The ‘Pocket Rocket’ 3-door hatch has secured a league of fans throughout the world, including Australia. Their enthusiasm is deserved.
But if you’re not a performance car enthusiast, this is not your car.
For starters, there is no automatic – the is exclusive to involved, real drivers and is only sold with a close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox.
Then, consider the wonderful 148kW/193Nm naturally aspirated 2.0-litre engine that loves to rev and it’s gorgeous exhaust note which makes the 8,000 rpm redline tempting with virtually every gear shift.
Plus you can’t overlook the MacPherson strut front/torsion beam rear suspension which goes close to being the firmest mass-produced suspension Car Showroom has drive.
And there’s the body-hugging Alcantara racing-style front seats which might prove just too body hugging for anyone carrying more than a few extra kilos.
But the result, for those who love performance cars, is just about the most fun with a capital ‘F’ and exhilaration with a capital ‘E’ you can have for under $40K (Type R rrp is $39,990).
But don’t think for a second this is pure race car. There’s dual-zone climate control air conditioning, cruise control and an MP3 and WMA-compatible CD player just to name a few of the creature comforts.
And when it came time to head off to golf, we particularly liked the ingenious rear seat folding system that simultaneously folds the rear seat backs forwards and slides the seats bases to instantaneously provide a perfectly flat 1352 litre luggage capacity.
Around town, the Type R can be a little lacklustre picking-up from low engine speeds and in the car we drove, the gearbox was a little notchy but these are very small points in an overall package that is staggering.
Further illustrating the global nature of the automotive industry, the Type R is manufactured at Honda’s plant in England. Build quality is excellent, more than a match for Hondas sourced from Asia.
We were amused to read some road tests of the Type R where motoring journalists criticised this racy Honda for riding too stiffly and for it’s lack of bottom-end torque.
Because that is precisely the point!
This is a specialist high performance hatch that doesn’t set out to be everyone’s cup of tea. In fact car enthusiasts should congratulate Honda for having the temerity to conceive and produce such a specialised car.
Well the enthusiasts around the world have voted – with their wallets.
