Honda Civic Type R (07-10) - Review

Review by Simon Harris on
Last Updated: 25 March 2009
While many hot hatches are aiming for headline grabbing power figures, Honda has stuck to the basic principles of driver appeal for the Civic Type-R. It boasts 200bhp from a non-turbocharged engine, which is fairly modest when compared to rivals like the Ford Focus ST or SEAT Leon Cupra. However the Type-R is the most involving and rewarding performance hatchback on the market thanks to it's light weight, razor-sharp steering and a perfectly balanced chassis. That engine does need to be worked hard though and with a firm ride the Type-R is an uncompromising car. It's not as rounded as some rivals and not particularly easy to live with day to day, but for unadulterated driving fun it's very much a modern car with an old school hot hatch feel.
4.5 out of 5

Other Honda reviews

4 out of 5

Running costs

With prices undercutting the Ford Focus ST and even the GT version priced lower than the Vauxhall Astra VXR and Volkswagen Golf GTI, the Type R is a competitive proposition. Fuel costs are better than many rivals and it should depreciate slowly. It's a shame that you have to choose the GT version (at a £1000 extra) in order to have air conditioning though.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

12 months or 12,500 miles.

Warranty

Three years/90,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£270.00 - £270.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

2 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
    215
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The Type-R is quite a polluting model but that's no surprise given that it is a hot hatch. It emits 215g/km of CO2 and can average a respectable 31mpg - although hard driving will easily see this plummet.

Find the exact engine and CO2