2007 Honda Civic Type R UK Spec from UK and Ireland - Comments

I test drove a 2007 Civic Type R last week and was not that impressed by it. I wondered if anyone else had found this? Obviously it is impossible to get a full appreciation of a car after a short drive, but certainly from first impressions it was poor.

From first impressions it looks like a serious piece of kit with its mean body kit. It is certainly much better looking than the last shape, which I thought was very uninspiring.

The interior is nice too. There is a definite feeling of quality and the digital dash is great. I found it to be very comfortable and easy to find a good driving position.

My disappointment started as soon as I pushed the ignition button. A droning 4 pot came to life without any sign that it was a performance car. It sounded no more exciting than any other Civic; it was quiet. I was expecting a rumble from the exhaust. Not loads of noise, but at least something to suggest that this was not your normal Civic.

Unfortunately the disappointment didn't end there. When I moved off it again sounded boring. More concerning it didn't seem to have any more low down poke than a normal Civic. However honda engines love to be rev'd so I assumed that it would suddenly come to life on the open road.

I was directed onto a dual carriage way by the salesman who allowed me to open the taps. I floored it and it went faster, but not particularly fast. At no point did it get my pulse going. It was quite boring to be honest.

Anyway I was very disappointed with the car. I thought Type R meant hardcore, but this really is a watered down hot hatch. Maybe more of a warm hatch. I guess the only good this is you can get a japanese spec one which is hardcore, but surely the UK one should be too? Or is it just another car designed for people to pose in?

It depends if you view thrashing an engine to within an inch of its life to extract every last drop of power a pleasure or a chore.

Yes the VTEC engines sound incredible at high revs, and yes they produce a huge amount of bhp per cc for a normally aspirated engine, but there's no getting away from the fact that the interesting stuff doesn't feature until the top 25% of the rev range. The rest of the time they are flat and uninspiring.

I personally think they're a laugh to drive for a few hours, but intensely frustrating beyond that. A bit like a small engined motorbike - a whole lot of fuss, noise and gear swapping to achieve what many alternatives can match or better with a simple snap open of the throttle.

But this Civic Type-R in red is probably the best looking of the current hot hatches, I'll give it that much.

The Honda Type R is at the top of its class as an overall package it beats the VW Golf GTI the Ford Focus ST

the Hot Mazda 3 etc and Honda can hardly make enough of them to keep up with demand.

So I would say you are in the Minority of the Public if you don't like it (but hey if everyone liked the same car the world would be a very boring place and there would be a boat load of people looking for work)

The new civic is a let down. I like Honda cars, but I think they should have made it faster and more powerful. What's the point putting the same engine into a heavier car. Honda need to get their act together, they have lost the hot hatch crown.

They never had the hatch crown. Renault did!

The only crown renault have got is for the worst reliability, when the type r first came out it outclassed all the rivals.

"They never had the hatch crown. Renault did!"

Erm no, the old Type R was in a diferent league than the 182, and the figures back this up.

Type R 0-60 6.6 top speed 147.

182 0-60 7.1 top speed 182.

And don't even start me on the differences in build quality and reliability between them. Anyway, my Astra Vxr would eat both of them. I honestly think from 60-100, it could be twice as fast as the Clio.

The Clio 182 Cup is widely regarded as the best hot hatch of recent times. The Honda couldn't and still can't match its handling and feel. Build quality is a bit crap, but if driving experience is your main concern, the Honda is definitely second best.

The 197 has gone the same way as the new Type R though. Too fat and the engine too weedy to cope. Neither are a patch on their predecessors. Best hot hatch of the moment would be a toss up between the Golf GTI and Focus ST. Both fabulous cars.

And yes I've driven all these - I'm not working from magazine reviews. The Clio 182 Cup is a fantastic car.

The 182 was never regarded as the best hot hatch, and the Focus ST/Golf GTi aren't the best hatches on the road; that's the Astra VXR. The Golf GTI isn't even a hot hatch. "0-60 takes 7.2 seconds, there are animals faster than that" Jeremy Clarkson's words and I agree.

p.s The top speed for the 182 is 138, which is a joke.