THERE are certain cars from your childhood that will always stand out and if you recall them fondly, the chances are you’ll still harbour a bit of a soft spot for them throughout your life.
Get away from the brightly-coloured Lamborghinis and Ferraris and there’ll be more attainable cars in there somewhere - hot hatches, usually - so many people will be thinking of Peugeot 205 GTIs, Lancia Delta Integrales and the gold-wheeled Clio Williams.
My first hot hatch love came from Japan and although I would only have been eight when I first set eyes on its creamy Championship White hue, it’s resonated with me ever since as it kick-started my obsession with Hondas of the famous Type R variety. It was the import-only EK9, the first Civic to ever wear the famous moniker and one that was incredibly rare due to it never being on sale through Honda’s network of UK dealers.
Its spec sheet still makes for incredible reading: 182bhp at 8,200rpm, a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre engine, 1,073kg and all-important red Recaro seats - key in cementing its place in minds of impressionable youths. It set the bar high for its successors, which were available to buy from UK dealers from the EP3 onwards as the early noughties’ obsession with affordable, lightweight and characterful hot hatches really gathered steam.
The little EK9 was the originator of the Type R format we grew to love with the Civic. At first you’d notice the lack of torque in the EK9, EP3 and later on the much-maligned FN2 and the necessity to explore the upper reaches of the rev range to witness the fabled VTEC in all its glory which, when coupled to a manual gearbox, was fantastic to be a part of.
The powertrain was the stand-out performer, but in recent years the Civic Type R has been radically changed and it now uses a turbocharged engine. The lithe, agile welterweight has become a true heavyweight. While that transformation and change of ethos may appear alarming at first glance, one which would almost certainly alienate its loyal following, the newest version - codenamed the FK8 - manages to capture every ounce of true Type R spirit while delivering a full-blooded 316bhp punch.
Looks-wise, it ain’t for everyone. The triple-exit central exhaust may evoke memories of the Ferrari F40 with its layout but the numerous wings, bulges and vents would be scoffed at by owners of subtle Golf Rs. But they’re there for a reason and each aero addition plays a part in hunkering the Type R down at speed. Vents have been positioned by engineers who know their stuff as the air is channelled around the Civic’s wild body in order to make it more aerodynamic, reducing drag and in turn adding to its driving ability.
Open the door and you’re met with lashings of red trim - it’s on the fantastically supportive seats and the steering wheel - but the interior is a bit of a let-down on the whole. Take away the seats and you’d be left with little else to write home about as the infotainment system is somewhat dim-witted and its graphics wouldn’t look out of place in a 15-year-old EP3. When you remember the £33,000 Type R is pitched at rivals such as the Golf R, Focus RS and Megane RS, it’s perhaps a real sticking point but it’s soon forgotten as soon as its 20-inch wheels are turning.
It generally takes a straight bit of road, a corner, a few gear changes and using the brakes to find out what a car is all about and it took all of 100 yards for me to fall for the Type R. The six-speed gearbox is the best manual I’ve ever used, simply. Its action, its incredibly short throw and the way it works in harmony with the engine is something I could - and indeed have - droaned on about for days and days to anyone who will listen.
The brakes, made by Brembo, have huge amounts of stopping power but it’s the way the pedal feels which is most impressive. There’s no sponginess, none of that confidence-sapping, disconcerting travel through the pedal and its calibration is a revelation.
The 2.0-litre turbo turns the new car into a very different animal - traditionalists who remember having to wring out engines to extract every bit of power will be in for a shock as there’s low-down grunt, a proper mid-range punch and a hunger for revs. Given it’s remained front-wheel-drive, it won’t get near a Golf R off the line but its 0-60mph time of 5.7 seconds is still impressive and it’ll hit 169mph flat out as it’s free from the electronically-limited shackles its German rivals have.
With most turbos, the final thousand revs really aren’t required as the motor tends to feel somewhat breathless as it’s done its best work before that stage, but the Type R feels almost naturally aspirated in the upper echelons. In the wet it’ll spin up in third gear if you’re too clumsy with its throttle, but learn to meter out the power and you’ll still make eye-opening progress in all conditions. It keeps you alert, unlike fast Golfs, but ultimately remains a sure-footed car which is faithful and doesn’t want to put you in a hedge.
There are three settings - Comfort, Sport and +R - which each progressively up the ante and offer very different traits to the Type R experience. Get in the car and it’ll be in Sport in its default mode; this is a good thing as it’s probably the best balance, but it takes about 30 seconds for curiosity to get the better of you before you select +R. Having covered 400-and-a-bit miles in my time with it, I’d estimate that 80 per cent of those was covered in this mode - strange given I’d read in other reviews about it being simply too stiff for the UK’s roads.
It considerably weights up the steering, it brings in clever rev-matching on downchanges, sharpens up throttle response and of course alters the dampers’ rigidity. It suits the car’s crazy look, its feel when you’re behind the wheel and gives the experience you crave from a car of this type - the steering is fantastic and the handling feels other-worldly. You find yourself working the gearbox, sneaking in perhaps unnecessary shifts just to revel in the rev-matching aspect +R brings to the equation as the system optimises the engine’s revs to match the intended gear, subsequently leaving you better placed in the powerband.
Sure, some roads do prove too much for its harsher setting and it’s that point when you slacken off the settings, but on most it’s simply not an issue and just feels right for the Type R's character.
There aren’t many cars for sale that offer that unbeatable pound-for-pound experience and if you’re after an out-there hot hatch which somehow - even in this day and age - instils the magic of its predecessors while putting its own twist on things, there’s nothing quite like it.
