- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 4 seats
- Engine
2.0T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
228kW, 400Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 8.8L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
5 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2017 Honda Civic Type R review
Twelve years ago, I bought myself a Honda Civic Type R EP3 and it was a truly amazing car. When we started to renovate our house, though, we had to sell it.
- Performance
- Acceleration
- Driving pleasure
- Comfort
- Looks
- Jealous looks from other people
The last eight years I've had an Opel Vectra, Dacia Logan, and I still have a Mazda 3 hatchback as a second car. But I never got the amazing feeling I had with the Type R EP3.
At the beginning of 2017, I read that Honda was about to release a new Type R to be named the FK8. I immediately liked how it looked, and after I read some very positive reviews I ordered it at my local dealer. At the beginning of September I received news that I would get my car in a couple of weeks, and I started to get really nervous.
The big moment came October 2nd when I got my own new Type R. I'd already seen the model in white, black and red, but we decided to get it in blue. When I first saw it, I knew we'd made the right decision. It truly looks astonishing in blue, and with red accents on the outside and in the interior it makes for a wonderful combination.
The first drive was not really impressive because I drove an hour to cover 30km. The traffic was one hell of a catastrophe. Later that day, though, I found a clear road and it was probably the most amazing thing I'd felt in my life – except for meeting my wife perhaps.
With 320hp at the front wheels, you'd think it would be hard to handle. But it's such an amazing car when driving slowly, and even on the edge it never feels dangerous or outrageous.
The car has three driving modes. Every time you start you get the Sport mode, which makes the car extremely agile and it accelerates like a lunatic. When I drive on slower and less comfortable roads, I mostly drive in Comfort mode, which is very nice, but if you get above 2500rpm it's still a monster of a car – although it's not as extreme as Sport mode.
You also have the R+ mode, and this is probably the most extreme thing you can feel with a 320hp car. Although I think this mode offers its best value on a track, you just have to use it once in a while to feel the maximum capacity of the car.
Other highlights are the fantastic sport seats that keep you in place with even the most extreme driving. I sometimes have back problems, but never when I am in the Type R. The shifter is also fantastic – it's short yet muscular and the knob feels like you never want another model. You just feel the electric systems on this car are assisting you when it's needed, but never in a negative way. It's always a natural experience.
I cannot name one negative thing about this car. And when you see that it's been chosen as Hot Hatch of 2017 by almost every car-related website, you know you've got something special in your hands.