The new type r - is it a sales flop?
Discussion
actually. Saw another a few weeks backed parked up at Maccie D's 
I think I'm warming to the looks having seen one today. At 42 though I think I'd look a bit of a dick in one and I'd get fed up of continually being goaded into a race by some Audi S5 driving suit wearing b
d.
Then again, I think I might test drive one - I bought a new Golf R cash back in december and sold it in two months as it was just dull.
A combination of softened looks but razor drive would suit me best.
d.Then again, I think I might test drive one - I bought a new Golf R cash back in december and sold it in two months as it was just dull.
A combination of softened looks but razor drive would suit me best.
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Well, almost spurred on by this thread i actually went and test drove one today. Things i learned.....
It is very quick.
It is amazingly practical, almost as spacious inside as the wife's X1 which is important as i have a kid.
The seat is the best recliner i have ever sat in, almost makes fixed back buckets unnecessary but it won't go low enough for me.
With the steering wheel in my preferred position i couldn't see the upper dashboard.
It is very quick.
The engine does run into the limiter easily, it does feel like it wants to rev but not like a N/A engine would.
Doesn't go into lift off oversteer like my old MINI GP and R26.R did.
Will torque steer and understeer if you're clumsy.
It is very quick!
I do know the sales staff at my local branch and one who is a mate did explain you could expect a grand off a new car but no more. He also explained the Type-R didn't go towards their sales targets and aren't being built in large numbers. It's not a limited edition car but it isn't exactly a big deal for them either.
All in all i was quietly impressed by the car. Leaving the subjective opinion about it's looks aside, I can see why it would appeal. It is exactly what a hot hatch should be, fast practical and just a little bit bonkers.
Would i take one over a 3-4 year old M3? Not sure....
Funnily enough I did the same thing today; had to nip to the local B&Q so popped in to see how they look in the metal.It is very quick.
It is amazingly practical, almost as spacious inside as the wife's X1 which is important as i have a kid.
The seat is the best recliner i have ever sat in, almost makes fixed back buckets unnecessary but it won't go low enough for me.
With the steering wheel in my preferred position i couldn't see the upper dashboard.
It is very quick.
The engine does run into the limiter easily, it does feel like it wants to rev but not like a N/A engine would.
Doesn't go into lift off oversteer like my old MINI GP and R26.R did.
Will torque steer and understeer if you're clumsy.
It is very quick!
I do know the sales staff at my local branch and one who is a mate did explain you could expect a grand off a new car but no more. He also explained the Type-R didn't go towards their sales targets and aren't being built in large numbers. It's not a limited edition car but it isn't exactly a big deal for them either.
All in all i was quietly impressed by the car. Leaving the subjective opinion about it's looks aside, I can see why it would appeal. It is exactly what a hot hatch should be, fast practical and just a little bit bonkers.
Would i take one over a 3-4 year old M3? Not sure....
They had two - red one looked awful but the one in grey looked rather mean. Got the sales patter about not counting as figures etc and was told they would play ball on discount on a new order. Apparently there's a few kicking around on the system unsold (tells a story in itself).
The thing that impressed my the most was the size of the boot - it was friggin' colossal!
I think these will make a good used buy in a couple of years
Having started tis thread, it does come across as a car that will sell in limited numbers only.
Aside from the 'no cheap lease deals' factor, it seems most think it looks st and not really a car to have running on a daily basis.
Personally I think Honda (like they are in F1) are a few years behind the current generation. It seems they are hung up on 'ring times and hardcore driving. I personally think that the buying public have moved away from this obsession - it was popular about 4 or 5 years ago.
I think the hot hatch buyer of today wants the power and the ability to use it i.e. 4WD. The A45, Focus RS and Golf R are representative of a hot hatch for daily use.
Obviously there are exceptions to the above but that's how I see it generally.
Aside from the 'no cheap lease deals' factor, it seems most think it looks s
t and not really a car to have running on a daily basis.Personally I think Honda (like they are in F1) are a few years behind the current generation. It seems they are hung up on 'ring times and hardcore driving. I personally think that the buying public have moved away from this obsession - it was popular about 4 or 5 years ago.
I think the hot hatch buyer of today wants the power and the ability to use it i.e. 4WD. The A45, Focus RS and Golf R are representative of a hot hatch for daily use.
Obviously there are exceptions to the above but that's how I see it generally.
greenarrow said:
Aside from the Golf R, I just don't think ANY hot hatch is selling in big numbers. cant remember the last time I saw a current gen Megane 275 Cup or Trophy....Seat Leon Cupra? Nope, cant remember seeing one of those. I think these harder core hatches reach a limited market,
The VW is a great all rounder and has the VW Golf badge....it sells by the bucket load,
If only Honda had made something slightly less powerful, lighter and cheaper, like the EP3, they could have been onto a winner. It shouldn't be beyond Honda's engineering capability to produce a circa 1300KG heavy 3 door hot hatch for, say, £25K. Unfortunately Hondas have got very expensive, thanks to everyone trying to push their brands up market
I think in Honda's case the JPY exchange rate is a big factor - from a sales POV various dealers have stated there's little margin in the Type R as they have tried to price it as competitively as possible and due to the JPY there's no meat on the stick.The VW is a great all rounder and has the VW Golf badge....it sells by the bucket load,
If only Honda had made something slightly less powerful, lighter and cheaper, like the EP3, they could have been onto a winner. It shouldn't be beyond Honda's engineering capability to produce a circa 1300KG heavy 3 door hot hatch for, say, £25K. Unfortunately Hondas have got very expensive, thanks to everyone trying to push their brands up market
JockySteer said:
lord trumpton said:
rb5er said:
The Megane just looks so plain though.
