 5-year/200,000km warranty and 5-year/90,000km service plan. This is an amazing car!
FULL SPECLIST
Engine: 2L i-4 turbo-petrol
Transmission: 6-speed manual, FWD
Max. Power: 228kW
Max. Torque: 400Nm
Avg cons.: 10.8L/100km (claimed 8.4)
0-100km/h: 5.91 seconds (claimed 5.8)
Top Speed: Claimed 272km/h
List Price: N$635,500
Performance:
0-10km/h: 0,44 seconds
0-20km/h: 0,94 seconds
0-30km/h: 1,41 seconds
0-40km/h: 1,88 seconds
0-50km/h: 2,35 seconds
0-60km/h: 3,10 seconds
0-70km/h: 3,84 seconds
0-80km/h: 4,39 seconds
0-90km/h: 4,97 seconds
0-100km/h: 5,91 seconds
0-110km/h: 6,72 seconds
0-120km/h: 7,50 seconds
0-130km/h: 8,34 seconds
0-140km/h: 9,67 seconds
0-150km/h: 10,76 seconds
0-160km/h: 11,96 seconds
0-170km/h: 13,27 seconds
0-180km/h: 14,80 seconds
0-100m: 6,22 seconds @ 103,42km/h
0-200m: 9,17 seconds @ 136,16km/h
0-300m: 11,63 seconds @ 157,31km/h
0-400m: 13,80 seconds @ 173,65km/h
100-0km/h: 2,52 seconds @ 35,01 meters (once-off)
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0-10mph: 0,75 seconds
0-20mph: 1,52 seconds
0-30mph: 2,29 seconds
0-40mph: 3,48 seconds
0-50mph: 4,45 seconds
0-60mph: 5,73 seconds
0-70mph: 7,01 seconds
0-80mph: 8,38 seconds
0-90mph: 10,44 seconds
0-100mph: 12,42 seconds
0-110mph: 14,81 seconds
1/4 mile: 13,85 seconds @ 108,08 mph
Maximum acceleration G-force: 0,60G
Altitude: 60m
All data captured by Racelogic® Performance Box