Mirage77

By Samuel Ee - June 2, 2007
The Business Times

THE most appealing proposition of the three-door Honda Civic Type R has to be its unique combination of design, performance and utility.

As a hot hatch, the new Civic Type R is surprisingly affordable for something built in the UK. The three-door hatchback is the first official Type R in Singapore to be offered by Kah Motor and is based on the chassis of the familiar eighth-generation Honda Civic sedan.

It is also very different from the parallel imported Type R saloon which is only offered as a domestic model for the Japanese market.

Compared with the sedan, the three-door Civic has a much more acceptable level of ride comfort. It also has a different rear suspension (torsion beam instead of double wishbones) and revised interior packaging. But it is the styling differences which are the most glaring. Triangular fog lights and exhaust openings meld with trapezoidal door handles and plastic mesh inside and outside for a very busy design.

Amid the distracting details, though, there are some nice touches, like the in-house bucket seats and 3D instrument display. Honda has ditched the Recaro version for its own R-spec seat which is wider and has better thigh support and cushion density, while the Civic's ergonomic two-tiered dashboard is given a new twist with a multi-info floating display and luscious vermillion red pointers.

Other quirky features to be found in the cabin include the 'Engine Start' button (which still requires a turn of the ignition key first); the Duplo-sized bonnet and fuel filler release catches; the dual-zone climate control's thermostat on the passenger door armrest; and the button to switch the digital speedometer from kmh to mph.

But, perhaps, the very essence of this new Honda Civic Type R is its refinement. From the lined storage compartments, airconditioned glovebox and big adjustable cupholders, this car now offers its occupants a more inviting environment. Yet when it comes to driving it, there is still an appealing rawness because of the two-stage VTEC engine.

The old Type R had a constricted power band which delivered the goods abruptly between 5,800 and 7,400 rpm. The new Type R's re-tuned 2.0-litre engine with balancer shaft and drive-by-wire accelerator has a wider power band, starting from 5,200 rpm and all the way up to 8,000. This changes the torque characteristics, with 90 per cent of the maximum torque available from 2,500 rpm.

On the road, the Type R feels light on its feet, with good low-end torque. The controls are well-weighted and it is smooth, quiet and easy to live with in city traffic because of the revised gear ratios of the six-speed manual transmission.

Yet, when the revs rise and the higher cam profile is engaged at 5,200 rpm, the Type R goes into maximum power mode and turns feral, with a more pronounced growl of the engine. With its quick and accurate electric power steering, and confident handling, it is easy to drive fast.

At the same time, noise and vibration levels have been reduced in the new car, and along with increased body rigidity, there are no vibrations or unnecessary mechanical noises to cause driver fatigue.

The new Civic Type R is still raw where it matters but a lot easier to live with because of its enhanced passenger comfort. It is a premium hot hatch with many all-round capabilities, and that probably makes it one of the best packages available on the market.

Honda reinvents Civic Type R with youth in mind

THE reinvention of the Honda Civic Type R into a funky, visually exciting model is not only about cosmetics - it reflects a new philosophy behind the car, beginning from its chief engineer.

Toshiya Sakai, 41, breaks the mould as far as Japanese chief engineers go. The youthful motorcycle-riding research and development (R&D) engineer speaks English fluently and has a youthful outlook. In other words, he really knows what young people want of a hot hatch. He's not just an older person trying to interpret their needs.

This is important because the Type R has to appeal to a younger set of buyers in the UK and Europe. The Continental version of the Civic is available only as a three or five-door hatchback. As a three-door model, the Type R is better suited to nimble driving in city traffic. Its engine power, gear ratios and quick steering mean it can dart in and out easily.

Mr Sakai took pains to make sure the Type R was a customer-driven, European-centric car with the first example of 'localisation' to be found in a Honda model. Feedback was obtained from those who owned the previous-generation Type R - also built in Swindon, UK - and they said they didn't like its utilitarian design, poor space efficiency and noisy interior.

So these issues were addressed and the cabin is more spacious and refined, the glovebox is now air-conditioned and the boot is larger and more practical. The body is also made more rigid. And when you are driving fast and too busy to keep an eye on the tachometer, the rev indicator lights up closer to redline so you know when to change gears.

The new Civic Type R is also more impressive in terms of passive and active safety. For example, there are six airbags, with the curtain bags alone consisting of five individual pillows each covering the entire side of the car. All this so that Honda can say the Type R is raw and emotive but still safe and functional.

Engine: 1,998cc
Gearbox: 6-speed manual transmission
Max power: 201 hp @ 7,800 rpm
Max torque: 193 Nm @ 5,600 rpm
0-100 kmh: 7.0 secs
Top speed: 231 kmh
Price: $106,000 (with COE)
Distributor: Kah Motor. Tel: 6841-3333

Source: The Business Times

martinbo

In South Africa the Honda Civic is priced above the Golf GTI. And, whilst its V-Tec engine may be cutting edge for naturally aspirated four pot 2.0 litres, the rest of the car lacks the sophistication of the VW stable of hot hatches.

Furthermore, Honda being one of the very last manufacturers to resolutely eschew the use of turbocharging in spark ignition engines is an additional off-putting factor for those in the market for a hot hatch these days.

The Honda Civic Type-R and Renault Clio 197 are good examples of modern day 2.0 litre hatches that could benefit from the kind of torque that only a turbocharged engine can give.

Mirage77

Lacks sophistication? I'd say the interior is more forward-looking, and far more daring than the GTIs. It has also better materials from what I've experienced...

Isn't the high-revving four-pot the pride of Honda? I mean, even though it lacks the low-end torque of a GTI, isn't it more 'fun' to drive? I'd really like to know.

martinbo

Stand by on that Mirage... I'll respond over the weekend.

Mirage77

Take your time mate.

martinbo

Right, so the weekend was busier than I expected!

For all of the CTR's space-age interior and radical looks, mechanically it's not as cutting edge as Honda themselves may suggest.

Rear Suspension
The new CTR ditches the more sophisticated double wishbone of its predecessor in favour of the rather old hat torsion beam rear axle with trailing arms in order to achieve more space in the trunk. Torsion beam rear axles are semi-independant suspension layouts which means that the forces acting on one side of the axle will have an effect on the other. A double wishbone layout and a multi-link layout (a la GTI) are more sophisticated and endow the car with a rear-end that's more responsive to throttle inputs. These are fully independant configurations. This is good as in a hot hatch you want to be able to tailor your cornering line using the throttle given the inherent tendency to understeer. Sure, the French have made some fabulous hot hatches using torsion beam suspensions but the key consideration in using this setup is weight. The torsion beam rear axle is most effective when employed in a small, lightweight hot hatch such as the Clio II Trophy, 306 GTI-6 and Citroen Saxo VTS.

Engine
The engine, whilst being a four-pot screamer isn't nearly as potent as it ought to be given Honda's engine making credentials. 147 kW and a lowly peak torque of 198 Nm is a tad on the weedy side for a hot hatch in this class. Comparatively, a Clio 197 makes more torque and almost as much power (145 kW) in a car one class down. Measured against the truly sophisticated 2.0T engines in the Golf with their (E46) BMW 328i-matching peak torque of 280 Nm, the CTR looks decidedly asthmatic. The CTR's engine is a high-strung, high revver and really that's about all there is to it.

But in any event - don't take my word for it because it's all subjective and based on my personal experience with hot hatches (I've got the hot hatch T-shirt and the blue-rinse granny middle finger to prove it!).

Check this fab article out by the brilliant Steve Sutcliff:
- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER