The Civic Type R is a car I’ve come to know well. I drove it for a few hours when Honda launched it last year.
I took one for several hair raising laps round Knockhill Racing Circuit in Fife.
And now I’ve spent a week driving one around Dundee, Fife and Perthshire.
At no point have I even come close to thinking I’m fed up with this car.
And no wonder. It has received almost universal acclaim as one of the best hot hatches on the market.
One thing is for sure: no one is going to mistake it for a bog standard Civic.
At the front there’s a deep bumper with huge cooling ducts. Along the side the eye is drawn to bulging wheel arches and low profile tyres with red brake calipers visible through mean looking alloys.
And once it’s overtaken you – which it’s almost certain to do – you’ll be left looking at the ridiculously huge rear spoiler and four drainpipe exhausts.
If you’re looking for a car that flies under the radar this ain’t it.
It certainly talks the talk. So it’s a good thing that it also walks the walk.
At 2.0 litres the engine isn’t enormous but its power output is. With the turbo at full chatter it produces 306bhp – a figure that would have been unthinkable in a hot hatch even a decade ago.
Performance figures are equally strong: 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 167mph.
It feels every bit as fast as those figures too. Even a moderate push on the accelerator sends the Type R surging forward.
Before I drove the car I was slightly alarmed that it’s front-wheel drive. Rivals such as the VW Golf R and new Ford Focus RS put their power down through all four wheels.
Sophisticated traction control means the Civic Type R can unleash its power through the front wheels. It isn’t quite as sure-footed as a four-wheel drive but it’s pretty good. And it grips like crazy – even on the track at Knockhill I lost my bottle before the car came close to the edge of its envelope.
There’s even an R+ button that makes the driving characteristics even more aggressive.
A wealth of safety kit over and above the run of the mill Civic helps protect your Type R from coming to harm or causing any harm.
There’s forward collision warning, rear cross traffic alert to warn of passing cars when backing out of a space, traffic sign recognition and blind spot and lane departure warning.
The Type R is just as extroverted inside as it is outside. Deep bucket seats and a mean red colour scheme make sure you never feel you’re in anything ordinary. It’s surprisingly practical though. The rear seats can fit adults, the boot is enormous and it’s actually quite comfortable on a long journey.
There are bugbears, of course. In most cars sixth is an overdrive gear where revs are dropped to a minimum for relaxed, economical cruising.
This isn’t the case in the Type R. At 70mph the rev counter’s sitting around the 3,000RPM mark.
While this means there’s loads of power on tap for overtaking I’d prefer a quieter engine and better economy at motorway speeds.
At £29,995 the Type R offers a lot of power and road presence for the money. Most buyers will spend £2,300 more for the GT model I had which adds a pile more standard equipment.
Should you buy one? As with most things it comes down to taste. The Golf R is less powerful but offers better refinement and calmer looks.
Its biggest rival will almost certainly be Ford’s 345bhp, four-wheel drive Focus RS.
Price: £32,295
0-62mph: 5.7 seconds
Top speed: 167mph
Economy: 38.7mpg
CO2 emissions: 170g/km