2007 Honda Civic Type R First Steer
June 23, 2007 by Paul Maric
After seeing this thing on display at the Melbourne Motor Show this year, I knew Honda were making an attempt at impressing their Aussie supporters, along with reviving a brand name that is synonymous with style, performance and affordability
From behind, one of the first things you notice is the set of dual exhaust pipes shaped like triangles. This Civic is unlike any other, it takes on a unique design only available in Europe.
Open the door and an obviously race inspired interior ensues. Aluminium clad pedals and a big red starter button headline the driver visible aspects of the interior, whilst a set of ‘Type R’ labelled seats support both driver and passenger alike in the utmost fashion. The gauge cluster does away with any pointless nomenclature and features a big tachometer, along with digital speedometer and auxiliary gauges. Similar to the Toyota Supra of yesteryear, the Type R’s dashboard is driver oriented, angled toward the driver and visible from all angles and heights.
Rear seat room is about on par with its competitors – XR5 Turbo, SRi Turbo and Golf GTI – whilst boot room matches – if not exceeds – its competitors, allowing for the haulage of shopping and/or bags.
The part I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for – the drive. I must say, this thing is f’en quick! The whole package is almost perfect in every regard. The engine is extremely responsive, whilst the clutch and gearbox combination can only be described as divine. The steering allows the driver to feel every aspect of the front wheel’s movement and also provides perfect feedback under harder cornering.
From a standing start, slip the clutch slightly with a few revs on board and the traction control battles with the tyres to keep them under control. After a moment of hesitation, you’re off and racing, hitting the 8000RPM redline with no time to spare. A quick dab of the clutch and slam of the gearstick has the tyres chirping into second gear, moving well on the way to 100km/h. Believe it or not, the Type R moves from naught, to one hundred in just 6.6-seconds and there’s no turbo to be heard of.
The Type R does away with any form of forced induction and uses Honda’s renowned VTEC, variable valve timing technology. At 7,800RPM, the 2.0-litre DOHC motor produces a spritely 148kW, whilst at 5,600RPM it’s ramming out 193Nm of torque. Although the figures don’t sound all that impressive, the power delivery is extremely smooth and constant. The Type R also beats all of its rivals (except the Mazda3 MPS) in the 0-100 dash, proving that force-feeding isn’t the be-all and end-all in hot hatches.
There’s absolutely no dire torque steer to be heard of (unlike the SRi turbo which tries to steer you off the road after an enthusiastic jab of the throttle), which is one of the downsides of front-wheel-drive turbocharged vehicles. The sound track isn’t too bad, but it doesn’t have the burble or bark that a Golf GTI or XR5 Turbo does, but that’s something that an aftermarket exhaust would easily rectify.
Braking is taken care of by 300mm front and 260mm rear disc brakes. The Civic Type R leads the stakes in terms of braking potential. When compared to its competitors, the Civic Type R out-brakes the BMW 120i and Volkswagen Golf GTI by some one and two metres respectively. VSA (Vehicle Stability Assist) – Honda’s version of Electronic Stability Control – is standard equipment in the Type R, which receives a custom tune tailored toward sporty driving. During the drive, VSA stepped in on a few occasions but rarely caused a fuss or interrupted driving dramatically.
Fuel consumption is quite commendable. Using just 9.3-litres/100km, the Type R rates as one of the most fuel efficient in its class. Accepting a recommended 95RON, the Type R can run on 91RON petrol, but it’s not recommended for optimal performance.
The steering wheel feels great; it’s slightly meaty and fills the hands nicely. A couple of downsides inside the vehicle include the task required to reach the seatbelt. The seat’s side bolster gets in the way of reach to the seat belt, making it a slightly strenuous task. The spoiler also sits directly in the line of traffic, making it a bit tricky to see following traffic, along with reversing. Aside from that, the interior feels extremely well built and the fit and finish is spot on.
There is no independent rear suspension featured in the Type R. The Type R uses a torsion beam type suspension setup instead, which increases rigidity during cornering. Built alongside Europe’s Civic range in the UK, Honda expects to sell 100 Civic Type Rs per month.
Starting at $39,990, the Civic Type R is only available with a 6-speed manual transmission. There are three colours available – Milano Red (non-metallic), Alabaster Silver (metallic) and Nighthawk Black (metallic) – with metallic colours incurring an additional cost.
