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KUALA LUMPUR: The Honda Civic Type R is the high performance version of the Civic introduced by the Japan carmaker in 1997.
Now into its fifth generation, the Civic Type R has set a new record for front-wheel drive cars in Nurburgring Circuit with a lap time of 7:43:80, almost seven second faster than its predecessor.
Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd, the largest non-national carmaker in Malaysia, has launched the Civic Type R in November 2017.
Auto News Asia sampled the Honda Civic Type R and it is a comfortable, powerful and fun to drive sports car.
The Honda Civic Type R is ideal for those who desire the track performance sports car.
It is slightly more comfortable than a track car because the Civic Type R’s suspension setting is not extremely stiff.
At the heart of the Civic Type R is the 2.0-litre VTEC Turbocharged engine that is paired with the six-speed manual transmission. It produces 306 hp and a maximum torque of 400 Nm.
The Civic Type R’s engine is powerful and smooth. It is able to dash over the legal speed limit, without the need of flooring the throttle. The clutch is light and easy to engage, accompanied by the precise shifter, makes driving the Civic Type R easy and comfortable, even during traffic jams.
Honda claims that the Civic Type R can sprint from zero to 100 kph in 5.7 seconds and the top speed at 272 kph.
During high speed corners, the Civic Type R offers tremendous grip, like it was glued to the road. It also has razor-sharp handling and provided accurate feedback to the driver.
There are three-driving modes available in the Civic Type R. Which is the Sport mode, Comfort and +R mode. Every driving mode offers a different dampers setting, steering force and throttle response.
Measuring in at 4,557 mm in length, 1,877 mm in width, 1,434 mm in height and a wheelbase of 2,700 mm. It weighs 1,391 kg and it has a 47 litres of fuel tank capacity, as well as 420 litres of boot space.
The interior is finished with a mixture of leather, red trims, carbon fibre prints, and two comfortable red coloured front sport seats. It has enough headroom, legroom and shoulder room for all its occupants in the Civic Type R. There’s also 420 litres of boot space that can fit in a couple of medium or large size luggage.
There was minimum wind noise, tyre noise and engine noise in the Civic Type R during slow speed driving. However, during high speed driving, the engine sounds beautifully. The triple-pipe, centre exhaust isn’t as loud as other sports exhausts.
The Honda Civic Type R is equipped with 20-inch black alloy wheels, LED automatic headlights, LED daytime running lights, LED front fog lamps, Type R rear wing, Type R triple exhaust with finisher, drive mode switch, rev match system, smart entry and push start button, cruise control, , Type R-specific instrument cluster, dual zone air-conditioning system, touch panel air-conditioning control, alloy shift knob, alloy pedals, Type R leather sport steering, Type R sport seats, 7-inch touchscreen, two USB port and one HDMI port, hand-free telephone system and eight speaker audio system.
Its infotainment system was very responsive and straight forward. The sound system plays basic quality loud tunes. The treble is short of clarity, while the bass is short of the pounding feel.
Six airbags, vehicle stability control, anti-lock braking system, electronic brake distribution, auto brake hold, brake assist, hill start assist and ISOFIX child seat mounting points – these are the core safety features available in the Honda Civic Type R.
The Honda Civic Type R is priced at RM 330,002 on-the-road without insurance. It is covered by a five years unlimited mileage warranty and a five times within 100,000km or five years (whichever comes first) free labour service.
We drove the Honda Civic Type R for over 350 km. A combined city and highway driving resulted in 8.1 to 9 l/100km. Cruising on the highway below the speed limit recorded 6.4 to 7.3 l/100km. After some pedal-to-the-metal driving, it registered 10.2 to 12.1 l/100km.
The Honda Civic Type R is a handsome looking, powerful and very fun to drive sports car that is suitable for everyday duties.
Nevertheless, there are rooms for improvements. The Civic Type R should be equipped with reverse camera and parking sensors. It would be more fun if it has a louder sport exhaust.
It will improve the safety aspects of the Civic Type R, if it is equipped with the company’s LaneWatch and also the HondaSensing systems.
