Honda Civic Type-R (2001 - 2005)
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
Honda really ought to have dominated the hot hatch market for years. They excel at building great small cars and fantastic engines, but it wasnt until the launch of the Civic Type-R in 2001 that the company could really put a significant marker down. With a manic 197bhp power output and a focused image, the Type-R became instantly popular, deposing the Renaultsport Clio 172 as the hot hatch of choice.
The one-box dome-shaped profile with its short nose and large glass area gives a very shrunken-People Carrier feel. Its the same inside, where the dashboard-mounted gearlever frees up floorspace and enables front-seated parents to walk through and clip the ears of warring kids sat in the rear. As for space, well theres significantly more than youd find in most hot hatches and the Type-R has earned itself a well deserved reputation as one of the most practical three-door sports hatches around. This car really is all about that astonishing engine though.
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So good was the Civic that the withdrawal of the much-loved Integra Type-R passed almost unnoticed. If youre after a Type-R, expect to pay from £7,450 for a UK registered car on a 2001 Y plate with a newer 03 plate car retailing at around £10,000. Insurance is something you may have to get cleared on before you buy the Type-R as its rated at a hefty Group 17 which could prove prohibitive for younger drivers.
Very little: the car tends to prove predictably reliable. Your biggest problem may be finding one that suits your budget. Civic owners dont seem to be selling at the moment. Whatever you decide on, a full service history is preferable.
The Type-R is a specialist proposition and you should make sure the vehicle has been well looked after, run in synthetic oil, has tread on the front tyres and hasnt been used as a weekend warrior by a track day fiend. Two years free servicing on every new Type-R means that nearly-new cars should at least have had their required dose of main dealer TLC.
(based on a 2002 Type-R - approx ex-Vat) Get a bit enthusiastic with the loud pedal and youll get less than 8,000 miles out of your front pair of Bridgestone Potenzas and at £180 a pop that can be an expensive habit. Front and rear brake pads are around £55 and £50 respectively per set. A starter motor is £240, a radiator around £150, and an alternator around £275.
Want to experience what its like to drive the Honda Civic Type-R? Easy. Go to the Extreme Sports Channel on your digital television, sit approximately four inches from your television screen, crank up the volume and sellotape an electric battery drill to the top of your head. Stay in this position until the battery fails and then try having a rational conversation. The performance box is decisively ticked, 60mph flashing by in 6.
8 frenzied seconds on its way to 145mph. Think of the rally-bred performance icons of the past such as the Ford Escort Cosworth and Lancia Delta Integrale and the Hondas performance is in the same ballpark, only with normal aspiration, front wheel drive and post-millennial emissions regulations to contend with. Outrageous.
The Civic Type-R is a car that is way more reliable and untemperamental than it has any right to be. A car that appeals to younger drivers - who tend to drive it hard and rev it to 8,000rpm -sounds like a grenade about to blow but its worth reminding ourselves that above all, this car is a Honda. It regularly scores top marks in customer satisfaction surveys and will be remembered if not as an all-time great hot hatch, then certainly in the second tier of cars that never fail to raise a smile. As a used buy its tough to top.
