Disappointing Civic Type R test drive

[dasherdiablo1]

I am now in the market for a hot hatch type car that I can go out in with my wife and 6week old daughter. So on Monday I went to try out a couple at my local dealer- one in black and one in red. On arrival the black car looked lovely, really Q car and very subtle. Opening the door revealed the usual black and red interior which is very welcoming and always looks better in the flesh than in the photos- somehow less plasticky.

My first issue is that I just couldn't get comfortable- the seat doesn't go down far enough and the back is very difficult to adjust so that it is 'just right' in fact because of the lever system it just didn't ever click in a comfortable place; it would be so much better with a wheel adjuster to get the seat back in the best place. Okay I am going to stick with the seats; why oh why did Honda make a seat that when you open it to get into the back seat it returns to a standard position and not the position it was last in- stupid design when you've had to spend so long trying to get comfortable in the first place!

The gearbox and clutch set up are so harsh- the clutch length felt way too short and not easy to feather in the power on a smooth way. Steering felt odd-light then heavy then light but not in a way you'd expect torque steer to behave.

Everyone goes on about the engine noise in these and that is one of the main lures for me to try it. However I think it felt lazy and strained. The lack of torque was highly evident and it felt like when I was a kid and I used to rag my mums old Micra to get every last ounce out of the 1200cc's that was on offer. It felt tinny and lacking in oompfh.

Disappointing as I had high hopes!

[dasherdiablo1]

stargazer30 said:

OP you sound like your a boost junkie vs a rev hungry chase the redline person. You may want to try a something with a turbo instead of the CTR.

Not really a fan of turbo engines- much prefer big NA engines TBH. Unfortunately there aren't many 6 or 8 cylinder engined cars that you an get a rear facing baby seat in the back of!

[dasherdiablo1]

Mastodon2 said:

otolith said:

Pixelpeep said:

The Type-S had a much nicer suspension set up too.. it seemed easier to put power down and keep your boot in along the B roads than my EP3 type-R...

Probably because it didn't have any!

Ain't that the truth.

OP, you sound like a you like the easy diesel power delivery, the illusion of power through torque on tap, perhaps you'd find a turbocharged sofa like a Focus ST or Audi S3 more to your liking? The Civic Type R are raw, old school hot hatches and they need a bit of effort to give you the real fireworks. The kind of car that you need to take by the scruff of the neck to get the best from, and that doesn't suit everyone. If you are handy with a gearbox though, 200bhp is more than enough to slice through traffic and overtaking is a piece of piss too, just remember that the engine really needs to be above the 5K mark to really do it's thing.

Why the condescending tone? Have you seen the cars I've had - admittedly nothing like a Veyron or Murcielago but it is fairly obviously that I like cars that are a bit differerent.

The point you are missing is that I want the car to carry my young daughter around and still be able to go out on my own and have fun. The Type R is not fun - it's lame, tiring and very dull. I didn't want to be rude because I am in a Honda forum but it's probably in the top 5 of worst cars I've driven. since the test drive I've done a bit more research and found a number of reviews by respected drivers/journalists that echo my opinion. Have you seen the Jenson Button review? He was there to advertise the car and even he looked like he wished he was somewhere else.

It's not sharp or precise - it's numb, gutless and way too heavy.

This is of course my personal opinion but I like cars with unstressed power- something that can get you out of trouble without needing to rev the nuts off it. It also needs to be smooth delivery so that I can apply the power without the risk of snapping my little girls neck every time.