RE: Honda Civic Type R: PH Fleet

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Matt Bird said:

LaurasOtherHalf said:

Guvernator said:

Can Matt or anyone please comment on what the engine is like in the upper reaches of the rev range? I realise we are in the brave new world of turbo's but a huge part of the previous Type R's character was it's ability to rev to the redline and love doing it.

I know this car won't match that character but does it get anywhere close or are we looking at another efficient but relatively boring modern turbo power plant which delivers down low but feels breathless past 6krpm?

very easy to run it into the limiter at 7K,as it's still pulling. I'd personally be happy if it had another 250rpm simply as a buffer for when on track, but then if it did i'd probably want it to 7500, then 7750 etc etc

I understand people don't like 'ring laps for the pissing contest they represent, but watch the record lap for an example of how it revs;

https://youtu.be/a9G7N0_M9Rc

you can see the shift lights on the windscreen.

What he said! Really revvy and keen for a turbo, definitely feels like it could go beyond 7,000rpm and for me is the best of the current 2.0-litre turbos (bar the A45) for response at high revs. Really quick too! I'm also fan of the lag as mentioned in another post, makes it a little more exciting.


Matt

Got my readers cars thread up and running Matt, take a peak if you're interested;
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Couple of questions for you-presuming yours is gt-how do you get on with the keyless entry? I confess I'm a luddite but I still have no idea if I'm using it correctly! Also, there must be some way to set the mirrors to fold when you park up?

Any plans to take it on track?

[JMBMWM5]

What would kill me is the "Lack of low down torque, that dead feeling till the turbos kick in.
I love torque it makes a car feel more powerful IMO.

[Guvernator]

JMBMWM5 said:

What would kill me is the "Lack of low down torque, that dead feeling till the turbos kick in.
I love torque it makes a car feel more powerful IMO.

What lack of low down torque are you talking about? You realise this is a modern turbo engine right? It will probably be making max torque by 2000 odd rpm in fact I've just looked it up, it's 295 lb-ft at 2500rpm. That's hardly a slouch for a 2 litre engine, in fact previous Type R's could only dream of having that kind of torque. There are a few criticisms I could level at this car but lack of low down torque certainly isn't one of them.

[Butter Face]

Guvernator said:

JMBMWM5 said:

What would kill me is the "Lack of low down torque, that dead feeling till the turbos kick in.
I love torque it makes a car feel more powerful IMO.

What lack of low down torque are you talking about? You realise this is a modern turbo engine right? It will probably be making max torque by 2000 odd rpm in fact I've just looked it up, it's 295 lb-ft at 2500rpm. That's hardly a slouch for a 2 litre engine, in fact previous Type R's could only dream of having that kind of torque. There are a few criticisms I could level at this car but lack of low down torque certainly isn't one of them.

I think my EP3 made 142ft/lb @ 6915 rpm

[750turbo]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Couple of questions for you-presuming yours is gt-how do you get on with the keyless entry? I confess I'm a luddite but I still have no idea if I'm using it correctly! Also, there must be some way to set the mirrors to fold when you park up?

...

Keyless entry works a treat, just walk up to car, put hand behind door handle, slight pull and bingo. Bloody Witchcraft!

Ref the mirrors, when locking the car, on the second press of the lock button, hold it in for about 2 secs, and the mirrors fold in.

[scmcc]

Hi all, been following the website for years & always stayed clear of posting anything but felt compelled to chip in re the latest Civic Type R. I've owned/own Civic VTi, Integra Type R, S2000, FN2 Type R, 986 Boxster, 993 Turbo, 996 Turbo, 997 Turbo, 996 & 997 C4S + other 996/7 variants, Cayman S, various SCs, 964s, 993s, E46 M3 & CSL. My late E92 M3 went in January for a current Civic Type R that I was kindly lent over a weekend. I didn't return it. It's that good. Yes the looks are probably not to my taste (I'm 47...) but they do grow on you & the car looks great on the road. I'd discounted one until I saw a white Type R appearing through the rain on the motorway near the Gyle centre late last year. It's possibly the quickest point to point car I've ever owned. It's so well sorted but I don't think Honda are really pushing how much work has gone into it. The GT is an incredibly well spec'd car, everything works & it's an extremely easy car to live with day to day. In non R mode the ride is a tad firmer than my non EDC E92 M3 but it's well resolved. I didn't use R mode at all over the first couple of months but now I love it when I'm on my own on the right road. That's when it's a giant killer, it is two cars in one. There may be some design/trim things that bother some but having owned & loved Hondas for many years I can see past those. What amazes me is that Honda can deliver a car this good for £33k. I've also owned a Mk5 GTi & R32s so the Golf R was top of my list followed by the latest Focus RS. Having driven the Type R I'd rather have the agility & weight saving that it offers & I've been a committed rwd/4wd guy for more years than I care to remember. All I would say to anyone considering any of the current crop of top line hot hatches is go & drive a current Civic Tyoe R before you make your mind up. Even with my strong Honda bias from years ago I'd convinced myself it wasn't for me but the car won me over. Special mention must go to Phoenix Honda for being so enthusiastic about the car in the first place & putting up with my procrastinations prior to purchase.

