After selling my beloved Scoob after 7 years of owner ship I finally took delivery of my new civic type r

Was ordered in Aug and delivered on the 11th Dec

Car is currently on 600miles

All I can say is what a car! For a fwd with 310 bhp is goes like stink and the grip is Insane , it handles like its on rails . Hardly any tourqe steer. The diff and suspension is superb it feels faster then my Impreza

Here's a few pics

 

Love them mate. The hot hatch id go for if i was in possition to buy. Looks so aggressive

 

Looks awesome, really like these new Civic Type R's, think it looks better then the new Focus RS which is out soon!!!

 

They are lovely, but 30k + for a front wheel drive hot hatch is an awful lot of money

 

Nice colour.

 

It is indeed but you would really have to drive one, the fwd quote don't come in to it imo. Plus why should a 2wd be cheaper ?

 

The styling will suit someone missing the Scoob liaryness

 

I really don't understand this obsession with hot-hatches being "£30k" as if it's insane to pay that sort of money for an R/Cupra/RS/Type-R/etc. If I recall correctly, the list price of an MY00 Impreza was around £21,000 in the year 2000. With inflation at around 2.9% per annum* that's £31,600 in today's money....so, what's the problem?

The Impreza was regarded as a bargain performance car at the time and I'd argue that the current crop of 300bhp+ hatches offer even better bang for their buck.

* Average in UK from 2000-2014.

 

We have one they do handle incredibly well! Ours now has a scorpion exhaust, cobra seats, braided brake lines of course. Forge have designed our front mount/ recirc and induction kit which is due to be fitted. Quaife had our car to design a sequential box they have the design now and is a future option, they said the shafts and box are a lot beefier than previous type r's and look to handle more power more comfortably. We have a few more ideas in the pipeline too

 

the sad bit is this and the focus rs are just catching up to where subaru have been for years. 300+ bhp , lairy styling big wing and 4 wheel drive (focus rs). subaru havent moved the game on at all and are getting left behind and losing customers and fans.

 

Forgot we have uprated pads and a side note fronts are the same as sti newage brembo pads

 

This is something I'm struggling to rectify in my own mind. Cars like the Golf R (300bhp AWD) have captured great attention and praise. I expect the Focus RS (345bhp AWD) will do the same in 2016.

As you suggest, however, this is nothing new. A PPP Impreza had 300bhp in early 2000's and EVO's have had 300-360bhp (technically 400 but rare) across the same period.

It feels like nothing has changed....and yet it has. I don't know what exactly, but it has. I don't have the definitive answer and I'd welcome back and forth discussion to try and un-peel what I (and obviously much of the buying public) feel has changed to make these new models so exciting.

For me, I think the key change is image and every day usability. A few years ago I toyed with an FQ360 when they were around £14,000. It always felt like a compromise as a daily car: unrefined, thirsty, needing regular high cost servicing. The EVO's and Impreza's of the day also occupied a sort of niche place in the market. Respected by enthusiasts but dismissed as 'chav' by most of the general public.

I feel it is in these areas that there has been a shift. Your 300bhp hatch (even the aggressive ones like the Type-R) aren't painted with the same 'you're a chav' brush. They are also far more economical, usable and have servicing schedules and costs not much greater than the base model.

I remember when I had my VTS I asked on this forum 12-13 years ago about going to an Impreza. Everyone warned about the running costs and compromises and there were many such threads at the time. That's what those old 300bhp AWD cars were..... a compromise for those that were truly committed to spending the money/time to run them.

Those threads don't exist on the RS/Type-R forum. You don't see someone being warned that the running costs and compromises between their 2.0 TDI A4 and a Type-R are "night and day" and that they better have "deep wallets". The more I type, the more I realise that this is what has changed. These 300bhp hatches are simply mainstream. They are performance cars that are available to pretty much all segments of society... provided they can afford the monthlies

Food for thought

Edited to add: If you own an A4 TDI and ask about running a Nissan GTR then you'll get the "better have deep pockets" comments. I think cars like the GTR are your modern equivalent of the old 300-350bhp EVO/Impreza's.

