Honda Civic Type R

Honda Civic Type R – oxygen not suppliedclearly utilising their Formula One programme for the
The hatchback brings with it two main demographicsgood of their hot hatch. The Civic Type R became the
that tend to part with their cash more than anyonebiggest selling performance hatchback in the noughties
else in society – the very young and the very old.– with over 35,000 units sold – so it was no
For the old, a shiny hatchback represents ansurprise at the 2006 British Motor Show when
economical, safe and pleasant way to get to and fromeveryone’s legs turned to jelly when they clasped
the shops, bingo and church. The Honda Civic rangeeyes on the new one.
has been king of the grey-haired brigade for decadesThe new Civic is all triangles and space-age – a
and brings with it an unassuming, sensible and reliablehighly risky direction change for a company happily
transport solution for getting from A to B.catering for such a diverse range of customers.
For young people – mostly males with fluff stuck toHowever Honda have always wanted to shed their
their upper lip, the Honda Civic and it’s hatchbackimage of being an old-persons car maker and the
rivals represent the cheapest way of getting a car,newest Civic is a styling exercise with the sole
insuring it and then thrashing it to within an inch ofintention of keeping its young fan base and stealing the
it’s life every night in a McDonalds car park. Themiddle aged away from their Volkswagen Golfs. The
fun doesn’t stop there either. Since the initialType R for the record didn’t just turn my legs to
conception of Max Power magazine in the earlyjelly at the motor show – I needed a crash team
nineties, car modification has gone through the roof.and some oxygen.
Even Hollywood has got in on the act with the FastThe production model is only a tad watered down
and the Furious trilogy seeing more neon lights infrom the final concept in 2006, with the body kit
cinema car parks than an Ibiza club.identical. That means that unlike the previous Civic
Much like the punk movement, it’s the DIY aestheticType R, you don’t need to check the badge to
of personalising your car from a million different optionsknow this isn’t the base model. I don’t know
and standing out from the crowd that appeals. With itswhere to start to be honest – seeing one will say
bullet proof reliability and extensive catalogue ofeverything I need to, as you’ll either love it or hate it.
performance and styling parts, the Honda Civic hasIt looks as though a spaceship has crashed into the
simultaneously become the favoured choice at bothPyramids and driven off – but for me, it works.
ends of the circle of life – but for very differentCrucially Honda haven’t messed with the engine, so
reasons.the new Type R retains the 2.0 litre, 197bhp engine
Honda aren’t stupid and having seen the massfrom its predecessor. Although this will of course save
market appeal for ‘hot hatches’ thoughton Honda’s design costs, it’s a clear case of
they’d better produce one for the British market‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. Honda say
– and thus was born the Civic Type R in 2001. Topthey have made this new model more refined, with a
lip fluff brigade were beside themselves withsuspension that isn’t as racy the previous model,
excitement. Grey haired brigade were happy with theyet it’s somehow firmer and unfortunately not
standard issue model. Either way, Honda was onto arefined in the slightest.
winner with a huge percentage of the population.This criticism aside, the new Type R has every reason
The Type R was an exceptional car too, with ato feel confident in an already crowded market place
0-60mph time of 6.6 seconds and the ever-eagermost notably featuring the Ford Focus ST, Renault Clio
VTEC engine revving to 8,250rpm. Stylistically it197 and Volkswagen Golf GTi.
wasn’t too different from the standard model, withBrand loyalty counts for a lot and when the last model
17 inch alloy wheels and a spoiler adorning the rear thesold 2333% more than anticipated, the fluff brigade are
main differences. It was on the road that the littlesurely going to be reaching for the oxygen and their
Honda Civic really delighted with the Japanese firmcash too.