Test Drive Honda Civic Type-R 2001 - 2005 Hatchback

Red and black

Last September, the English plant Honda in Swindon began to assemble a new generation of Civic model. The car is produced in four bodies: three- and five-door hatchback, sedan and coupe. The first 150 cars were flooded with a historic homeland (quite in the Japanese spirit: all the best for themselves) These were three-door hatchbacks in Type R version, with 2-liter 200-strong motors and six-speed boxes with converted gears. Real sports cars. Therefore, when Honda Civic Type R appeared in Moscow and got into the engine for a test drive, spent it quite logically fell to me athlete-rider.

 
Honda Civic Type R instantly tastes attention thanks to primarily a rather original tailoring body. Singing turtle-hunchback, sophisticated, ugly, especially from the frontal part. Huge headlamps with a katsy hood, drowning in large arches 17-inch wheels, an anti-glass, attached over a narrow glass of the rear door ... The view of the car causes a complex feeling close to the lunization.

 
Because of the highly raised roof and more vertical than in the previous model, planting inside has become much more spacious. The interior decoration is distinguished by good asceticism. Under the left steering switcher, additional niches appeared on the heater and under the console of the heater. The instrument panel is decorated with white scales, it is easy to read and completely not overloaded. Against the background of the matte-black torpedo, a silver plastic heater console is distinguished. It is located on it the gear lever (which, according to one of my acquaintance, looks extremely erotic) This is one of the main raisins of the machine. I must say that this placement is very convenient. The lever is close to the steering wheel and approximately one of the plane with it, which is important when acute dynamic driving. Baranca has become less, while turning it much easier, apparently due to a more efficient amplifier. Driving two classic Japanese switches, vanity, light and direction pointers. The front seats are delighted by a truly sporty design. These are tough buckets, direct relatives racing Recaro ...

 
Let us turn to the main chassis tests. When a small car costs about $ 27.000, it usually speaks of its outstanding riding qualities. The way it is. A two-liter engine due to an impressive moment lucky from Niza himself. Literally with thousands of revolutions, the new Civic Type R is dynamically accelerated. On three thousand, additional pickup feels, and in the range from six to eight thousand you are already as if you are flying if not on the fighter, then on the sports plane for sure. The previous Type R had a problem its potential motor as it should have implemented only with 5,500 revolutions, a very long transmission did not give the opportunity to keep it in the VTEC operation range (5500-8000 rpm.). Now both problems have solved the engine with the I-VTEC system (VTEC Plus VTC) confidently runs to the bottom, and the transmissions at the six-speed box in sports are brought together.

 
The suspension of the new Civic Type R is much tougher than on the previous hot version. In my opinion, this is due primarily with the fact that the car added in growth the center of gravity moved above, and to prevent strong transverse rolls, the Japanese had to tighten the suspension. Now this is a real sports car.

 
The controllability is higher than praise, the turning is almost neutral, and with a quick entrance to 90-degree turns even slightly excessive. In the initial stage of rotation at the time of braking and turning the steering wheel, the car is a bit nose, screwed into a turn with a small back of the rear axle, and then when adding a gas, it is confidently coming out of it, delivering the driver's real pleasure ...

 
During the test, I unwittingly compared the new Civic Type R and Civic Black Phantom of the 1998 release on which I drove for four years. Essentially, this is a Type R of the previous generation, characterized by a special decor, a limited series, issued on the occasion of some anniversary of the company.

 
In my car, the steering wheel of a little larger diameter, comfortable low landing, soft anatomical seats and medium stiffness, with a claim for sportiness, suspension. BLACK PHANTOM as if combines two different cars. On Saturdays, on Saturdays, I slowly assume the mother-in-law at the cottage, while spending about 6 liters of gasoline per 100 km, and I return to the city already on another, almost racing, overcoming 60 km of country roads in 20 minutes and paying for this 20 liters per hundred. My car, thus, is a compromise between the economy-class Elektrical Class with a suspension, insufficient turning, and a conditionally sports car.

 
The new Civic Type R is a sports car without any compromise. I rode him in Moscow day and constantly caught myself on the fact that I just can't go calmly. The proximity of the transfer numbers in the box does not make it possible to remove the hand from the gear shift lever, the stiffness of the suspension and seats, even the design of the cabin all provokes to the aggressive driving style. That's just the back of the evening. From Moscow to St. Petersburg on this sports shell, I will definitely not go ...

 
Does the new Type R come true in the Moscow market? I do not know whether there are many people who want to lay out for a small car without skin and air conditioning such money. Returning behind the wheel of his phantom, I wondered for a whole day, where my power and sports accuracy was done. Of course, the new Type R far left his predecessor. I am pleased to put the five new Japanese fighter, so well-disguised everyday nebanic kimono.
 
Boris Shulmeaster
 

A source: Motor magazine [July 2002]