 

Difference is Honda have the reliability lol

Is any of it for sale ? HEL?

 

Yes the companies mentioned should have all the items available soon, We have the braided lines available now.

 

difference is Honda have more money to spend and lose

how many average cars have Subaru produced and made anything on in comparison

 

 

I think SB hit the nail on the head. The hot hatch has now morphed into the hyperhatch but coming from the shape of everyday hatches (Golf'/Focus/Civic) and so the performance camp above is now in the realms of the Nissan GTR's/911's C63's etc

Eventually the bhp hot hatch war will have to give because the numbers are getting eye watering (not to mention the prices.............). At some point the tide will turn to other things like steering feel, handling and cornering stability.

I think the Evo/Impreza days are long gone.

I just wish Honda would make a brand new S2000 with a hardtop retractable roof or a stylish DC5 replacement.

 

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If the 2.5 didn't have so many issues I would of brought a 2015/2016 STI for a lot less

 

Uncle Creepy, that's a fair point re: the RS and Type-R. They are more mainstream in terms of every day liveability, etc but still operate in that space occupied primarily by enthusiasts. I see plenty of mum types (not being sexist, but odds are they are not car enthusiasts) hacking around in Golf R's. That's probably going to be a less frequent sight in the RS/Type-R


.... all that being said, I have a Seat Leon CR TDI that I put around 30,000 miles a year onto and I have an RS on order. It'll be used as a fun weekend car but also as a second car for the wife to go to the shops and use when I'm away in the Leon. We've got a baby due imminently so, ironically, the RS will be used by a women and a child like an every day car much of the time. I think the key difference here is she wouldn't have entertained this arrangement if I was proposing an EVO/STi (older ones; new STi's are more reserved).

 

An excellent point...

You've hit the nail bang on the head.
Two very perceptive post, SB.

And meanwhile, Subaru have been asleep on the job, or too busy developing US market soft-roader SUVs and have lost their European performance market.

Subaru had all the technical know-how 20 years ago that by now they could have developed a 'value Audi and Porsche' alternative range (flat 4s and 6s, 4WD, turbos, handling, competition success).

If they've better refined and developed what they already had and followed those two brands into their (very profitable) niches they'd still be a name to respect in performance motoring this side of the pond.

Instead Subaru have let VW, Audi, Ford, Mercedes, et al steal their trousers.

 

That's what my type r is used for I have two kids and the misses drives it with the kids in the car. It also turns in to a different machine when you want it to. And with 32MPG atm (still bedding in) it's bloody awesome on juice, it's also very practical as a family car the boot is huge and the inside of the car is massive .

I've sold my Impreza and ep3 type r for 1 car that does both the family and fun side

 

I don't like to admit it, but I really like the look of these....

 

Had a nose around one not long ago - afraid to say it's a bit OTT for me.
That, and the rear wheels seem lost in the arches.

 

Just finished giving it a wash

 

Saw one of these on the road today, in red. Looked mean as hell!

 

The numbers for the Type R really don't mean anything, you need to drive one in the real world.
The mpg figures above are for my daily 90 mile commute on the motorway between 60 and 70mph.
Drive it normally and the torque from the engine means you can drive it like you would a diesel and get insane mpg for a 300bhp+ car.
Put your foot down hard and it turns into a brutal, grin inducing machine.

I test drove so many cars that felt dull and ordinary and didn't feel quick. A Type R wasn't on the radar until we passed a Honda dealer and saw one on the forecourt.

Great car for my family with a huge boot. Exhaust isn't too loud, ride not overly firm and the front seats are the best of any road car I've driven.
5 years worth of services for just over £500. Fantastic family car that keeps everyone happy.

 

I really like these, much better looking than the rest of the current hot hatch market. And a turbo is what the type r always needed. 4wd would be awesome, but other than launching and extreme weather it probably doesn't miss it. Will turn heads too. The kids at my girls school think I drive a racing car, most other cars don't have that effect.

 

How do you get to that setting on the screen ? lol haven't messed about with the screen much

 

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