I had a test drive in a new type R last week. Looks wise the front is a lot better than the back! The one i tested was a GT with the fog lights cruise controll and folding wing mirrors, £1k for that lot?? Interior has same seats as R26 but in black and red cloth.

OK, salesman drives it out of the dealership. Road outside is the bumpiest you will ever find, only a couple of hundred yards long before a roundabout so he boots it! Ride is verry firm, when I comment about it being firmer than my meg he says its designed to handle well where as the meg was never designed as a sports car!
60 limit after rondabout, he hits revlimiter in second gear! Stop at traffic lights and i'm told the engine pulls harder when it's fully warmed up. Bit further he pulls over and we swap round.
The dash is, err strange. The steering wheel is small, if it was any bigger it would obscure part of the twin level dash. View out the back is crap cos of the rear wing.
off I go. The ride is deffo harder than the meg. I'm just pottering following traffic, about 40mph in 3rd gear and its doing 4k rpm! Finally an empty road and foot down. WOW! The gearbox is sweeeet, so much more direct feeling than owt ive used before. I had to slow for a crawler, clear road drop to 4th pullout to overtake at 40mph, foot down........wait.......bit longer.........should have gone for 3rd! This aint a turbo motor. DOH!
Time to feel the red line. Revved from 3k to 8k but did'nt feel any cange in power delivery. Looked at speedo, 94mph! It did'nt feel like it was going that fast. Nor did it feel any better in the bends, te salesman telling me to be careful on the road we were on. I replied I thought it was set up to handle and I had been down there a few times in my car faster than that!

Overall the car was fast, but at no point did it feel it. You had to look at the speedo to know you were shifting. The engine did sound good when wrung out but i dont think i could live with having to change down on the motorway to overtake how i do in the meg, and the fuel consumption would kill me!

The only part of the car I would have in mine would be the gearbox, it really is a slick piece of kit.
I can't see many people who own a turbo hot hatch swapping into a type R, the power delivery just feels so weak after the turbo kick.

The Megane stays:cheers:

I had a drive in the CDTI Type S diesel civic today...I was very impressed to be honest.

The Meg was never designed as a sports car, FAF.
It kind of makes a mockery of Top Gears decision in their hot hatch shootout about the Meg R26 being too firm for an everyday car when you think the new Type R is even firmer.

I suppose the Meg couldn't win every magazine hot hatch shootout, that would have been boring.

Nice review. I saw one today in black with the optional 19'' wheels and I have to say it looked the dogs.

19 inch? fcuking hell!!

Seen a few and I think they look awfull. The other shape was the best it looked fast and it looked smart, the new one looks like its on a course of steroids and has gone wrong.

19 inch? fcuking hell!!

My thoughts exactly when I saw it!

lol. i like the new type r's

although you have to pay £56 for the type r badge on the grille!!!! :p

haha!!

Does seem a tad expensive! I like them too though, love the interior althought as others have said it could date quickly.

i haven't seen the interior, but i think i would prefer the 197 if i was buying one or the other. :)

I've only sen them in red. Silver would look better i think. The 19" alloys are £900 extra. Red footwell lighting is £200 extra:eek: . Adam get yourself on the civic forum mate!

The civic is growing on me looks wise, as the megane did. And I will have another look when the wifes car is ready for swapping, but the type R did'nt set my pants on fire. It's quick but you dont feel it.

PILE OF POO...Thats all i have to say on that issue.

I had a look at a VXR aswell but the bloody thing was black as night inside and too max power outside so i didnt even bother with a test drive. Didnt want anyone seeing me in it!!

i like the vxr's too... looks wise i think they're pretty ace, but from what ive heard the handling needs to be addressed some what?!

I agree, I hate the new CTR.

I had an EP3, in Nighthawk black and loved it. But wouldnt touch the new one.

However if we were offered the new JDM Civic type-R with 225 bhp it would be a different story......

http://www.rsportscars.com/foto/11/typerjdm07_07.jpg

The dash board alone nailed the coffin lid on the new CTR. It may look like the inside of the Millenium Falcon but to use, I found it very impractical.

I'm sure the performance is pretty good but as said without a turbo its just not gonna be the same.

That rear spoiler is definitely in a ****e place though!!

I'd imagine they are gonna get as common as the old one though, which is a shame.

Ive driven a few CTR's and i love the Vtec engines!
However in my experience a turbo fan wont be a Vtec fan, but a Vtec fan will be a turbo fan (if that makes sense) Like with most Hondas the looks grow on you but im not a fan of the new CTR! yet.
The best CTR was the EK9, it wasnt over complicated and was a proper track car for the road!

Personally I prefer the looks and drivetrain in the Type R. The seat folding arrangement is also a work of genius-with the seats down you have the rspace of a small van in the back, which if like me you have to transport stuff from time to time, is a big win.

The drawback for me was simply price. Best i could do was 4% off list making it over £3k more than the Meg. That's £3k I wouldnt be recovering come resale time either.

It looks far better than the previous version, which I thought looked like an MPV for disabaled people (no offence meant) but overall too much for too little.

not my cuppa t either, funny looking things!

I agree, I hate the new CTR.

I had an EP3, in Nighthawk black and loved it. But wouldnt touch the new one.

However if we were offered the new JDM Civic type-R with 225 bhp it would be a different story......


Now we are talking!-The JDM Type R looks like it is going to be a belter-Cant wait to see one in the flesh!!

looks jus like an evo!!

yeah you are right-it is supposed to be fantastic in the handling department-standard LSD iirc!-Might be a bit 'blingy' for some though?

i haven't seen the interior, but i think i would prefer the 197 if i was buying one or the other. :)
I'm afraid that the CTR would outclass 197 Clio.
You would be even more dissappointed with the power delivery of the Clio than the CTR,especially after driving a Megane Sport.
In all honestly,the Megane Sport,VXR,Golf GTi,Ford Focus ST,WRX etc would be nowhere without forced induction.These manufacturers just don't have the know how of high performance NA engines that Honda does.

Yup there are not many manufacturers out there that do a decent n/a engine anymore-The new clio does 'sound' very nice though!

I'm afraid that the CTR would outclass 197 Clio.
You would be even more dissappointed with the power delivery of the Clio than the CTR,especially after driving a Megane Sport.
In all honestly,the Megane Sport,VXR,Golf GTi,Ford Focus ST,WRX etc would be nowhere without forced induction.These manufacturers just don't have the know how of high performance NA engines that Honda does.

I have not driven a new type r so this may well be true. But I am not in the least disappointed with the power delivery in the 197 and I have owned a Meg F1. Also, is the Type R not meant to be a competitor to the Meg and the Astra VXR etc? It certainly is when you look at the price. It would be bottom of my list in that sector.