The new Honda Civic Type R is one of the most keenly anticipated hot hatches for a generation. The last naturally aspirated version went out of production five years ago, doing so with the biggest of bangs in the form of the Type R Mugen, which hit 237bhp and a jaw-dropping £39,000. It was hailed as a suitably feverish curtain call for one of the most affectionately regarded fast front-drivers ever produced. But that’s not how the story ended.
The grippy chassis and bonkers high-revving engine give the Civic real personality, but it falls somewhere inbetween its rivals: not as much of a pure track car as the Renaultsport Megane, nor quite as civilised or unshakeable as a Volkswagen Golf R.