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Attention! This site is for information purposes only, does not promote any driving style and is not of a training nature. All cars covered by the descriptions and photos posted on this site are used in accordance with traffic regulations and with the highest security measures in order not to cause any damage to road users. The author of the blog is not responsible for other road users who in a manner inconsistent with traffic regulations or with the exposure to the health and life of others, will use vehicles on public roads and outside them.

„Japanese warrior”

Do you remember the times when we forgot that there is a word like a vehicle failure? The times when the sound of the engine was not supported by the loudspeaker, and the cars were simple, fast and provided a lot of driving fun? Undoubtedly, the star of those times was the Honda Civic Type R, model EK9, produced for the Japanese market and driven by a 185 horsepower, high-RPM speed engine marked B16B. Comparable to the EK9 model on the European market was the Civic VTI (EK4) model, whose heart was a 160 hp motor with the B16A2 factory code. Sometimes I dream, but the truth is that for many of us, the Honda Civic Type R is a legend on four wheels associated with an old, good DOHC VTEC engine which get up rpm pace like a grinder to extremely high speed. Currently, it is a bit different, the cubic capacity is 1996 cm3, there is DOHC (Double Overhead Camshaft), there is VTEC (but controlled electronically), but there is also a turbocharger :) The result: 320 horsepower, FWD (traditionally front wheel drive), 5.7 seconds to 100 km/h and V-max 272 km / h, and what about the rest?

At first glance, the "Japanese" evokes positive emotions, a well-defined muscular silhouette, numerous body car embossing, air intake on the hood, wide wheel arches and a triple end of the exhaust system leave no illusions that we are dealing with the most athletic, Japanese CIVIC child of Honda. The external appearance of the Type R is futuristic like never before, it reminds me of a fantastic film, in which the car could play the role of some rebellious self-propelled robot. Inside just as nice as outside, our eyes and not only :) gladden of fantastic contoured sports seats, made of red alcantara with black material inserts and decorated with the Type R sign located between the holes adapted to the installation of four-point seat belts. Center console and armrest are situated at the ideal height for me, parts used to finish cockpit are made of the high-quality materials. The whole is complemented with carbon fiber dashboard decoration and a leather black and red sports steering wheel with a characteristic Honda logo in red colour. Touch screen, wireless charger for the phone and red engine start button:))

"An it looks like this"

First impressions of driving ... hmm hard suspension, even in comfort mode Type R does not like Polish "road shortcomings" and rebel by vibration of whole "body" on all sides as well as 20-inch alloy wheels, which can easily be eaten at any time along with low-profile tires through our giant road holes :) The steering system is very precise. Personally I like very much when I feel what is happening under the front wheels. The six-speed manual transmission is a fairy tale !!, that lasts in Honda uninterruptedly from many Type R models. The movement of the gear shifter is very short, gears "come in" with almost perfect precision even with a quick shift. The cherry on this Japanese cake is throttle "blip" which effectively reducing jerking during changing gears. Once the engine is warm, I just turned on the R + mode and what? And it gets nervous, the car reacts more precisely to the gas, the steering wheel becomes even harder, the damping settings of the shock absorbers change, and the blow off valve makes a distinctive hiss after pulling the leg out of the gas (although not as loud as in the previous version of Type R model). I'm approaching to the first corner, turning the steering wheel, add gas and.., like in a go kart!, first I feel gently understeer so decided to slightly release gas pedal and reduce steering angle, then again adding gas, this time I feel light oversteering and after all my car enter to the right course, wow! The most amazing thing is that the during all this operation I had full control over the vehicle, Civic is madcap but predictable for me.If you would like to ever check the car or motorcycle capabilities on an ordinary road beware and remember !!, that asphalt on public roads is completely different from that on the racetrack, it's oiled, dusty and full of holes. In combination with unheated tires poses a huge risk of serious damage to yourself, others and car. The brakes in my tested Type R are Brembo high-performance, dedicated for this model (four-piston calipers are used in the front). Let's be honest, in urban conditions the real effectiveness of their operation is difficult to verify reliably, so I will not invent a magical stories on this issue. In my opinion, the R+ mode for driving in the city is useless, the wheels for the third gear lose their grip, suspension is working very hard and there is a big risk of damage to the car on unevenness.In conclusion, I think that Civic Type R is a great car that is solidly made, technically advanced, infernally fast and just beautiful. This car isn't as aggressive as the previous version of the Type R but still it lacks four-wheel drive. I know, I know :), the idea behind Honda's designers is to maintain the position of the undisputed leader in the sports segment of the front wheel drive cars, and great!, but this cause that the car becomes difficult to control in urban conditions (wet surface, bad asphalt, holes). Unfortunately all this makes that we have to be excessive concentrate to avoid car damage instead enjoy fun driving.In my opinion, if we are looking for a family car in the Honda showroom, we shouldn't look towards the Civic Type R, because he simply wasn't made for it, he was created for the race and his right place is on the racetrack... I personally "take him" :)), and you ?, well, decide for yourself.I invite You to look at the pictures in the gallery below. Thank You!

Artur Rojewski

"So let's start"