OVERVIEW Street-legal racer without compromise PROSPerformance, handling, no compromise utility CONSNo blind spot monitoring or forward collision prevention technologies, busy rear end, I had to return it! VALUE FOR MONEYGood WHAT TO CHANGE?Add blind spot monitoring and forward collision prevention to the list of standard fare. HOW TO SPEC IT?Theres only one way to spec it, and this is it. In Europe, the hot-hatch phenomenon has been at a roaring boil for many years. In this regard Canada has been left out in the cold with the exception of the Ford Focus RS, Subaru Impreza WRX STI and VW Golf R. The Hyundai Veloster N adds another to the mix. However, when Honda released its latest Civic Type R, it gave the Great White North the forbidden fruit so many have lusted after for so long.It is a supreme ride that lives up to advanced billing and then some. The Driving team pitted the Golf R and WRX STI against the Type R last year. It cleaned their clocks despite being the only front-driver in the shoot out.The heart and soul of the Type R is the 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder shoehorned under the hood. This sweet mill twists out 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque at 2,500 rpm. The beauty is the power band is sustained over the entire operating range. Remarkably, given the outright performance at play, the engine does not bog down and become a temperamental handful when driven in an urban environment. My only wish is for a meatier exhaust note the bark needs to match the Rs bite! A big part of the driving experience is the six-speed manual gearbox. The throws are short and the gear spacing likewise. As such, under hard acceleration, the engine is never allowed to drop out of its sweet spot. It also has a rev-matching system that blips the throttle on a downshift, which means no more missed shifts. What goes unsaid is the rev-matching replicates the lost art of heel-and-toe shifting, so it makes an ordinary driver feel like a rally racer.The combination delivers a very fast turn of speed. The Type R runs to 100 kilometres an hour in 5.7 seconds, which is good. However, it is the mid-range that blows the driver away. With a three-second 80-120 km/h passing time this thing piles on speed at an alarming rate, especially if youre brave enough to run to redline in second, third and fourth gear! Normally, making the front wheels do all the driving, all the steering and the majority of the braking causes enormous headaches if you do two of the three things at the same time. Not here! The credit goes, in part, to the helical limited-slip front differential. Instead of spinning a wheel out of corners the Type R digs in and delivers otherworldly handling thats basically vice-free.The adaptive suspension then hunkers down and relishes being pushed the harder it is worked the better the Type R seems to react. The handling prowess is underscored by the steerings feel and the feedback. As a result, the Type R hammers into a corner and maintains the drivers line with a rare and very enjoyable precision. Mercifully, it also benefits from the biggest brakes ever fitted to a Civic. These things allow full-on braking time and again without running into the dreaded wall of fade.The plus is the ability to customize the drive. Comfort mode is ideal for the purring about the city; Sport is the right mode for those times when a little more fun is demanded. Then theres the +R setting. It firms the dampers, puts more weight in the steering and brings the engine to a roaring boil. Now you have a legit hot hatch that dusts its peers when the road, or track, takes a turn for the better. The Rs cabin is all about the driver. The oh-so-red body-hugging buckets, perfect driving position and chunky steering wheel make the car and driver feel as one. Likewise, the clean and precise instrumentation delivers everything demanded of a track-ready ride.However, not all is perfect. While the Type R gets Hondas LaneWatch blind spot system to cover the right side of the car a camera shows all and displays it in central infotainment screen. Unfortunately, theres nothing other than the mirror to cover the left side and theres no rear cross-traffic alert or forward collision prevention technology. An optimist may point to the fact few will pass the Type R, but the fact is it needs a true blind spot monitoring system because the rearward sightlines are tight.Remarkably, the Type Rs track ability does not come at the expense of utility. With the rear seat upright theres 728 litres of cargo space and 1,308 L with them folded. These numbers are identical to other Civic hatchbacks.Yes, the Honda Civic Type R is expensive and it has out-there styling. While the oversized rear wing is functional adding 30 kilograms of downforce at 200 km/h, it is outlandish and not going to suit all tastes. However, for those who want a legitimate racecar that doubles as a grocery getter, the Honda Civic Type R is
Origin: Reader Review: 2019 Honda Civic Type R