Standard features include: Adjustable headlight height; 18” alloy wheels; trip computer; cruise control; drive by wire electronic throttle; engine immobiliser; keyless entry; electric mirrors; heated mirrors; folding door mirrors; fog lights; dual zone climate control; power steering; leather wrapped steering wheel; rain sensing windscreen wipers; power windows; Type R Alcantara sports seats and single disc CD player with MP3 compatibility.
Safety features include: Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA); ABS brakes; dual front airbags; dual side airbags; dual curtain airbags (front and rear); Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD); Emergency Brake Assist (BA) and side impact protection beams.
So what’s the final verdict on the all new Honda Civic Type R?
It’s impressive…very impressive. In fact, at such a price along with the brilliant fuel economy and near perfect on-road dynamics, there’s really no way to fault the Type R. The first steer had me quite impressed and I think Honda will have people queuing for some time.
The Civic Type R looks unlike anything on the road at the moment and in my opinion, will sell in droves. It simply has to be test driven to be believed, so head into your local dealer and get the pedal to the metal, it’s sure to impress.
- by Paul Maric
Tags: Honda Civic, Honda Civic Type R, Honda Reviews
Might have to go and get a test drive! It seems like a quality package given its pricing… only issues I can really see with it are from what I can see at least it doesnt have Xenons or even projector headlamps which we have come to expect from cheaper Hondas such as the Euro and it doesnt have LED rear brake lights which something like the Odyssey has. Nit picking but to me they are a few disappointing things… but yeah like I said, I dont think you could complain given the features list, handling and performance of that engine.
I can’t believe it doesn’t come in white, would’ve looked pretty schmick.
I would love to hear the engine at 8250RPM, that is one insane redline.
I think I still prefer the sedan Type-R for both its looks and performance.
no mention of the ride quality which has been a criticism in most other reviews on this. unless you took it on super smooth billiard board table style roads (ha! good luck looking for those in AUS)
i don’t think Honda AUS will bring out the JDM sedan CTR so this is the best we’re gonna get.
other than that sounds like you really like it :D
You’re right George.
Forgot to mention the ride. I was actually quite impressed with it, it soaked up bumps quite nicely and held flat through bends.
Mind you, it’s only a first steer, so I didn’t get much of a chance to push the car through the regular test pad, but first impressions were great.
The styling is very avant-guard, not something Honda has been thinking about for some time now. I think the Type-R will appeal to a relatively young audience, say up to 40 years with a few mid-life crisis 50 years plus, behind the wheel.
The rear wing should have been counted with a set of rear parking sensors – companies as large as Honda could have these made for under A$50 or less, so no excuse whatsover. I didn’t see mention of auto headlights on function? Should be mandatory these days as a safety feature (like rain sensing wipers, it allows for more road focus and less looking at switchgear)
Overall though – I would suspect this is a very nice package.
I could understand why ride quality wouldnt be great… no indepedent rear suspension! Honda might say its for body rigidity, but they would tell you think car could fly if it gets more sales… cost cutting? To me the lack of projector headlamps and LEDs is evidence of this (In defence competition like the XR5T and other similarly priced vehciles dont have them)
Target audience was from 28-40. Missing a bit of equipment but generally great value for money. Should sell very well.
Very nice car, saw a Silver Type-R on the way to work last week and it was a real headturner.
Will look forward to the more intensive review given the mixed thoughts on the ride from other journalists.
Cheers,
Paul
I own one of these now and it really is as good as they say. And to answer someone’s query back then, yes it comes with auto headlights and rain-sensing wipers as standard
Ride quality is actually quite poor thanks to that rear-suspension. Being a 20 year old car enthusiast, i thought it couldnt be that bad seeing that back problems are the least of my worries. But yesterday while driving it gave me quite a fright with the way it reacted to bumps on the road. I didnt notice it the first time i drove it so i suspect that on most road it’ll be fine. but as soon as you hit dodgy roads, watch out…
Stereo system could be better too. The buttons and functions are fine, but sound quality isnt really.
Other than that, no other criticisms from me. The layout of the interior and the electronic tacho and speedo do take some getting used to. But once you get used to it you’ll start to dig it
ill write a user review after ive run the car in and had more time with it. so far, im loving every minute of owning one of these. sat in the car for 2 hours yesterday just going thru everything lol
oh gosh, the car yet to arrive in singapore
Why doesn’t it come in white?
On a 40 degree day air con or not, a dark colour car just cooks.
