Honda Civic Type R

As now seems the norm, I start with a brief moan about the Ciao picture for this category! Whilst putting this particular car “on the books” in August 2007, Ciao have published a picture of the old model here – for which there is also a category! To save any confusion, this category AND the review that I am publishing here in it is for the current model Honda Civic. Please use my own photographs for reference rather than the Ciao published one. WHAT IS IT? Bright red, that’s what it is! ……Sorry, just my little joke there. The Civic Type-R is the sportiest Honda in the range now that production ... more

Let's get this straight from the start. Some people see driving simply as a means of getting from A to B as comfortably as possible, others see driving as a means of getting from A to B with as much kit in the car as possible, yet more folks see driving as a chore to be tolerated and finally there's those to whom driving is a pleasure in itself. The Honda Civic Type-R is not a car for comfort. It is not a car for lugging huge loads (although it is actually rather spacious) and it's not someting you would want to drive with a heavy heart. Oh no. The Civic Type-R is an out-and-out drivers car ... more

So, I've owned this car from new for 3 years, 2 weeks, 6 days, 1 hour and 17 minutes, and I can honestly say it has that affect on you. If someone asks "how long have you had your car?" would you be able to tell them the day you bought it? That's the effect this car has on 90% of it's owners - they can tell you exactly when they started driving to make them happy, not just get from A to B. In fact, getting from A to B is now a pleasure instead of a chore - this car has seriously made me think about being a cabbie for a living! Production ended on this car a few months ago, and the new type-r ... more

Honda announced this limited edition model to commemorate 30 years of the Civic model in production. As a UK model it was restricted to 300 examples: 100 Red, 100 Black, 100 Silver. I was fortunate enough to order one back in October 2002 in Silver for early 2003 delivery. The Type R in standard guise became something of a cult vehicle to many performance car enthuisiasts. This was mainly due to it's normally aspirated engine producing 200bhp (197 according to manufacturers figures), race car handling and a VFM price tag. However producing a limited edition was something of a masterstroke by ... more

I have owned a Honda Civic Type R (2005 Model) for around six months now. I had many concerns about the car before buying it, however not one of these concerns still hangs over my ownership. I chose to buy a red example, but this is personal preference. I was concerned about the road noise of the car, given the stiff suspension and low profile tyres, as I do a fair amount of motorway miles. So far, I've barely noticed. I don't find the road noise too intrusive, only on the most harsh of road surfaces. Even then, the sweet engine note is more than enough compensation. The hard suspension is a ... more