RE: Honda Civic Type R: PH Fleet
Sunday 12th June 2016
It would be impossible to begin this update with anything other than the Focus RS comparison that 'my' Civic Type R was involved in a couple of weeks ago. The debate on the verdict was, er, passionate shall we say. But it's great that two cars that could be bought for less than some might spend on Ferrari F12 options have such passionate fans. And the Polo GTI, of course...
Does it look good yet?Anyway, it was a pleasure to find the Civic competitive in a test with such a key rival. When you're with a car day in and day out, its traits (both good and bad) become less noticeable as you acclimatise. To jump directly between each car and compare their respective strengths and weaknesses was revealing. As and when Focus RS customers get the cars, I'd love to know how you guys get on. I would be especially keen to discover which modes are being used most, as the Civic barely ever goes into the '+R' mode; I like the sharper throttle response and the reduced power steering assistance, but the compromise in terms of ride quality simply isn't worth it. The Focus certainly makes better use of its configurability, including a damper switch independent of the driver modes.
Type R excels on trackMore positively, I love the Civic's sense of solidity and toughness. The Type R legend may have been built on frantic hot hatches buzzing to beyond 8,000rpm and sod the rest, but this car feels much more substantial. The doors thunk solidly, the contact points feel expensive and the interior is well built, even if it isn't the most stylish. And the sooner the second display is updated with something that looks like it's from the 21st century, the better. I often leave that screen blacked out. The seat still seems too high as well...
Honda Civic Type R: PH Fleet
One twin test success under its belt, the Civic heads immediately off into another
Does it look good yet?
The Civic had no chance to bask in its triumph though. Straight from Anglesey, the Type R went to Blyton Park with Dan for a track test with the Megane Cup-S. That story will follow soon, but - spoiler alert - I've been told it was even closer than the RS and Type R encounter.
With more than 4,000 miles now recorded on RK16 RNY, it's nice to be able to state more definitive opinions on what's good (and less so) about the Civic in everyday use. The collision warning system is the most irritating I've ever used, for example, flashing and beeping on several unjustified occasions. It's standard on the GT model but I can't find a way to turn it off. Anyone? While the GT pack brings lots of useful extras like sat-nav and the reversing camera, at the moment the collision warning would put me off upgrading. Seriously. Although apparently 70 per cent of UK buyers are opting for a GT, so what does that say?
Type R excels on track
However, slight interior gripes aside, life remains very good with the Type R. It seems to be for those PHers who have a Type R too - this thread from Laura'sOtherHalf is well worth a read, including running in the car on the way to the Nordschleife. Next month I want to experiment with just how many miles per gallon the Civic can achieve, plus it will provide transport for a new two-wheeled acquisition. More on that next time!
FACT SHEET
Car: 2016 Honda Civic Type R GT
Run by: Matt
On fleet since: March 2016
Mileage: 4,165 (delivered on 625)
List price new: £32,960 (Type R GT at £32,295, plus £525 for Championship White paint and £140 for Elegance Floor Carpets
Last month at a glance: Type R thriller on track twin test!
Previous reports:
Welcome the first ever Type R to the PH Fleet!
Type R does fast brilliantly, but slow isn't so bad either
 |
 |
Photos: Will Aron
Discussion
vz-r_dave said:
The Polo has the superior chassis but VTEC is awesome so think the Honda would take it.
Polo is much underrated. If you search really hard you can find some obscure test saying that its not as unremarkable as the rest of the world thinks.Its basically a Golf. But better.
The Civic is definitely my pick of the current hot-hatch crop. I like the slightly bonkers styling and the fact that the 'track mode' or 'r+' or whatever it's called is too stiff for the road. That's the way it should be... otherwise it wouldn't be stiff enough for the track!
The engine seems to be really strong and the fun factor is reported to be right up there. It's interesting to see on Broadspeed.com that you can only get a discount of a few hundred quid on a Civic but you can get around £5k off a Golf R.
My inner child wishes the 0-60 time was a little quicker for the traffic-light grand prix but I suppose it's at the limit for a fwd car. I'd like to in-gear acceleration times against the rest of the sector.
My ideal spec would be a GT in the lovely dark grey that Laurasotherhalf has got in his thread. That looks awesome and is a slightly more subtle way to show off the otherwise crazy lines.
The engine seems to be really strong and the fun factor is reported to be right up there. It's interesting to see on Broadspeed.com that you can only get a discount of a few hundred quid on a Civic but you can get around £5k off a Golf R.
My inner child wishes the 0-60 time was a little quicker for the traffic-light grand prix but I suppose it's at the limit for a fwd car. I'd like to in-gear acceleration times against the rest of the sector.
My ideal spec would be a GT in the lovely dark grey that Laurasotherhalf has got in his thread. That looks awesome and is a slightly more subtle way to show off the otherwise crazy lines.
mcbook said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
It's a terrific bit of kit, I'm going to our local car meet tonight so will be updating my thread soon as I want to try and get some pictures of it next to some more exotic machinery (I'll be heading over in a Vantage convertible) just to show off what it looks like in more exalted company.Matt
The collision detection thing can indeed be switched off. However you might not need to as it actually has settings for however close you want it to function off. I'm terrible with reading the manual but it is in there! I can't remember but if you get the top screen onto vehicle settings > safety settings, it's in there. If you can't see it on there then either turn the engine on or off as you get a different menu with the engine on and off (and vice versa). When you find it you can select between the sensitivity of it.
