TESTED: CIVIC TYPE R

Think the Type R’s been watered down? Seems like Honda has heard your cries.

Ask a performance enthusiast what first pops into their mind when you mention ‘Type R’, and I’ll bet a fiver they’ll use adjectives like ‘raw’, ‘harsh’, ‘rev happy’, ‘brutal’. Indeed, Honda’s Type R-badged cars are synonymous for being painfully unrefined, with the original EK9s and DC2s being stripped of anything that went against the R’s mantra of more power, less weight, and nothing in between. Sound deadening was deleted, the suspension was spine-snapping stiff, the chassis stiffened, and even the windscreen’s thickness was reduced to save precious grams.

However with each new generation of Honda, the Type R variants became softer. Creature comforts returned, the buzzing road roar – a by-product of any car that doesn’t have tar between you and the road – muted, and overall it had become, well, more compliant. Purists – and Type R fans were certainly sticklers in this respect – cried foul. What Honda was doing was nothing short of sacrilegious. This went against everything the Type R stood for.

Compounding this was a growing jealousy amongst Australian Honda enthusiasts, who looked enviously at the JDM FD2 Civic Type R. Although based on the sedan shape, the Japanese had the full strength 165kW K20A as well as a compliment of Brembo brakes.

When Honda announced a couple of years ago that the Type R badge would return to Australian shores after a brief hiatus, the purists were dejected that we would only be receiving the UK-built FN2 hatch rather than the FD2 sedan. Although few would argue that the hatch is nicer on the eyes than the four-door sedan, Type R’s were not about the aesthetics but rather the exhilarating ride that left drivers gasping for breath.

To Honda Australia’s credit however, it seems that all the bemoaning hasn’t fallen on deaf ears. This year’s line-up sees the launch of the 2009 model of the FN2 Honda Civic Type R. Unveiled at the Melbourne International Motor Show earlier this year, the new Type R addresses two of the biggest concerns the diehards have long harboured towards the Sunderland-built version.

The most obvious is the new colour option: white. But not just any white; Championship White, the colour synonymous with Honda’s racing history and the exclusive trademark of Type R pedigree. Although it’ll seem frivolous to those who can’t see the importance of a white paint option, trust us when we say the Honda fans will be nodding appreciatively. 

And seeing our Championship White test car in the flesh was certainly impressive. Put simply, there’s something just right about Type R’s in white and the way they contrast so strongly with the red badges. It just works. If we could have things our way, all Type Rs would be white, period.

Having already tested the FN2 hatch upon its Australian debut, we were keen to embark on our week-long test to see what amendments there were to this year’s model. Although not a facelift per se, there are a multitude of subtle improvements.

A poke around the cabin uncovers a USB adaptor and auxiliary connector within the centre console box. In the previous version an iPod connector was only available as an option, and so this inclusion will tick a must-have box for the majority of us who have a portable MP3/WMA player.

Although there’s plenty of glass to aid rear visibility, the rear spoiler has always been an obstruction. Subsequently, Honda has now included reverse parking sensors, which are colour-coded and nestled along the bumper. There are faint alterations along the exterior too, with a smoke chrome finish now used on the door handles and fuel filler lid. While we never needed to experience it during a seven day test, we’re told that the Type R also has an automated tyre deflation warning system, which will ping the owner if one of the tyres suddenly drops pressure.

While all of the above are nice touches, what has transformed this car is the limited slip differential. It seemed borderline incredulous that it was omitted the first time around, and the difference an LSD makes in a hot hatch like this is about as subtle as letting off a firecracker in a cinema. It’s a completely and utterly different beast to drive. Whereas in the old model there was the annoyance of the inside wheel lighting up like a banshee out of tight corners, the LSD-equipped Type R is the polar opposite. Totally poised, direct and formidable.

With two Series 1 FN2’S in ASM’s extended family, we were able to conduct back to back tests along some of our favoured twisting roads. While straight-line comparisons netted similar results, there was no competition when it came to cornering. String together a couple of tightening radius corners and the gap quickly went from two-car lengths to six. It comes as no surprise to learn that the LSD-equipped version lapped the Tsukuba circuit some 1.44 seconds faster than its predecessor.

While the Type R still retains its trademark stiff bump stroke, it remains remarkably composed, even on rut-infested entries into sweeping corners. While the days that a Type R badge signified a bare-boned boy racer’s wet dream are long gone, it’s not fair to say that performance purists are being handed a watered down offspring. This Civic Type R is compliant and comfortable, yet delivers all the point-and-shoot goodness that we come to expect from Honda’s racing breed. In our eyes, that’s a damn good thing. Here’s a car that you can enjoy day in day out, whether it be on an open road or through traffic jammed streets. And you won’t have to ask your passengers if they mind having bruised kidneys either.