Haven’t been for test drive yet – in W.A (Wait Awhile)
Lol who cares about the temperature that wouldnt stop me buying a black car if its looks good and I think that would be the same for most of the demographic inclined to buy the Type R. But it is weird I saw an early pic of the Type R in white yet its not available in that now… not that I would buy it in white, abit plain for my liking.
^KNOB
I drive an Integra Type R and if this new Civic is half as good as the Integra it’ll be a ripper.
reviews have said it is better than the integra type-r
This is the worse outlook design in Type R family. They should launch the Japanese Version Type R Sedan in Australia.
i rekon the 2007 civic type-R JDM model is way better even tho its seden its looks way better and its faster
I was in the market for a car. I was tossing up between a Civic Type R and the Golf GTI. After driving both I signed up for the Golf. It’s a much nicer car to drive, feels more refined and the low down torque is great. The Civic was a blast to drive but I couldn’t really use it as an everyday day car. Just getting into it puts you in attack mode which is great if you want to thrash the box off it but I couldn’t just cruise in it. I really boy-racer machine.
I am in the market for a fun but very quick practical sports car. I want it to be modern & cool. I have narrowed to Golf GTi, 2nd-hand Mitsubishi Evo 9, Civic Type R. Went to a Honda dealer and he wouldn’t let me test drive it coz they don’t want everybody putting kays on it unless they’re serious!!!
Car feels great inside – a luxury racecar if you like. And the back seat is spacious. Don’t like the feel nor operation of the door/boot handles. Else its a great car.
I have a black Type R and every time I slip into those seats it brings a little “smile” to my face. Love the noise, the ride and the power. When I choose to drive it sensibly it delivers better than 7 lts pr 100lts. Very happy first Honda purchase
just sold an alfa romeo spider for the Honda Civic Type R. The alfa drives beautifully and handles well. its also a very good looking car that always turns heads. However the alfa is higher maintenance than my girl friend. The Civic is excellent to drive and the power is incredible. It is the only car ill swap my alfa for
TOP GEAR just compared this 18/11/07 with the old Euro type R. It was slower and handled worse. This is definitely not an improvemnt on the old one. Clarkson recommends buying the old one and looking after it. From the clips I saw its loads slower..Needs a bigger engine to carry the extra weight. How about a 2.2 litre
I took one of these for a spin. Smacked my knee really hard on the way in (on the dash). Maybe it’s just that I’m getting on a bit but the huge door needs to open a long way before I can get in or out. I found driving it to be really tiring as well as I constantly had to row through the gears to stay in the zone. Handling and braking were excellent. A bigger motor with more torque would have been just the go but maybe it wouldn’t then be a Civic! Not for me.
I have now had my Civic Type R for 3 months and look forward to driving it each day. I even make excuses to drive it. My previous cars have been the Integra GSI, Holden Commodore SS and before that my beloved Mitsubitsh Cordia Turbo.
If you are all about power an nothing else then I guess there are other options, but if you are after the whole package (Power, Style, Boot Space, Features, etc..) then in My opinion there is nothing anywhere near this price bracket that will compare.
I like this car very much. It is great to drive, but the lever for blinkers on left hand side is not really good think from a safety point of view.
Tossing between Type-R, Subaru WRX and Golf GTI – any advise and recommendations from your experience
I bought mine new from a Hornsby dealer in Oct 07 at the right price.
I have clocked 15,000Ks in just over 3 months,
Travelled the east coast between Moruya in NSW and Brisbane a phew times.
Never missed a beat, best fun I have had for years.
Fuel cosumption approx 7.4 highway 9 city.
Very comfortable ride, my age is fifty odd.
Down sides is all the P platers coming up besides u and wanting to have a go. (no chance if you know what i mean)
Only warantie problems have been radio reception, only good in major city then nothing outside.
Speedo is out, replaced one speed unit so far, goes in again next wednesday, 5 times already.
Honda say they allow for a 10 percent variance.
Think about that, speedo says 110 but your only doing 100!!!!!
Not anywhere good enough for such a high profile car company and their so called performance car.
Last 2 cars have been perfect in regards with their speedo and radio, both honda Euro’s
can contact me at saratogabypass@yahoo.com.au
I’ve been eyeing off the Type R for a little while know. I have read a number of reviews and am a little concern about the 0 – 100Km times reported. Two Australian road tests have recorded times of 7.8sec & 8.0sec.
A far cry from the 6.6 sec claimed by Honda.
