2006 Honda Civic Type R from UK and Ireland - Comments

"Autocar timed the vRS to 60 in 7.1 seconds, and it will match an Elise 111R in the 20-40 increment, and beat a BMW 330i from 50-70."

First of all that 0-60 run was done on a none wind assisted run so that's misleading and inaccurate. That beating a 330 from 50-70 what you haven't told everyone is that is only in 4th or 5th gear so again misleading, in 3rd gear it would leave the skoda for dead.

It doesn't matter what you think or belive that type r does 0-60 in 6.4, it isn't ugly like the skoda and its got the respect of 95% of road users something a skoda will never have, along with rover they are the most uncool cars ever.

Ugliness is in the eye of the beholder. The Type R is more like a breadvan with windows than the wheeled equivalent of Angelina Jolie, if we're being honest.

I think you'll find that I acknowledged the Type-R was still the quicker car. And in any case, neither are as quick as the Honda sitting in my garage - a 2006 FireBlade. That's what you call performance.

Hence, my other acknowledgement that the vRS is not quick in the greater scheme of things.

'First of all that 0-60 run was done on a none wind assisted run so that's misleading and inaccurate.'

'None wind assisted run'...think about it. The wind wasn't helping it that means.

"'None wind assisted run'...think about it. The wind wasn't helping it that means."

Now you think about it; they mean there wasn't any wind resistance when they did it.

Everybody knows a 130bhp diesel will not do 0-60 in that time; are you saying its faster in a drag race than a 200bhp golf gti and a 190 bhp celica?

I really wish this debate would end. The Type R is pointless, you only ever get any fun or speed out of it if you drive it like a lunatic, it is flat as a pancake up to 6000rpm, it feels like it can barely haul itself along under that RPM, it has no torque out of corners hence a well driven diesel will easily keep up with or pull ahead of it.

I'm not a spotty teeny, I had one of the first Type R's in the worst colour I later found out (black...peeling paint etc) it was awful, you can wax lyrical about the mechanical loveliness and F1 technology all day long, but in the real world it does not work. I sold mine after 6 months, and something like a Focus ST is massively faster, and far superior in every department, drive them back to back, there's no debate those are the facts.

Having to rev the VTEC engines hard is part of the fun. It really is an involving drive, and takes skill and focus to get the most out of it. It's not all about power and torque, rather the whole package of a nimble chassis, high revs, intoxicating lo-hi cam crossover sound... a unique driving experience and really does come into its own on a late night drive on a quiet twisty country road. You really do feel like you're in a race car with the tacho needle rapidly flying around to the redline, the power band coming on as soon as you exit a sharp corner at 5000rpms, then bang... VTEC! followed by warp speed

Horses for courses... if you want a car that is easier to drive and more laid back, buy one of the newer generation torque laden VW or Audi diesels... fast, but even a granny could drive one fast, and where's the excitement in that?

The comment above I think sums it up pretty well for me.

There is a lot of satisfaction to be gained from keeping a VTEC Honda singing across a good bit of road. In fact, one of the best drives of my entire life was in an old 1991 CRX VTEC along the A272 in Hampshire at 2AM. I was buzzing for hours afterwards.

Where they frustrate me though is in daily driving. They just don't feel quick unless you're thraping them. Fantastic when you're "on one", but irritating going to work and back.

I guess it depends what you want a car to do. Incidentally I drove a new CTR last week and thought it was dreadful. Feels underpowered and my God, the understeer is appalling! The original reviewer did the right thing going for the 06 model in my opinion.

Can't agree with him saying other people want to race you all the time. I was told by churchill, NFU and another insurance company that I can't remember (i think hastings) that the insurance was high on the type r because of the reputation they have. I was told that each car has detailed infomation that they use to base how much of a risk they are. I Was then told (Qoute) that in conjunction with police reports they find this particular car to popular with the type or persons that ingage in street racing, wreakless driving,

intimidating behavour and have a insainly high crash rate. Now I was shocked and told them I was offended, but this is roughly the same info I was being told everytime. In the two years since then I can see what they were talking about. Certainly not all of type r drivers, but most are idoits giving us all bad names as chavs and boy racers. On the same note my friend was doing 80 on a dual carrigeway along with the rest of the traffic, but was singled out because of the car he was driving and when asked why the officer said "We go on odds" bassically point the gun at the one that will probably be speeding and was then shown a stack of tickets that ranged from type rs to clios mazdas basically every car a young lad is to drive. I'm telling everyone this to express my outrage, but also to warn people-also in the hope that those who give us type r drivers a bad name will grow up and drive safely.

Original reviewer here again, can't believe the amount of feedback I have had on this topic cheers. had the type r just under two yrs now and still loving it I can't fault this car at all. hardest thing will be deciding what to replace it with when the warranty runs out next yr. unless honda give us a real type r will probably sadly leave honda and get a brand new new style mazda rx8 230 bhp model, as much as I like the look and spec of the new shape type r gt I just don't think it's a match for my last of line old shape 06 plate!!! only other option would be to import a four door japanese model type r with the more powerful engine, but don't really fancy the warranty and insurance problem issues of this option.

I went from an 04 rx8 to 54 ctr! don't go for an rx8 they are so expensive for the amount of power that you get! coz of the wankle engine 15mpg would be common as would a litre of oil every 500 miles or so!

They are a quick car (laps top gear track same as the previous M3) but not quick enough to warranty these POL bills!!

What is it about Fabia vRS owners thinking they have the fastest cars on the road?

I actually used to own a Fabia vRS, and it was a nice enough car, but lets be honest here, it's a 130 bhp car, and it has the performance of a 130 bhp car. Unless you get it chipped, it quite simply is NOT as quick as a Civic Type-R. It might feel it when the turbo kicks in, but it just isn't.

The Autocar mag did get 7.2 seconds, but they only achieved it on one run, most of the time they were getting 8.2 seconds. Even that is unlikely for most owners.

I was out on a run out with some petrol heads a year or two back when I had my clio 182, and one of the guys there had a Fabia VRS, and we had a little play. He admitted afterwards that there was no way he could keep up.

Also, if you thrash it across country roads, the tiny little side mounted intercooler simply overheats, losing you performance. This problem is even more so when the car is chipped. Not that there is any pleasure to be had from red lining a diesel.

I drove a Civic Type-R (EP3) when I owned my Clio 182. I have to say that the build quality, gearbox and engine were a step ahead of the 182, but the 182 handled better and was more fun to drive, and almost as quick. To be honest, I was left cold by the Civic Type-R. It just didn't feel very special, a bit boring really.

I now own an Integra Type-R (DC2), imported 98-spec model. To be honest, its probably no quicker than a Civic Type-R, but it feels it. It also sounds much better, feels much more special, and outhandles either the clio or the CTR. It's a much more rare site on the roads and never fails to attract attention. Only problem is the championship white colour is very hard to keep clean. Overall though, if someone really wants to know what the Type-R is about, they should try an Integra.

Original reviewer again. been looking into importing a japanese type r four door and have found that you can get a three yr warranty and real type r no problem. 0-60 in 5 something and 160mph top end performance. nice to have, but no need to use in real world, but a good talking point with people and showoff potential.