Edited by scmcc on Saturday 7th May 20:36

[750turbo]

scmcc said:

Hi all, been following the website for years & always stayed clear of posting anything but felt compelled to chip in re the latest Civic Type R. I've owned/own Civic VTi, Integra Type R, S2000, FN2 Type R, 986 Boxster, 993 Turbo, 996 Turbo, 997 Turbo, 996 & 997 C4S + other 996/7 variants, Cayman S, various SCs, 964s, 993s, E46 M3 & CSL.

My late E92 M3 went in January for a current Civic Type R that I was kindly lent over a weekend. I didn't return it. It's that good. Yes the looks are probably not to my taste (I'm 47...) but they do grow on you & the car looks great on the road. I'd discounted one until I saw a white Type R appearing through the rain on the motorway near the Gyle centre late last year.

It's possibly the quickest point to point car I've ever owned. It's so well sorted but I don't think Honda are really pushing how much work has gone into it. The GT is an incredibly well spec'd car, everything works & it's an extremely easy car to live with day to day. In non R mode the ride is a tad firmer than my non EDC E92 M3 but it's well resolved. I didn't use R mode at all over the first couple of months but now I love it when I'm on my own on the right road. That's when it's a giant killer, it is two cars in one.

There may be some design/trim things that bother some but having owned & loved Hondas for many years I can see past those. What amazes me is that Honda can deliver a car this good for £33k. I've also owned a Mk5 GTi & R32s so the Golf R was top of my list followed by the latest Focus RS. Having driven the Type R I'd rather have the agility & weight saving that it offers & I've been a committed rwd/4wd guy for more years than I care to remember.

All I would say to anyone considering any of the current crop of top line hot hatches is go & drive a current Civic Tyoe R before you make your mind up. Even with my strong Honda bias from years ago I'd convinced myself it wasn't for me but the car won me over. Special mention must go to Phoenix Honda for being so enthusiastic about the car in the first place & putting up with my procrastinations prior to purchase.

Edited by scmcc on Saturday 7th May 20:36

Makes easier reading on here.

[ToothbrushMan]

ive never seen one on the roads and they been out now for sometime and I live in a major conurbation not out in the back of nowhere.

you dont read about them much these days either unlike the constant ravings you hear about "the best of the rest" (refuses to name them all over again) so i wonder if its been or is turning out to be a bit of sales flop this new type R?

next itll be the new mini cooper works with 4wd.

then the golf gti will get a 4wd "option"

then seats Leon cupra will at last get the vw group 4wd its been crying out for.......

you can see where Honda need to get to here i think. its not just that though I think its the look of the thing. its so damn ugly and straight off the front pages of a 1990s fast car or max power cover shot imho. whod pay 33k for a car that looks like this?

[*Al*]

Cracking cars which I will own one day! Mine will be in grey. I work in the Swindon factory and start them for the first time and drive them off the production line.

[motor mad]

scmcc said:

Hi all, been following the website for years & always stayed clear of posting anything but felt compelled to chip in re the latest Civic Type R. I've owned/own Civic VTi, Integra Type R, S2000, FN2 Type R, 986 Boxster, 993 Turbo, 996 Turbo, 997 Turbo, 996 & 997 C4S + other 996/7 variants, Cayman S, various SCs, 964s, 993s, E46 M3 & CSL. My late E92 M3 went in January for a current Civic Type R that I was kindly lent over a weekend. I didn't return it. It's that good. Yes the looks are probably not to my taste (I'm 47...) but they do grow on you & the car looks great on the road. I'd discounted one until I saw a white Type R appearing through the rain on the motorway near the Gyle centre late last year. It's possibly the quickest point to point car I've ever owned. It's so well sorted but I don't think Honda are really pushing how much work has gone into it. The GT is an incredibly well spec'd car, everything works & it's an extremely easy car to live with day to day. In non R mode the ride is a tad firmer than my non EDC E92 M3 but it's well resolved. I didn't use R mode at all over the first couple of months but now I love it when I'm on my own on the right road. That's when it's a giant killer, it is two cars in one. There may be some design/trim things that bother some but having owned & loved Hondas for many years I can see past those. What amazes me is that Honda can deliver a car this good for £33k. I've also owned a Mk5 GTi & R32s so the Golf R was top of my list followed by the latest Focus RS. Having driven the Type R I'd rather have the agility & weight saving that it offers & I've been a committed rwd/4wd guy for more years than I care to remember. All I would say to anyone considering any of the current crop of top line hot hatches is go & drive a current Civic Tyoe R before you make your mind up. Even with my strong Honda bias from years ago I'd convinced myself it wasn't for me but the car won me over. Special mention must go to Phoenix Honda for being so enthusiastic about the car in the first place & putting up with my procrastinations prior to purchase.

Edited by scmcc on Saturday 7th May 20:36

Interesting feedback. The more I see them, the more I like them. I have the original invoice for my DC2 from 1998 and that was £20k. I really don't have an issue with the money of modern hot hatches considering the level of performance they offer.

LOH - your car looks superb. Interested to hear how it compares with the Mini GP and the R26.R.

Cheers

[scmcc]

I did & I believe local dealer (Phoenix) sell all they can get hold of. I was also told Type Rs don't count towards sales bonus totals as Honda will only build limited numbers & want to help residuals as much as they can. I totally understand that the looks are polarising but at least it looks like something (insert derogatory comment of choice here). In an Evo Fast Fleet Type R entry they said the interior was similar to McLaren's Super Series models in layout. I'm not for a second deluding myself that they're on the same planet but it gives you an idea where the car is focused - towards the driver. And just think how much it'll save you by not having to go to Halfords & spend a fortune on body addenda...

[LaurasOtherHalf]

The other fact I liked was the gear shift, it's intentionally precisely the same (40mm) as the NSX was.

[scmcc]

The gear shift is fantastic. D'you still have your GP2? I followed your great thread on it. I drove one from January to July last year, loved it.

[Bencolem]

I'd love to see one without that rear wing. I think it could really work for me without it - bit like the 2nd gen Escort RS Cosworth. Doubt it's a functional requirement at less than Nurburgring efforts?

[Alanok]

Bencolem said:

I'd love to see one without that rear wing. I think it could really work for me without it - bit like the 2nd gen Escort RS Cosworth. Doubt it's a functional requirement at less than Nurburgring efforts?

If I ever decided to buy one this is something I would seriously look in to. Probably defeats the whole ethos/function of the car but that wing is one of two things I do not like about the car. It's similar to the Mugen wing you can get on the FN2 and that's hideous.

[Podie]

Had a look at this at the PH SS. Nice looking car.

Seems designers can't win.

Last Type-R - too plain
Currently Type R - too chav

Last Focus RS - too chav
Currently Focus RS - too plain

[otolith]

Podie said:

Had a look at this at the PH SS. Nice looking car.

Seems designers can't win.

Last Type-R - too plain
Currently Type R - too chav

Last Focus RS - too chav
Currently Focus RS - too plain

Ultimately, only a tiny proportion of the car buying public will buy any of these cars. So it doesn't really matter how many people don't like them, as long as there are sufficient who do.

[Guvernator]

I'd go one step further and get rid of all the other stuck on tat. It just doesn't work cohesively for me. If only they did a Type S style version like they used to do. They do a Civic Sport which is a much more cohesive design IMO.



If they offered this car with the Type R engine and running gear I reckon they'd be onto a winner.

[Axionknight]

Axionknight said:

I need to stop reading these articles, I love these, mine would be grey, however. Indeed the local Honda dealer called me on Friday to see if I was still interested as they had a grey GT in as a demo, available for purchase and sharpish delivery.

I was speaking to my missus about them around the time of the first PH fleet article and I joked about buying one if Sunderland managed to avoid relegation.

So it looks like I'm not getting my new car!

Edited by Axionknight on Tuesday 3rd May 12:49

Heading up to the garage after work today to discuss terms, I'm a man of my word!

It won't be red, though!!

Edited by Axionknight on Friday 13th May 13:12