After a prolonged absence Honda has brought back its celebrated hot Civic, but this time it’s using a turbo.
The name may be familiar but this Civic Type-R is very different from the old.
The biggest change is under the bonnet where for the first time a hot Honda skips the naturally aspirated route and goes for the current vogue of turbocharging to create a VTEC Turbo.
Putting all that power on the road is a new suspension system that’s designed to reduce torque steer and a mechanical limited slip differential too.
A reactive adaptive damping system is fitted as standard and there’s a +R mode that reduces steering assistance, sharpens the throttle response and backs off the stability control a little.
Add to that a wild exterior that’s shaped by the wind tunnel and influenced by the racing versions, and you have the potential for the most extreme Civic Type-R ever.
You’re not going to mistake the Type-R for another Civic or some other hot hatch.
For the moment at least it is the most aggressive looking hot hatch on the market, and while it’s perhaps not to all tastes there’s no doubting that it is eye-catching.
The massive rear spoiler, big wheels with rubber-band tyres and the aero-look wheelarches are impossible to miss.
There’s nothing lacking in the image department either as the Type-R badge has been absent from the market for four years, making the older models cherished items.
Handily the Type-R is based on the spacious and practical Civic five-door, so the compromises over the standard car are relatively modest.
Up front there are very supportive sports seats, although their bulk does mean rear knee room is fractionally reduced and the big side bolsters need a little care to negotiate.
However the boot remains large and well shaped and the cabin storage is decent too; it’s still a car that can cope with family life in its stride.
The new engine dominates the driving experience and the switch to turbocharging has transformed the way this Type-R behaves compared to its predecessors.
With a huge slug of torque at low revs you can be lazy with the gearchanges and still make good progress, although the shift itself is very slick and satisfying to use.
Unsurprisingly its best work is done by 6,000rpm, but this is a powerful and flexible engine dishing out big performance.
Even though it is pushing 306bhp through the front wheels there is almost a complete absence of torque steer – on Slovakian roads at least – and while you can feel the nose working hard the steering remains impressively uncorrupted. You can use the power to drive it out of tight bends with great zeal.
In +R mode it feels more aggressive still, potentially too firm for a broken UK B-road but on track it makes for flat and composed cornering. The Vehicle Dynamic Assistance also allows a good degree of slip before nudging you back into line.
Checking in under £30,000 for a 167mph top speed is no mean feat in itself, but the standard equipment list is impressive with all the high performance kit such as the limited slip differential and Brembo brakes, climate and cruise control, Bluetooth, rear parking camera, and City Brake system as standard.
£32,295 gets you the GT version which adds a suite of additional safety systems, automatic lights and wipers and an upgraded audio system including satnav.
Hot hatch fans should be queuing up for this one. There are important rivals yet to arrive on the scene but for now at least the Civic Type-R is the pick of the bunch; fast, capable, enormous fun and pleasingly free from compromise.
That makes it a car not for the faint-hearted and family buyers will need to be committed, but the pay-off is a sharp hot hatch that entertains like little else.
Facts & figures
Model: Honda Civic Type-R
Price: £29,995
Engine: 2.0-litre unit producing 306bhp and 295lb/ft of torque
Performance: Top speed 167mph, 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds
Economy: 38.7mpg combined
CO2 rating: 170g/km