And loses money like a pissed scouser on ladies dayInevitably most purchases tend to be used like my most recent - a 968 sport. Bought for good money and it's value is on the up. I'm married so losing lots of money due to my car buying obsession can cause 'friction' at times
So I've been to look at and test drive one over the last couple of days.
The one I drove was blue and admittedly looked pretty tasty. I took my golf ed30 that has an APR remap on and producing around 300hp so I could compare very quickly the differences in the driving experience.
The Honda was a heck of a lot more taught and felt very stable and very keen to change direction.
Power wise; hmmm well I must admit to being a tad disappointed. There was noticeable lag and the power delivery wasn't hugely satisfying. It made the right noises with a nice induction roar. It only had around 150 miles on the clock so no doubt it would liven up significantly with a few K on the clock.
There was a grey one in the showroom and it looked far more menacing and less shouty than the blue and on looks alone it could certainly be a tempting purchase.
I left feeling that it could have been better. It's definitely (for me) a car to take out and murder it around on a dry day, however I'm not sure I could live with one on a daily basis. The daily golf I have does everything very well but does lack the dynamic edge of the Honda.
I can't decide how to label the Type R but it's not one for me - I know I'd be bored and frustrated with it in a few months, sell it on and no doubt take a bath on it.
Of the two dealerships I talked to, both admitted that they have had surprisingly little interest from potential customers.
I think it will sell in small numbers and likely gain a bit of a cult following once it is a couple of years old and as a result hold around £18-20k for a few years.
ETA I think it's a car for twenty somethings or a regular track day type owner
The one I drove was blue and admittedly looked pretty tasty. I took my golf ed30 that has an APR remap on and producing around 300hp so I could compare very quickly the differences in the driving experience.
The Honda was a heck of a lot more taught and felt very stable and very keen to change direction.
Power wise; hmmm well I must admit to being a tad disappointed. There was noticeable lag and the power delivery wasn't hugely satisfying. It made the right noises with a nice induction roar. It only had around 150 miles on the clock so no doubt it would liven up significantly with a few K on the clock.
There was a grey one in the showroom and it looked far more menacing and less shouty than the blue and on looks alone it could certainly be a tempting purchase.
I left feeling that it could have been better. It's definitely (for me) a car to take out and murder it around on a dry day, however I'm not sure I could live with one on a daily basis. The daily golf I have does everything very well but does lack the dynamic edge of the Honda.
I can't decide how to label the Type R but it's not one for me - I know I'd be bored and frustrated with it in a few months, sell it on and no doubt take a bath on it.
Of the two dealerships I talked to, both admitted that they have had surprisingly little interest from potential customers.
I think it will sell in small numbers and likely gain a bit of a cult following once it is a couple of years old and as a result hold around £18-20k for a few years.
ETA I think it's a car for twenty somethings or a regular track day type owner
Edited by lord trumpton on Saturday 7th May 17:04
I had a second and more prolonged drive in one on Monday. Salesman was great and I really warmed to the looks of the car.
The same concerns remained for me though; I'ts a car that should have arrived 3 years ago. It looks like it should be a lot faster than it is. Maybe because I'm used to fast cars made me come away feeling unsure.
I found the seat position annoying because when I was comfy and the wheel adjusted to the height I like, It blocks the view of the digi speed display and shift lights.
Way too firm and shouty for anything other than track is my opinion.
I think it's a car to buy as a toy as for me it's not something I'd roll around in every day.
One shocking thing - the car was 2 months old and had less than 100 miles on the clock (they admitted there was little interest from buyers) I put the reg into wbac just purely for a trade valuation to get a feel of how the trade sees the depreciation.
The 'offer' was £22k - that's on a car costing £32k, less than 100 miles and 2 month old.
I think they are going to lose money massively until they reach the 10-15k mark where the fanboys can afford them and then firm up because hardly any will have been sold and the demand will increase.
It needs to be 4wd and at least 350hp to make a tempting purchase. Honda are way behind the times with this pup imho
The same concerns remained for me though; I'ts a car that should have arrived 3 years ago. It looks like it should be a lot faster than it is. Maybe because I'm used to fast cars made me come away feeling unsure.
I found the seat position annoying because when I was comfy and the wheel adjusted to the height I like, It blocks the view of the digi speed display and shift lights.
Way too firm and shouty for anything other than track is my opinion.
I think it's a car to buy as a toy as for me it's not something I'd roll around in every day.
One shocking thing - the car was 2 months old and had less than 100 miles on the clock (they admitted there was little interest from buyers) I put the reg into wbac just purely for a trade valuation to get a feel of how the trade sees the depreciation.
The 'offer' was £22k - that's on a car costing £32k, less than 100 miles and 2 month old.
I think they are going to lose money massively until they reach the 10-15k mark where the fanboys can afford them and then firm up because hardly any will have been sold and the demand will increase.
It needs to be 4wd and at least 350hp to make a tempting purchase. Honda are way behind the times with this pup imho
AMGJocky said:
Ali_T said:
I saw one the other day and it didn't stand out as much as I thought it would, even in white with the silly red lines everywhere. It just looked like a slightly gaffer Civic, though the current Civic looks so bloody awful that it takes a lot of effort to make it worse!
I saw one in blue not so long ago and you couldn't help but notice it. Looked really nice in that colour.lord trumpton said:
It needs to be 4wd and at least 350hp to make a tempting purchase. Honda are way behind the times with this pup imho
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