Article Comments 2007 Honda Civic Type R First Drive

38 messages, Last post on Nov 17, 2008 at 9:49 AM

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Article comments for First Drive: 2007 Honda Civic Type R - It might only have 198 horsepower, but the 2007 Honda Civic Type R is smack in the middle of the hot European sport compact market that has enjoyed a revolution in recent years. (more)

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#1 of 38 Article Comments 2007 Honda Civic Type R First Drive by KarenS HOST Mar 01, 2007 (9:43 am)
Only available in Europe?! Come along on our 2007 Civic Type R first drive and tell us what you think. First Drive: 2007 Honda Civic Type R
#3 of 38 Civic Type R by eldaino Mar 01, 2007 (12:02 pm)
Well now everyone who was wondering what the current civic hatch looks like knows. I was really surprised and happy to see this article, though i feel that some numbers would have been appreciated (skid pad, slalom, actual acceleration, not honda claimed.) Actually this cars acceleration is interesting; it beats our si (even our gti by a few fractions) and yet the first drive on the focus st talks about how it (the focus) blows everything away, when it is only .5 faster to sixty than the type r. (both numbers seem to be claimed and not actual so there you go.) Not to bad for the civic i'd say, but i agree with the whole bad mouthing on the torsion beam. Tsk tsk. They could have gone all out in this regard. Following type r philosophy? Fine. Just make it a little bigger to give it some torque! Keep it naturally aspirated, just make it bigger! (Then imagine how fast it'd be.) Understood the point of it being a car you need to thrash about to get full potential out of, but type r usually is synonymous with harsh riding: look at all the previous type r's I guess because of the market in europe, the finesse of some other hot hatches (ahem gti) has spoiled some people. A torsion beam?! Sorry still cant get over it, even though i knew it had it since its debut as a concept. Despite all critic isms i have to say one thing: this car looks so flippin awesome! Great in type r guise, but it would be awesome as a high level ex or a diesel, especially since it does share some obvious visual similarities to the civic coupe and sedan. Great looking car, and i hope that the next type r, will still represent what honda believes a performance vehicle should be, but with a better suspension and maybe forced induction.* *a torsion beam!? Sorry still not over it. In its defense though, they said the car has loads of grip, even though it lacked an lsd or an independent rear suspension.(i say bring back the double wishbones!) I also think this is the first production civic to have 225 tires; the thickest i've seen on most performance civics is 215. Good on honda for that one.
#4 of 38 Dullard! by 6sptl Mar 01, 2007 (3:25 pm)
Why the comparison with autos that cost a lot more money? Simple, because the civic savages the competition in its price range! It is shameful that the euro press continues with unabashed eurocentrism and japanophobia when Honda produces autos that are significantly better than the unreliable crap that the Euro zone has been building. Thus in order to demonstrate superiority they compare the cars to cars that are nowhere in the same category! The civic is not cheaper because it can't "command" higher prices its cheaper because it is! It is marketed to a lower market segment. Why don't you compare the blown euro trash to the s2000? The difference in price is not that big either
#5 of 38 Awesome Car by mydealmac Mar 01, 2007 (4:43 pm)
This article from Edmunds was surprising in that it goes against what most of the European magazines have been saying. Top Gear, Evo, and Car magazine all ranked it first in their hot hatch tests, above cars like GTI, mini cooper s, VW R32, and all the Peugot's and Citroen's. So despite the low horsepower and torsion beam, it seems as if Honda does indeed have a class leader. Replies to this message: eldaino (Mar 01, 2007 7:41 pm)
#6 of 38 Mixed Feelings by civicguy3 Mar 01, 2007 (6:12 pm)
What the heck ever happened to double wishbones?!?!?! TORSION BEAM!!! Wikipedia quotes"Torsion Bar Suspensions are currently used on trucks and SUV's from Ford, GM and Dodge." A Dodge Ram is the opposite of what this sould be. $34K for a Civic?!?!?! For 20k, our Civic Si seems to perform about the same. For the extra 14 grand, I expected double wishbones, and a better engine, but instead , they just made it look batter. On a positive note, it does look outstanding. I did not think Hondas could look cool, but this proved me wrong. Replies to this message: eldaino (Mar 01, 2007 7:47 pm)
#7 of 38 Re: Awesome Car [mydealmac] by eldaino Mar 01, 2007 (7:41 pm)
Replying to: mydealmac (Mar 01, 2007 4:43 pm) i've read lots of good things in those magazines too, but i dunno if i would call it 'better' than an r32, maybe more orginal, since its not the standard formula, but the r32 is in a different class. I like it all the same though.
#8 of 38 Re: Mixed Feelings [civicguy3] by eldaino Mar 01, 2007 (7:47 pm)
Replying to: civicguy3 (Mar 01, 2007 6:12 pm) agreed civicguy. It is notable to mention that one of hondas other cars that is praised for its handling has a torsion beam suspension in the rear as well; the fit. (maybe nissans sentra could make a few notes on how to tune a torsion beam? ) Was it 34K? I'm pretty sure that it was only around 30-32. You gotta remember too that this is an ultra special model: they won't just have them sitting on the lots like the normal civics, or even the si's. Have you seen how much a used type r integra (one of the few if not the only type r badged honda we have gotten in the usa) commands on ebay? Some of them near 18k. Used. Suddenly 30k for a brand new one doesn't seem too bad, especially when you compare it to what it cost to get the equivalent from another competitor such as vw or ford. I would have liked the double wishbone, but then the price advantage might have been lost. I really wish they would have posted some grip and slalom numbers, just so we could see if the handling (which they praised immensely) offsets the fact that the car has a torsion beam, thus making the cost savings to honda's advantage. I guess the closest we'll get will be the mugen si; which looks pretty damn sweet too, and it'll be under 30k, has a killer body kit, and probably some more power because of the lightweight high-flow exhaust. It'll handle great too. (Track tuned suspension.) I really wish we at least got an ex version of this civic hatch here though, torsion beam or not; i'd buy it!
#9 of 38 cam switch over? by eldaino Mar 01, 2007 (8:24 pm)
Found it interesting that they mentioned that 'the more agressive cam' comes at about 5400rpms. This isn't true. Thats the whole point of i-vtec. Its explained in edmunds review of the 02 si when it debuted: and plainly pointed out that it feels different than the old style vtec which engages at higher rpms. Now its a more gradual progression and not an all out rush. Suprised that edmunds made this mistake.
#10 of 38 Torsion suspension by 6sptl Mar 01, 2007 (9:25 pm)
Get over it. The torsion bar was not for cost. Its the only car honda makes with it, furthermore, the significantly cheaper US civic has the coveted independent wishbones in the rear and performs similarly icluding the rougher ride. The torsion bar suspension is a compromise to give the euro civic its enviable interior flexibility and its generous "boot" as our anglo friends refer to the cargo area. What is notable is that superior engineering enables a car with a decidedly lower tech suspension system to offer better handling that other with fancier systems! Replies to this message: eldaino (Mar 08, 2007 11:00 am) 6sptl (Mar 09, 2007 1:00 pm) eldaino (Mar 15, 2007 10:56 am)