Honda Civic Type R 2017 Review

If you’re a Type R aficionado with experience of such seminal stuff as the DC2 Integra Type R, or the FN2 third-generation Civic Type R, both of which were sold in Australia, then prepare for a whole new experience.

The FK8 Civic Type R does not drive like its predecessors. With its vents, flares, giant rear wing and triple exhausts it might still look like a character from a Japanese Anime cartoon, but it’s a whole lot more grown-up.

A lot of that is because of the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine that sits transverse in the engine bay. It makes peak power of 228kW and punches out 400Nm of torque from 2500rpm to 4500rpm.

By comparison, the FN2 Civic Type R made 148kW at 7800rpm and 193Nm at 5600rpm from its 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated engine.

So, there’s lots more top-end power and absolutely heaps more mid-range torque to exploit.

Long-time coming
We missed the previous generation model that made the switch to turbocharging and had to wait for the 10th generation Civic cooking models to launch before attention could turn to the fifth-generation Type R.

The build-up has been extended. We have had:

Get through that lot and you’ll know it all!

Except what it’s like to drive on Aussie roads. And that’s what we’ll focus on here.

Local angle
So the new Type R has finally arrived and isa now on sale. There are 350 confirmed orders placed right now, with 70 per cent of them in the ‘Championship White’ hero colour.

The good news is there’s no shortage of supply with 600 Type Rs due to be shipped down under from the Swindon assembly plant in the UK by the end of the year.

And based on our first drive experience, which comprised 250km on winding southern Tasmania roads and some hot laps of Baskerville Raceway near Hobart, if you’re a hot-hatch shopper then Type R should be on your list.

But you must place any preconceptions in the bin. And to be honest I initially struggled to make that transition. I just changed gears too often. Going back to third from fourth when I didn’t need to, from third to second for the same reason.

The torque of this engine simply means less shifting and less revving. At Baskerville, the Type R was a third and fourth gear proposition. Not even up the steepest hill was second required. Fifth was plucked down the back straight as the digital speedo flashed through 180km/h.

Talking about figures... Don’t be too concerned about the 0-100km/h claim being a second slower than Focus RS at 5.7sec. From our experience the Ford can’t get anywhere near that time in the real world. Mind you, we don’t yet know whether the Type R achieves its claim… stay tuned.

On the road, it was easy to use pulling power to surge out of tight corners and just as easy to forget not to use top gear as the revs died away and the car rolled along at 100km/h in the teens. Sure, the mono-scroll turbo had a think about getting going from low revs, but it wasn’t really laggy in a traditional annoying on-off way.

All that mid-range flexibility means the tight six-speed manual gearbox is utilised less than we would like. It’s short throw, a bit crunchy and immensely satisfying to get right.

Honda has also added auto rev-matching for both up and down shifting for those who don’t like heeling and toeing. I like it, so happily the rev matching can be switched off. But then I found the brake and throttle pedals were stretched a bit far apart for even my large right foot. It’s a detail thing but an important one for this buying audience.

Beyond the Engine
Honda’s done the same thing with the chassis as it has with the engine; made it more accessible. The key to that are the adaptive dampers that can be switched through comfort, sport and race-track focused +R mode.

You truly could live with a Type R as day to day transport with the dampers set to comfort. Ride is surprisingly, erm, comfortable. Definitely better than a Focus RS for instance. It’s also reasonably quiet for this type of vehicle, although there is some road roar and engine boom.

You would also have to put up with the manual shift of course … and plenty of stares and finger pointing from other road users. This thing does stand out.

But the worst thing about this car as a road driver is the 11.78m turning circle. That makes it less maneuverable around town.

At the other end of the spectrum, on the track in +R, the Type R is confidence inspiring. Dual-axis strut front suspension that’s designed to reduces torque steer, a helical limited-slip diff and specially-developed 20-inch ultra-low Contis produce grip that make turning into any corner a memorable event.

It simply does not want to let go. I channeled my best Luke Youlden impersonation – 6/10 at best admittedly -- at Baskerville and the only time the inside front tyre didn’t kiss the apex was when I got in just w-a-y too hot. But lift and tuck and away you go again.

But there's no real sign of swinging the multi-link rear-end around when you lift off the throttle. Lift-off oversteer isn’t really part of this car’s vocabulary.

Even in +R there is some electronic driver assistance offering to help (you can switch it off completely), but it’s bloody hard to pick. You do feel like you are the one in control, which is always nice.

At the other end of Baskerville’s short straights the Brembo brake package did the job without wilting during my five-lap session.

On a winding road in Sport mode, with dampers firmed and steering weighted up, the Type R is great fun. It doesn’t have the ‘ricochet rabbit’ feel of earlier Type Rs. It’s larger, more solid and more planted, tracking straight and true over bumps and corrugations.

I did find myself wishing for more feel from the dual-pinion variable-ratio electric-assist steering – sharpness is not a problem – and an ‘individual’ mode so I could keep steering (and sometimes riding, via the adaptive the dampers) in comfort while sharpening the throttle.

Inside story
From the driver’s seat the Type R works well, that pedal placement issue aside. The seat is supportive rather than fierce in the way it bolsters, the steering wheel is a nice size and fully manually adjustable. The traditional ball-topped shifter falls nicely to hand.

Honda’s infotainment system lets things down. It’s clunky and has too many steps to go through to link up Apple CarPlay for instance. And you need that or Android Auto if you want sat-nav.

The omission of sat-nav is one of few equipment gripes about this car. Thankfully, the standard safety equipment list includes Honda’s full Sensing package of driver assist systems.

Being based on the standard five-door Civic hatchback, there’s decent rear-seat space and a 414-litre boot. Trim materials and build quality all tick the box based on our Tassie experience. This car has a more luxurious feel than a traditional Type R that’s for sure!

Verdict
In fact, there’s a lot here that’s different to traditional Type R. But I’m sure you’ve already got that message.

So, bin any preconceptions about what you expect from this car. Tape over the badge and drive it for what it is, not what it has traditionally represented.

Honda Civic Type R pricing and specifications:
Price: $50,990 (plus ORCs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Outputs: 228kW/400Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 8.8L/100km
CO2: 200g CO2/km
Safety rating: TBC