Honda Civic Type-R comes from England. Which may seem somewhat odd at first, but the Europeans are far more into the hot-hatch scene than anyone else, so the long established Honda factory in the UK is a logical place to manufacture the latest in a long line of full-on performance machines from the Japanese giant.

Styling of the latest Honda Type-R for 2009 is simply stunning. From the severely sloping, stubby bonnet, with striking headlight design, to the F1 type front spoiler treatment, big 18-inch alloy wheels and all the way back to the chopped-off tail with its inbuilt triangular exhaust outlets, this really is something special.



Honda is famed for its engine design and, though it may have pulled out of Grand Prix racing for the time being, its engines continue to do well in other racing fields. Incidentally, Honda's racing team was also based in the UK.

So it comes as no surprise that power for the Civic Type R is a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that just loves to rev to the heavens. Maximum power is 148 kW, 200 horsepower, and most of the mumbo is right at the top end of the tacho. The engine doesn't get into its full-on-power mode until it's all the way up to 5600 rpm. It then gives a huge push in the back all the way to the big 8000 rpm redline.

Peak torque is an impressive 193 Nm, thus almost reaching the magic 100 Nm per litre mark. But, again, you have to be punting the car along at big revs, top torque comes in at sky high 5600 revs. You really need 3000 rpm for the engine to come on song, indeed, 4000 is really the bottom end of the excitement territory.

Those who like a thoroughbred performance engine will just love this Honda powerplant, those who want a docile cruiser and don’t like to work at getting the best from their car should probably look elsewhere. And we don’t have a problem with that, these are after all sports cars, not pretty toys.



Similarly, the suspension provides a reasonably firm ride in a typically sporting manner, but only those who value their comfort above all else will find it unacceptable.

Pushed hard the fuel consumption will be high, but the really impressive thing about this engine is that it can be economical in daily driving. We found figures of under seven litres per hundred kilometres could be obtained without any particularly economy-driving techniques. That’s on easy paced trips, but even around town you’re not likely to see fuel consumption much over 10 litres per hundred kilometres unless you really hustle the car along. Petrol should be of 95 octane or higher in this specialised engine.

Handling is exciting and dynamic. There's plenty of road grip, the hot Civic provides great feedback through the steering wheel and this Honda hatch has the ability to bring a smile to the face any time you want to push it along hard and fast.

Road noise is intrusive at times, especially on coarse-chip roads, not unexpected in a car of this nature with sports suspension and performance tyres.

The use of a six-speed gearbox and big wheels has pushed the turning circle out to big 12.2 metres, so parking can be surprisingly difficult for such a small car.

Some drivers may find there's some confusion to the eyes while driving due to the way the rear wing intrudes on the view from the back window, but with familiarity this problem will be minimised. Unless you are of a shy and retiring nature, that is, because this hot Honda just screams out to be noticed and you wouldn’t like the attention. Then again, the extroverts…

Likewise, the futuristic interior with its two-tier instrument layout in a dash panel with boldly sculpted lines, big sports seats and special-build badge.

Interior space is aimed more at the two front occupants than at those who want to carry people in the back seat. However, access to the rear seats through the front doors is reasonably good and there's sufficient space in the rear for kids below their teenage years. Boot space is reasonable and access through the large rear hatch is impressive.

Honda's Civic Type R is a benchmark machine. Aimed at the likes of the Subaru WRX and Mazda3 MPS, it's a perfect machine for those who enjoy their driving, yet who don’t have a huge budget, and who also care enough about the planet to go for an engine that doesn't consume crazy amounts of fuel.

AT A GLANCE

MODEL RANGE
Honda Civic Type-R 2.0-litre five-door hatch: $41,990 (manual)

FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard
Air Conditioning: Standard
Automatic Transmission: Not offered
CD Player: Standard
Central Locking: Standard
Cruise Control: Standard
Dual Front Airbags: Standard
Front Side Airbags: Standard
Stability Control: Standard
Traction Control: Standard

SPECIFICATIONS (Honda Civic Type-R 2.0-litre five-door hatch)

ENGINE:
Capacity: 1.998 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 11.0:1
Bore/Stroke: 86.0 mm x 86.0 mm
Maximum Power: 148 kW @ 7800 rpm
Maximum Torque: 193 Nm @ 5600 rpm

DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Not offered
Final Drive Ratio: 5.062:1

DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4285 mm
Wheelbase: 2635 mm
Width: 1785 mm
Height: 1445 mm
Turning Circle: 11.2 metres
Kerb Mass: 1345 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 50 litres
Towing Ability: NA

SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: MacPherson struts, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Torsion beam, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc

PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 6.6 seconds

FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Type: Petrol 95RON
Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 9.3 L/100km

GREEN VEHICLE GUIDE RATINGS:
Greenhouse Rating: 6/10
Air Pollution Rating: 6.5/10

STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000 km