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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#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)
#11 of 38 Si or Type-R??????? by lborowicz Mar 03, 2007 (6:21 pm)
I own 2006 Civic Si myself, I live in US, but I come from Europe and I don't get Honda's marketing strategy... Why make two versions in the first place? Si and Type-R. I know that these are two different markets, but they are not that different, I think. Second, why torsion beam?? They could just use the suspension that is in US Si which is awesome. Why did they get rid of LSD for Europe's Type-R? I don't get it. I guess I wish we had Type-R here because it looks amazing but on the other hand I'm very happy with my Si. And the other thing is pricing - $35,000 for Civic and $40,000 for GTI...yeah cars are very expensive in Europe. I know that's crazy. Add $5,000 more and you get new BMW 335 instead of GTI, but that's US not Europe. Replies to this message: eldaino (Mar 08, 2007 11:03 am) kcliss (Mar 09, 2007 11:38 am) john500 (Mar 11, 2007 7:42 am)
#12 of 38 Re: Torsion suspension [6sptl] by eldaino Mar 08, 2007 (11:00 am)
Replying to: 6sptl (Mar 01, 2007 9:25 pm) Get over it. The torsion bar was not for cost. No. And yes it probably was. It doesnt have gobs of room inside, gimme a break. Its the only car honda makes with it, Again no, the fit has it as well. the significantly cheaper US civic has the coveted independent wishbones in the rear and performs similarly icluding the rougher ride. Huh? Its a rear multilink, the doulbe wishbones proved to be too expensive and were done away with after 2000. A regular civic that has a 'rougher' ride than anything with the type r badge? Do you understand type r philosophy at all? I doubt that the us spec civic handles as well as the current type r. The gripe about the torsion beam is the fact that it probably could have handled a lot better. end of story. 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. My 07 vw rabbit has a hatch and it has a totally independent rear suspension. The old 02-05 si hatch had a totaly independant rear as well. Replies to this message: 6sptl (Mar 09, 2007 1:00 pm) eldaino (Mar 15, 2007 10:56 am)
#13 of 38 Re: Si or Type-R??????? [lborowicz] by eldaino Mar 08, 2007 (11:03 am)
Replying to: lborowicz (Mar 03, 2007 6:21 pm) type r is usually more extreme and has been going on for awhile. Most americans are not willing to pay the price premium or deal with the harshness of type r either. Replies to this message: kcliss (Mar 09, 2007 11:38 am)
#14 of 38 check the exchange rate by kcliss Mar 09, 2007 (11:38 am)
Replying to: eldaino (Mar 08, 2007 11:03 am) Looking at the pricing is a bit misleading, given the exchange rate. A BMW 335i SE (the cheapest available on BMW's UK website) is 31,285 pounds-sterling. That works out to over US$60,000. BMW USA has the 335i listed for US$38,900. Put another way, our Civic Si Sedan, at US$21,290, comes in at around 11,000 pounds-sterling at current rates. Cars are expensive in Europe, true, but the dollar is weak right now.
#15 of 38 Re: Torsion suspension [eldaino] by 6sptl Mar 09, 2007 (1:00 pm)
Replying to: eldaino (Mar 08, 2007 11:00 am) OOps forgot the Fit (we have only had it for a year)! Another incredidle solution in packaging that serves the best handling in its class regardless of suspension type! The rear multilink suspension in the Si is on link short of a double wishbone, I guess the BMW M3 is a crappy handler because it uses macphearson struts! What is the hangup on type? Its not type that matters, its execution. The Si and type R will run rings aroung any volkswagen even when shod with lesser wheels, so we can put the suspension type fallacy to rest. My 92 civic had wishbones all around and wouldn't even dream to offer the performance that these newer "inferior" suspension systems offer. Ergo the derisive comments about the suspension system are just ignorant. Replies to this message: eldaino (Mar 15, 2007 10:56 am)
#16 of 38 Re: Si or Type-R??????? [lborowicz] by john500 Mar 11, 2007 (7:42 am)
Replying to: lborowicz (Mar 03, 2007 6:21 pm) I agree with your comments. Honda should (currently) and should have marketed the Type R in the US. The designation as type R or Si is meaningless, however, the product should be the same in Europe and the US. I believe that instead of the 10-20 % discounts that were required to sell the 02-05 Civic Si hatchbacks, the simple switch to the current Si engine with a larger spoiler (which were available in the 02 type R) would have allowed Honda to sell at sticker price (which could have been set at the current Si price ~ 21,000 US instead of $19,000 US in 02). I believe that Honda's hatchbacks are getting worse over the years. Their best product was the 92-95 hatchback body style. The 96-2000 body styles were fair. The 02-05 style was decent, although the blunder was to use a 160 hp engine with a rather heavy 2700 lb car. It should have either been 2400 lbs with 160 hp or 2700 lbs with 197 hp. I wouldn't classify the current type R in the article as a hatchback. It appears more coupe-like to me and is not on my future buy list. If Honda built an 08 Civic SI hatchback that looked similar to the 1994 Civic hatchback, weighed 2400-2500 lbs, had 197 hp, a current suspension system and a 32 ft or less turning radius, I'd pay $35 K for it and I might even get a spare.
#17 of 38 Article by pat HOST Mar 11, 2007 (12:58 pm)
What did you folks think about the First Drive? We're looking for feedback on the article itself here... Replies to this message: eldaino (Mar 15, 2007 10:50 am) eldaino (May 02, 2007 5:07 am) pat (May 02, 2007 5:11 am) eldaino (May 02, 2007 5:24 am)
#18 of 38 Re: Article [pat] by eldaino Mar 15, 2007 (10:50 am)
Replying to: pat (Mar 11, 2007 12:58 pm) NO NUMBERS. except for acceleration. I wanted to see some handling numbers but there were none!