I've had the Type R for over three months now and thought I'd share my thoughts on ownership and life with V-tec. Also a chance to show loads of pics and some minor mods that I have made.
I started out looking at a Golf Mk V GTI and the salesman convinced me to try the Civic as well when he heard my car history. Funnily enough he steered me away from the racing blue 200 and the three Focus STs they had on the forecourt. The Golf just did not excite me. It was a capable but boring drive. When I got in the Civic I felt instantly happy with the interior and was blown away by the performance and noise. After taking it home to check it fitted the drive and take the Missus out for a spin we drove back and did the deal. I got a good price on the Panda and a nice reduction on the price of the Civic.
Two days later I picked it up from the dealers
Not much use over the Christmas holiday and like everyone else I did not push the car much as it was always raining.
The car was fairly standard and had the GT pack and was on the 18" wheels rather than the 19"s. Came with Sat Nav and voice activated stereo and Bluetooth phone connection. The only mods I could find was the exhaust, which is not marked as to its origin, but it does sound epic. Also the brakes were EBC red stuff as the originals fade quite quickly according to Civic forums. By now I was addicted to the V-tec, not so much the slight kick but the awesome noise it made. The plus side was the way it managed traffic and everyday pootling about. The worst thing was the rear vision. Or rather the complete lack of it. The spoiler is great at night as it seems to block out following traffic headlights. Reversing into parking bays and around corners is a different matter altogether. As I had only done short runs and live in the heart of a city the fuel consumption was worse than the Clio 197. A couple of longer runs saw it nudging up to 25 mpg. Other problems were with the Insurance company who refused to cover it for theft without a tracker fitted. Easy solution was to change insurance companies.
It wasn't long before my son persuaded me to embrace the JDM culture and start changing small parts of the car.
First mods:
A K&N panel filter, Mugen billet aluminium oil cap and a Mugen sock for the brake fluid reservoir
Gave the car it's first clean in January on a rare day when it didn't rain
Took it along to Surrey Rolling Road and was pleased with the result.
By now had the opportunity for a few longer runs and managed to feel more confident about the car. Handling wise it seemed to grip well in the wet. The ride was stiff but not shocking bounce like the Panda had. The Missus actually found the seats to be so comfortable that she even said it was worth the difficulty she had in getting in. The seat position is perfect and the layout of the instruments and switches is great. The gear change is great with a short throw. Gearing is well suited to the car and v-tec. Love the v-tec light when it comes on and also the staged lights when reaching max revs. It is probably the best cockpit I have sat in in my entire car history. The car is planted and smooth when pushed.
Another couple of mods came along:
Heko wind deflectors
JDM rear tow eye:
JDM front tow eye:
End of February took the car to Cub's domestic garage to observe the epic build of CUB's flamer engine.
And finally I drove the car in the great environment that is Wales so will try not to bore people with all the photos from this weekend. First time I have driven the car to some of its potential. I am sure the other guys, (Chris, Tim, Oli and Andy) will testify at how well the Civic coped with the range of roads we drove on. The car was quick when needed and the handling excelled my expectations. Totally sure-footed and planted in the twisties and stayed with the Clios.
Registration came back just in time and now on my personal plate.
792 miles in 3 days were completed this weekend and eventually averaged 27.2 mpg. The best I achieved was 32.5 mpg. More importantly I did not feel fatigued or uncomfortable. No back or leg pains normally suffered on long journeys. I think I am now fully in tune with the car.
Would I go back to a Clio now? To be honest I think not. Is my name down for the new Civic Type R? Where can I raise that cash and where do I sign up.
I have never owned a Japanese car before and I am so impressed with this car. Can't believe that this is thought to be the lesser Type R. All I can say to the doubters is don't knock it until you have driven one.
I started out looking at a Golf Mk V GTI and the salesman convinced me to try the Civic as well when he heard my car history. Funnily enough he steered me away from the racing blue 200 and the three Focus STs they had on the forecourt. The Golf just did not excite me. It was a capable but boring drive. When I got in the Civic I felt instantly happy with the interior and was blown away by the performance and noise. After taking it home to check it fitted the drive and take the Missus out for a spin we drove back and did the deal. I got a good price on the Panda and a nice reduction on the price of the Civic.
Two days later I picked it up from the dealers
Not much use over the Christmas holiday and like everyone else I did not push the car much as it was always raining.
The car was fairly standard and had the GT pack and was on the 18" wheels rather than the 19"s. Came with Sat Nav and voice activated stereo and Bluetooth phone connection. The only mods I could find was the exhaust, which is not marked as to its origin, but it does sound epic. Also the brakes were EBC red stuff as the originals fade quite quickly according to Civic forums. By now I was addicted to the V-tec, not so much the slight kick but the awesome noise it made. The plus side was the way it managed traffic and everyday pootling about. The worst thing was the rear vision. Or rather the complete lack of it. The spoiler is great at night as it seems to block out following traffic headlights. Reversing into parking bays and around corners is a different matter altogether. As I had only done short runs and live in the heart of a city the fuel consumption was worse than the Clio 197. A couple of longer runs saw it nudging up to 25 mpg. Other problems were with the Insurance company who refused to cover it for theft without a tracker fitted. Easy solution was to change insurance companies.
It wasn't long before my son persuaded me to embrace the JDM culture and start changing small parts of the car.
First mods:
A K&N panel filter, Mugen billet aluminium oil cap and a Mugen sock for the brake fluid reservoir
Gave the car it's first clean in January on a rare day when it didn't rain
Took it along to Surrey Rolling Road and was pleased with the result.
By now had the opportunity for a few longer runs and managed to feel more confident about the car. Handling wise it seemed to grip well in the wet. The ride was stiff but not shocking bounce like the Panda had. The Missus actually found the seats to be so comfortable that she even said it was worth the difficulty she had in getting in. The seat position is perfect and the layout of the instruments and switches is great. The gear change is great with a short throw. Gearing is well suited to the car and v-tec. Love the v-tec light when it comes on and also the staged lights when reaching max revs. It is probably the best cockpit I have sat in in my entire car history. The car is planted and smooth when pushed.
Another couple of mods came along:
Heko wind deflectors
JDM rear tow eye:
JDM front tow eye:
End of February took the car to Cub's domestic garage to observe the epic build of CUB's flamer engine.
And finally I drove the car in the great environment that is Wales so will try not to bore people with all the photos from this weekend. First time I have driven the car to some of its potential. I am sure the other guys, (Chris, Tim, Oli and Andy) will testify at how well the Civic coped with the range of roads we drove on. The car was quick when needed and the handling excelled my expectations. Totally sure-footed and planted in the twisties and stayed with the Clios.
Registration came back just in time and now on my personal plate.
792 miles in 3 days were completed this weekend and eventually averaged 27.2 mpg. The best I achieved was 32.5 mpg. More importantly I did not feel fatigued or uncomfortable. No back or leg pains normally suffered on long journeys. I think I am now fully in tune with the car.
Would I go back to a Clio now? To be honest I think not. Is my name down for the new Civic Type R? Where can I raise that cash and where do I sign up.
I have never owned a Japanese car before and I am so impressed with this car. Can't believe that this is thought to be the lesser Type R. All I can say to the doubters is don't knock it until you have driven one.