Any opinions on this? Can anyone direct me to any road test that state otherwise? I’d like to be convined because i really like what I see but 7.8sec just ain’t that fast.
So for what possible reason do you need 0-100km time to be faster?? The car is at its best when you are travelling at say 100k’s in 5th at 4000 rpms, then drop it back to 3rd ,plant your foot and watch it fly.. Hey.. we are in Australia not Germany.. If all your interested in speed, go get a motorbike? 0-100ks in 3.0s
Understand your point Waynes World. All I’m trying to find out is whether the claimed 6.6sec to 100kms is true.
I’ve had two V-TEC Honda and known how they work. The last one I had was a 99 Civic Coupe V-TIR. It had very little lowe down power and was a bit disappoint to drive…don’t want to make te same mistake.
Cheers.
hello everyone !
I have maybe an explanation concerning the difference between 0-100 kph in 6.6s announced by honda and the other figures.
first of all it depends a lot on the start (cluctch, tyres..) then it depends also on the way u schift the gearbox (speed and Pmax Rpm).
moreover and I think this is the biggest issu. honda claims 6.6 for all model of new type R. well this is impossible. I guess this 6.6s is ok for the cheapest model of type R which is also the ligthest. in france the cheapest type R weigh is 1227 kg, in this condition I think this is possible to have this 6.6s. But this car has no stereo, no air cond…
concerning Clarckson test, he tested the old light type R compared to the heaviest full option new type R. the old type r weight is around 1213 kg and the new full option type R is around 1357 kg……first of all to make a good test he should have tested the ligthest old type R with the lightest new type R.
I drove european type R and japanese type R, I love both of them, but the japanese type R is incredibely uncomfortable, even for a hardcore driver like me (I used to drive military vehicles), this is almost unbearable in everyday use even if u ask honda for the “soft” dump and spring on the catalogue…..!!!
however the japanese one is much more a race car!
Steve, like yourself I too am in my fifties and have just aquired this lil rocket. FANTASTIC! I also am surprised by the speedo accuracy. Checked against my GPS my speedo over reads by 7 Kmh through_out its speed range. So far only tested up to 110Kmh indicated. It appears this must be an inherant design fault.
As above 3rd feb 2008 i have now replaced my honda type R with an Audi A3 sports due to the fact of 15 times back for repairs and Honda stating they will no longer repair the faults.
these are as follows
1 / speedo out by 8%
2 / radio reception no good in country with window tinted (rear) but they didn’t tell me this when i ordered the car.
3 / rear hatch hold water (ok under warranty but what happens later????)
4 / Bonnet paint chips must be 50 or so car only 6 months old
Steve:
Every single one of those “problems” isn’t actually a “problem”.
The ADR allows for up to 10% variance in speedo readings. If you have owned more than one new car, you will notice that EVERY single speedo is out by some degree.
Paint chips…are you serious? Don’t follow trucks so closely, every car will suffer the exact same fate if driven the way you drive it.
If you tint the glass with metallic tint, it will affect radio reception. It’s a well known fact, you should have researched this before you went in to get your tint done.
Suprising a Honda is off though…. its claimed they have among the most accurate speedo’s in the biz
Guys, I have got my Civic Type R since September last year and it is an amazing piece of work.
Whoever says a GTI is a better car to drive, has never driven both these cars.
Not only is the Type R quicker, its also so much more responsive and fun to drive. It’s also got this amazing howl when it starts hitting the VTEC zone.
Its a very comfortable car and most of all a drivers car.
It also a very easy car to drive with its smooth gearbox.
I picked a Silver one and the drive is impressive.
The body feels stiff and solid… the luggage capacity rear seats down amazing.
The Engine is just a dream … more revs MORE go … no Turbo lag the more you rev it the more it asks to be revved.
Silent Idle but rev it and catch the Vtec snarl what an engine.
Suspension is ok in line with any handling sporty car .. it likes smooth roads its not harsh just firm but damped
Ok, reviews say with 40 grand, you can buy a much better car than this.
Amen to that.
Honda should start bringing the real “Type R”
All car magazines did mentioned that Honda K20C engine makes good sounds….moise…..and that’s about it!
Anyone who try to tell me that it has power or faster then Turbo cars are dreaming.
Unless you spent 10K on engine modification then you would have a chance.
Long gone the Honda that we all know and love….. welcome to the new Honda…..what new Honda?
No initiatives or anything….would not surprise me if Honda folds on the next 3-5 years.
No offence to any Honda Lovers.