Not sure if I mentioned it in my readers cars thread, but my salesman at Honda deactivated it for our 'ring trip so we could slipstream cars (I think he thinks I'm better than I am
), so it can definitely be switched off although I must admit I'm driving with it on at present. I can't recall which sensitivity I have it switched to but it certainly doesn't impede on any day to day driving. Thanks for the mention in the article, made me day Really liking the variety in the current crop of hot hatches. Personally, I think the overall standard is high in terms of performance, value, quality and choice (as well as overall), with something for most people. Despite some of the inordinate thread derailment that has occurred, the debate has been by turns educational and entertaining (as well as bizarre and tedious at times!).
I don't think the Civic pretty - it's fairly challenging to look at in certain respects (and I don't begrudge it for being focused, just that I find a few aspects a bit jarring, aside from the overt "I mean BUSINESS!" demeanor). I also wonder whether the new-found ballistic performance can substitute for the inherent appeal of some of Honda's naturally aspirated greats. Either way I think Honda had no choice but to follow their competitors going FI and, subject to a drive, I think they've likely hit the mark.
The Megane Cup-S Focus RS, Golf R etc. will have their appeal but the two things that strike are that:
(...and this from a (non-GTI) polo owner).
I don't think the Civic pretty - it's fairly challenging to look at in certain respects (and I don't begrudge it for being focused, just that I find a few aspects a bit jarring, aside from the overt "I mean BUSINESS!" demeanor). I also wonder whether the new-found ballistic performance can substitute for the inherent appeal of some of Honda's naturally aspirated greats. Either way I think Honda had no choice but to follow their competitors going FI and, subject to a drive, I think they've likely hit the mark.
The Megane Cup-S Focus RS, Golf R etc. will have their appeal but the two things that strike are that:
- The Civic deserves its place in such comparisons as much as any other example of a ~£30k hotted up road car based on a hatchback format, irrespective of number of driven wheels / weight considerations;
- The RS3 and AMG (and possibly the Golf R as well) are arguably (almost definitely) in a tier above price wise, if broadly comparable in other ways I'm not sure why someone in the market for either might cross-shop (bleh) Golfs, Foci, Civics and the like. But it underlines the wondrous variety of solutions to the "vaguely attainable and versatile performance car" question.
(...and this from a (non-GTI) polo owner).
LaurasOtherHalf said:
I am indeed thanks very much It's a terrific bit of kit, I'm going to our local car meet tonight so will be updating my thread soon as I want to try and get some pictures of it next to some more exotic machinery (I'll be heading over in a Vantage convertible) just to show off what it looks like in more exalted company.
Matt
The collision detection thing can indeed be switched off. However you might not need to as it actually has settings for however close you want it to function off. I'm terrible with reading the manual but it is in there! I can't remember but if you get the top screen onto vehicle settings > safety settings, it's in there. If you can't see it on there then either turn the engine on or off as you get a different menu with the engine on and off (and vice versa). When you find it you can select between the sensitivity of it.
Not sure if I mentioned it in my readers cars thread, but my salesman at Honda deactivated it for our 'ring trip so we could slipstream cars (I think he thinks I'm better than I am ), so it can definitely be switched off although I must admit I'm driving with it on at present. I can't recall which sensitivity I have it switched to but it certainly doesn't impede on any day to day driving. Thanks for the mention in the article, made me day
Thanks! Funnily enough someone from Honda has shown me about the sensitivity thing so I'll have a look, I can only assume it's set to a particularly paranoid setting. It's a terrific bit of kit, I'm going to our local car meet tonight so will be updating my thread soon as I want to try and get some pictures of it next to some more exotic machinery (I'll be heading over in a Vantage convertible) just to show off what it looks like in more exalted company.Matt
The collision detection thing can indeed be switched off. However you might not need to as it actually has settings for however close you want it to function off. I'm terrible with reading the manual but it is in there! I can't remember but if you get the top screen onto vehicle settings > safety settings, it's in there. If you can't see it on there then either turn the engine on or off as you get a different menu with the engine on and off (and vice versa). When you find it you can select between the sensitivity of it.
Not sure if I mentioned it in my readers cars thread, but my salesman at Honda deactivated it for our 'ring trip so we could slipstream cars (I think he thinks I'm better than I am
), so it can definitely be switched off although I must admit I'm driving with it on at present. I can't recall which sensitivity I have it switched to but it certainly doesn't impede on any day to day driving. Thanks for the mention in the article, made me day Glad to hear you're still enjoying the car, it looks ace!
This chap's presenting style gets on my nerves a bit but he's done a comparison between new CTR vs E36 M3 round Curborough
https://youtu.be/tEP9vl9AuVA
https://youtu.be/tEP9vl9AuVA
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff