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Story by J.G. Pasterjak • Photos as credited
Reports of the impending mediocrity of the new Honda Civic Type R hit the digital infosphere almost as soon as official pictures of this turbocharged, multi-spoilered hot hatch …
(By the way, we’re told that each Honda dealer in the U.S. has been promised at least one of the 3000 or so 2017 models that will be brought into the U.S. from the plant in the U.K.)
Are the 2017 models cheaper than the 2019’s?
ebonyandivory said:(By the way, we’re told that each Honda dealer in the U.S. has been promised at least one of the 3000 or so 2017 models that will be brought into the U.S. from the plant in the U.K.)
Are the 2017 models cheaper than the 2019’s?
Of course not. Now they're "vintage"!
Great car. Really fast around a track. But.....marked up to an insane price. I don't know why you would but one for the price of a new Corvette or two WRXs unless you really, really love Honda.
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
Good on you for pointing out the fact that it looks better “in the flesh.” My buddy bought one, and I was really surprised how good it looks in person vs. in photos. I wish I could get over the vato-zone interior :/
poopshovel again said:In reply to JG Pasterjak :
Good on you for pointing out the fact that it looks better “in the flesh.” My buddy bought one, and I was really surprised how good it looks in person vs. in photos.
I've seen a couple in real life, and I disagree completely. They look just as awful in person, at least through these eyes. It's got the proportions and demeanor of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Someone really needs to tell Honda's designers (and Toyota / Nissan designers, too) "Folks, just stop already. It was done 6 months ago." You don't have to drive the car to know that stylistically, this is fairly difficult to forgive:
That's the actual opening in that giant maw. The back is even worse - are there even openings at all in those stupid fauxhaust vents?
It takes effort to make a car that looks worse than a Pontiac Aztec but Honda definitely succeeded here. This is, by far, one of the ugliest cars on the road.
The looks have grown on me. IMHO, they look pretty good in black or dark gray or blue and all of the black plastic doesn't stand out so much. A friend bought a new one in 2017. I don't think she paid more than sticker (not her style to do that). She likes it a lot.
I like how it looks.
In reply to shuttlepilot :
Are you still having trouble with the links? Everything should be functional now.
I think they're so Berkleying ugly that I checked tosee if the drive train was available in the plainer body. It's not. Even my wife asked "What's that ugly thing?" when I pulled up behind one at a stoplight. Automotive styling generally stinks lately, and I'm not accepting that it's due to all the regulations.
I like them. I also like that they look different. People love to complain that everything looks the same then when something stands out complain that it’s ugly. Obnoxious is perfect for this car.
I don't think it is ugly. Certainly not compared to the crap from Nissan.
It is the first Honda that has interested me since the S2000 and first Civic since the breadvan Si.
Has anyone bought one and backdated the bodywork where possible to a lower spec to de-uglyfy it? This would look so so so much better with regular from and rear bumpers and no wing, even if you went in and added back a real splitter ,dive planes and maybe rear fake venture.
I like it. Appeals to the 13 year old boy in me. The 28 year old adult hates the interior, but overall I like it.
Duke said:stylistically, this is fairly difficult to forgive:
That's the actual opening in that giant maw. The back is even worse - are there even openings at all in those stupid fauxhaust vents?
Agreed. That opening you highlighted is actually the opening for the horn fwiw. I loved cars like the Integra Type R, and now in my 30's this car could/should be in the wheelhouse of things I could buy. The faux venting implements and styling exaggerations on this car are atrocious to my eyes. At least the front has a small percentage of those side vents devoted to function as you noted above even it's only for the horn.
The rear? nada. Just a giant plastic egregious fake insert next to the reflector. Why is this design element there at all?! Ugh.
To be fair, there's plenty of functional venting on the nose as described here: https://jalopnik.com/you-ll-never-guess-why-the-2018-honda-civic-type-r-has-1796080537 ...but that's still no excuse for the giant black geometric design elements with fake grill plastic stampings front and rear.
In reply to ebonyandivory :
Mine was delivered last April at the MSRP. I don't think you'd have much trouble finding a dealer that will do the same. Honda has apparently told dealers to be flexible too; 3 - 5,000 Type Rs are a drop in the Civic bucket.
In reply to Duke :
And that actual opening (in yellow) is actually...for the horn.
In reply to docwyte :
I have one, and I pretty much agree. Living with it!
Lots of cars have giant faux air holes to make the car go faster. If it works for the Toyota Avalon, it definitely works for a R.
At first I thought it was really ugly. I thought the same thing about the Aztec when it came out. In both cases, the uglier cars get, the less offensive it becomes. The funny thing is I think a lot of elements are actually looking pretty good on modern cars, it's mainly the basking shark motif that I don't like.
It sounds like they drive really nicely and it's a practical package. In this day and age, enthusiast vehicles are losing the war, so anything that fights the good fight is a win.
I am not faulting the performance or driving dynamics of the new car - I've never driven one. But my mental image of this:
...just burns up and bubbles away like a stalled movie frame when I think about the new R.
Ewww, clean lines, balanced proportion, low hoodline, what were they thinking? ;)
Snrub said:Lots of cars have giant faux air holes to make the car go faster.
But those are not holes! If they were actual holes - even functionless holes - I wouldn't be making this stink about them. They are flat, blank areas that they tried to make look like holes because they couldn't get the proportions right, so they just tried to make it look... Exciting? Jazzy? Racercar? Tacticool? I don't even know what.
The “flair” bugs me a lot less than the general shape. The non-R’s might as well be a prius to my eye. If it had a FoRS body/interior I might forsake my “Never again, Honda” oath and grab one in white.
Everyone who is complaining about the looks can get over it. The car wasn't built to win a beauty pageant.
To the guy who wrote the article: "...we’re guessing it will follow its market competitors the Focus RS and Golf R into the B Street class, where it will battle the aforementioned hot hatches as well as the Honda S2000, BMW 1 Series M and non-Z06 C5 Corvette. Examples of all of these cars have won major events this year, so maybe the Civic will add even more competitive diversity to an already varied class."
Have you checked any SCCA results from this year? The car was classed into DS in March and the Type R won DS and DSL at Nationals last month.
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