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Honda's newest hot hatchmay be too hot to handle

By Martin Love
THE GUARDIAN, LONDON
Thursday, Jul 12, 2007, Page 13

Honda's Civic Type R GT is good for joy riders and bad for coy drivers. PHOTOS: AP

For men with a penchant for gold jewelry, heavily gelled hair and lightly razored beards, the long wait is finally over. Ever since Honda announced at the beginning of last year that they'd be updating their best-selling hot hatch, denim-clad speed boys have been biting their knuckles in anticipation. And now, after a seemingly endless run of "concepts," the Type R is finally here - a full-on, flame snorting, Red Bull slurping motor that boasts the ground clearance of a Hoover and handles like an adult-sized Scalextric car. I've also been waiting - though for not quite as long. A few days before the Type R was due to be delivered to me, I received an apologetic call from Honda's press office. "Um, very sorry, but the journalist who was testing it last week, er, slightly over-cooked it on a tricky bend and, well, the car will be in the body shop for longer than we were expecting"

When it did arrive, all glinting alloys, flouncing side skirts and a high-revving 235kph 2-liter i-VTEC engine, I quickly realized how easy it would be to "over-cook" a Type R. This isn't to say it's not a safe car. It's just that it appeals to your less cautious side. Which, considering it is a humdrum Honda Civic, is quite a turnaround.

Honda President Takeo Fukui poses next to Honda's Civic Type R.

The Civic has been in continuous production for 35 years - the second longest from a Japanese manufacturer (Toyota's Corolla has been going for four years longer). And in that time it has gained a reputation as a quietly chivalrous and reliable mode of transport. But then along came the latest Civic make-over - the eighth in total. And where once there was sense, there was now sensation. The new car featured the kind of extreme styling that had angina patients reaching for their pills. Swollen with plastic bulges and weird angular shapes, it looked like a car-sized espresso machine designed by someone with a deep aversion to curves. Everything from the triangular exhaust pipes and isosceles lamps, to the honeycomb grille and arrow-point door handles were sharp and pointy. Now, with the arrival of the high-performance Type R variant, Honda has given its futuristic car the kind of out-there performance its looks deserve.

Inside, it's all about the driving experience. The seats are black racing-style buckets with red stitching. The steering wheel and gear stick also feature the same sexy stitching. It's clearly been styled by a Betty Page fetishist. The dashboard is built on two tiers, and flashes at you frantically from both banks; even the center of the steering wheel is an information point. It all makes you feel like you're driving an episode of 24 rather than a hatchback.

Hit the engine start button and you begin to see what all the fuss is about. With its extraordinarily direct steering, stiff ride and limitless power, the Type R handles like a macho fairground ride - leaving you feeling exhilarated, scared, dizzy and slightly queasy.

Last week, it was announced that the only country outside Europe where you'll be able to buy the car is Australia. Which probably says all you need to know about the Type R.
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