Civic Type R as an e30 replacement

[dave123]

Has anybody driven one of these?

Looking at one as a potential replacement for the sport and was interested what people thought of them who were used to fine German engineering and not shoddy Saxos!

[low325icab]

boring front wheel drive jap c@#p

no seriously, these things fly mate! sound lovely too!

[6potWil6pot]

Go for a test drive is what id recommend!
I dont like the shape of the new Type-R personally but ive read its a good accomplised car!

[Simon13]

4 screamer or torquey 6 pot?! My mate has one, it's another fun car. Not built too well mind

[Guest]

no seriously, these things fly mate! sound lovely too!

Fly? Ha, done one just the other day in my S3!!

Nice, but a bit on the wee side. The S3 is much chunkier looking and er, much more German!! (and more importantly, easily tuneable- TURBO!! )

[Adammcf]

Theyre pretty good as a quick little hot hatch but not as quick as everyone thinks. My Astra GSI was fit for them but then again on corners its a different story.
Vtecs are great though. I had a CRX Vtec and loved every minute of it.

[6potWil6pot]

Theyre very quick from the road tests ive read, it might be cause you have to boil the Vtec to ultra high rpm to get the best out of it. I can see how a Turbo or a straight 6 would be easier to drive in.

[low325icab]

no seriously, these things fly mate! sound lovely too!

Fly? Ha, done one just the other day in my S3!!

Nice, but a bit on the wee side. The S3 is much chunkier looking and er, much more German!! (and more importantly, easily tuneable- TURBO!! )

the civic isnt a turbo though is it, so you had an advantage there. bet there wasnt much in it though.

[Chaos]

when ur pressing on they are excellent.

as an everyday car tho i wudnt want one, crap inside, poor build quality (last one i drove creaked an rattled like a pug), and off vtec the performance is dreadful.

[320Touring]

depends what you're looking for....

the Civic type R is a right screamer of an engine and very repsonsive, however power is only really available in the upper reaches of the rev band.Not too much of a problem with the 6 speed box.It can be rather clunky to use at low RPM, and fuel economy aint too hot if you wanna go quick.

Furthermore-the nature of the vtec system means that gear selection is critical to get the best response

they are very practical cars tho-good sized boot, no extortionate running costs and good resale....

However, this is widely known, and every man and his dog has one...

with regards to build quality-Its always between Honda, Toyota and Nissan for top honours in the JD power surveys (BMW have been pitiful recently)


the 325 sport...

got a silky 6pot with plenty of low down grunt and a fair amount of top end oomph.Also has useful close ratio box so accell is good.
12v config is a lot more tractable at low revs, so easier to drive around town.
Fuel consumption is actually on a par with the Type R, servicing is cheap and you can do most of it yourself.Parts are readily available with extensive non dealer network (GSF ECP etc).

Means you have a rightful place on the 'zone!

again 325i sport has decent boot space, and headroom for passengers etc- resale is also v good (no loss of purchase tax, depreciation etc)

Build quality is also very good, and most problems are well known and readily fixed

u make the call dude, all the above is just my opinions based on driving both of them....

[Davenotouring]

It's a completely different car really.

It's fwd, and all about revs!

I drove one when my friend worked as a salesman at Honda.

They are quick when pushed hard, and good fun to drive.

When driven 'normally', you may as well have any other hatch (With a hard ride!)

I love vtec, the Civic type-r sounds really nice. With an induction kit, and good exhaust, it'll sound awesome.

It's a jekyll and hyde car like any of the proper vtecs.

Driven slowly it's a normal car, but open it is and it's great fun and up there with the top hot hatches.

It's not much quicker than the old school Crx/Civic vt like the one I've got now. This has been proven up at Santa Pod! The handling on the new type r is better, as are the brakes.

If you're looking for a quick, fun car, then the Civic Type R is a good choice.

[ZS]

Just to echo others here, they're gutless unless you're revving the nuts off it. They are pretty sharp once you get them going though.

[Adammcf]

To be honest I love the way the power keeps pulling harder and harder in them until the limiter.
Thats one of the things I dont like about the 325 as it tails off towards the high revs a little.

[Davenotouring]

Thats one of the things I dont like about the 325 as it tails off towards the high revs a little.

If it's running properly it should be well to the ~6250rpm limit....

But the Civic revs to ~8.5k and is a different kettle of fish.

Even my 1991 Civic VT (brought out in '89) revs to 8.3k! Sounds awesome!

Those who were at Lakeside know what I mean!

[320Touring]

To be honest I love the way the power keeps pulling harder and harder in them until the limiter.
Thats one of the things I dont like about the 325 as it tails off towards the high revs a little.

my 320 feels nice and strong at the limit-325 should be moreso!
new head time Adam........ (based on your coolant issues and it feeling 'wheezy' at the top end)?!?!?!?!

[Guest]

the civic isnt a turbo though is it, so you had an advantage there. bet there wasnt much in it though.

Not that much in it but but enough for me! Incidentally, it was a good job I did do him, else I'd have wound up in a metal railing!

[psychochild187]

can you get leather for them!

id say keep the bmw AND get a old civic as ther more involving than the new (exspensive ones)

i love them both but 2 me its a clyinder thing!

[Simon13]

the 4 pot ain't ever going to sound like the legend that is an M20 6 pot silky smooth love machine!

It's all opinions really, the civic is great but looks sh!te compared to a sport

[Karan]

lets just say ive raced new type r's and beat them soundly,,,,, however i couldnt really put much space between mine and daves car if any at all.... up til 130mph!

save ure 16k and buy a 500 quid one like daves!

[Russ]

A mate of mine has a CTR - the MR2 destroys it.

Dont get me wrong, its a decent car, but IMO there is way too much power going through the front wheels. The fronts will spin up so easily that it's difficult gettng the power down.

[Davenotouring]

Dont get me wrong, its a decent car, but IMO there is way too much power going through the front wheels. The fronts will spin up so easily that it's difficult gettng the power down.

This is the problem with the Civic (my one!!).

It spins up easily in first and second, and round corners in third. In the wet it's a joke!!

I know I should be able to restrain myself, and this is how the problem is cured, don't plant your foot, you should be able to 'feel' when it's starting to spin and back off a bit.

Great fun though!

[cuk325]

civic type r's are wicked cars in my oppinion, if i had the cash id have one, i was looking at these last year or a ren clio 172 sport,
only thing about the tyoe r im not too keen on is the position of the gearstick, on the dash
ive driven them quite a bit now as ive few mates with them

[Davenotouring]

only thing about the tyoe r im not too keen on is the position of the gearstick, on the dash
ive driven them quite a bit now as ive few mates with them

I know what you mean about this Chris, it does seem a little odd.

But once I got used to it, I was loving it being so close to hand!

[Karan]

the new civic is still basically an mpv though and wrong wheel drive...

talbot sunbeam is where its at!!!

[320Touring]

the new civic is still basically an mpv though and wrong wheel drive...

talbot sunbeam is where its at!!!

Talbot sunbeam in black with the silver stripe,mmmmmmmm

pity they rust faster than FIATS!

yeah they civic should be renamed the

honda shuttle type R

[Adammcf]

talbot sunbeam is where its at!!!

You know its true! Ive had the pleasure of being taken for a hard run in a rally spec one and it was brilliant!

[dave123]

I do love the sound of the six pot its pure class.

May go for a tst drive in a civic next Sunday though i laugh at how much the top hat honda dealer offers me in part ex for the classic

[Davenotouring]

You will laugh!! They won't offer much! Sell it privately and bargain with cash!