Honda's marketing men must be pinching themselves to check if they're dreaming; the launch of the Civic Type-R couldn't be more perfectly timed. Interest in hot hatches is soaring, yet the car that has probably been most influential in bringing about this resurgence, the Ford Focus RS, has been unexpectedly delayed. Again. Which means that right now the Civic Type-R is easily the most potent hot hatch you can buy.
And that's not all. The RS Focus floated the notion that an affordable 200bhp driver's car doesn't have to be four-wheel drive, just after Subaru fumbled ΂- big time ΂- with the new Impreza. The WRX's 'challenging' looks and less focused dynamics have made devotees think again ΂- and the 197bhp, sub-΂£16K Civic is right in the frame.
Our Civic reception includes a couple of surprises, though the Renault Clio Sport 172 isn't one of them ΂- we rate it the finest hot hatch made today. Although it's the best part of 30bhp shy of the Honda, it's not short of grunt, and power isn't its only asset.
The cars the Civic won't have been expecting are the MG ZS 180 and the Volkswagen Golf V5. The unlikely ZS is the most impressive of the new range of sporting cars that MG Rover has created in double-quick time from the raw materials at its disposal. Not even an Impreza P1-style rear spoiler and colour scheme can hide the fact that it's a made-over Rover 45, but with a 175bhp V6 under its bonnet it has guts and character, and its chassis is impressive, too. The 170bhp V5 is the most powerful front-drive Golf that VW makes, out-stripping the 1.8 20v turbo GTI by 20bhp, and with the optional sports suspension and 17in wheels, it has at last made a hot hatch of the reassuringly competent but thrill-free MkIV.
The Golf is far and away the most expensive contender at over ΂£18K (including the sports pack) while the Clio and ZS undercut the Civic by a fraction, the Renault retailing at ΂£15,459, the five-door MG at ΂£100 more. We could only get a four-door ZS (΂£16,395), which makes this an eclectic bunch, though it's the Honda whose shape raises the most eyebrows.
If the Civic points to the future of hot hatches, I'm not sure I want to go there. The Type-R displays all the hallmarks of a serious hot hatch but the metal from which it is wrought is resolutely practical. The hot hatch has always been the spicy version of a bread-and-butter design, of course, but in this sector the basic hatch has never looked so much like a sliced loaf.
The Civic is a mono-box design, a hatch built taller and boxier than is traditional to give more interior space for the same road-shadow. Things have been moving this way for some time, what with the Fiat Tipo and latterly the Focus, but the Civic doesn't even attempt to disguise its boxiness. Its low-raked screen gives it a mini- MPV feel, an impression that's reinforced by its dashboard-mounted gearshift. If you've driven a Peugeot 806 or a Mercedes-Benz Vito van (or even a Citro΃«n 2CV), it'll seem familiar, and you can't fault the logic ΂- you sit high up, so a floor-mounted shift would be wand-like. Still, it's very odd to see the stubby, turned-metal Type-R gearknob on the end of a short, rubber-gaitered arm sprouting from the dash.
I'll be honest; I didn't expect to like the Honda, but by the time I meet up with the rest of the group for an early-morning rendezvous near Telford, I do. There haven't been many opportunities to delve into its dynamics, but initial impressions are that it is neat, keen and grippy, a car that responds well to smooth, considered inputs. Dry-road traction is terrific, though there's some steering tug out of tighter turns, and also a little ambiguity before it settles into fast sweepers. All will be revealed as we head deep into north Wales but I'm already a fan of that gearshift. It takes a bit of getting used to but the fact that it's just as tight and snickety as any other Type-R shift we've tried helps, and there's a logic to having it so close to the wheel, as any Touring Car driver will tell you.
Climbing into any other car after the Type R, you find yourself groping the dashboard vents, and I've soon got my fingers stuck into the MG's grilles. A more stark contrast with the Honda you won't find in this group; the architecture of the ZS is the most elderly here, a fact that swatches of blue seat-leather and pale-faced dials with chrome screw-heads can't deflect attention from. It didn't help that while we scoffed breakfast an old five-door Civic parked up next to the MG, giving the lie to its genealogy.
The ZS fits like a suit that's one size too small, the narrow driver's seat clamping your thighs, the gear lever feeling restricted in lateral movement. Still, the 2.5-litre V6 fires up with a generous, rich growl and once it's got into its lazy-sounding stride it delivers what the Civic lacks ΂- mid-range torque. The Type-R's 197bhp might grab the headlines, but with 145lb ft of torque delivered at almost 6000rpm, it lacks the ZS's low-rev positivity, which peaks with 177lb ft at 4000rpm. Only the V5 Golf comes close, with 166lb ft at 3200rpm but, as we shall see, it doesn't feel that strong.
The surprise is that the MG puts its urge to use so effectively. The ZS has one of those chassis that doesn't take any getting used to; it feels right straight away and stays accurate and poised as you ratchet up your speed and commitment. Sure, you know there's a chunk of weight over the front wheels but this doesn't spoil the steering or make the tail feel left out.
In its own way, the Golf looks as big as the Civic, the optional 17in rims being the only ones I've seen that look in proportion to the body. Beyond the wheels and the V5 badges you'll search in vain for any other indication that this is no more than a cooking Golf. Inside it's similarly non-committal, the cabin furniture well put together but oh so plain, and straight after the MG its spaciousness makes you feel small.
The appeal of this Golf over the GTI isn't only that it has more power, though that was certainly needed. No, what you get is an engine note with character. The four-cylinder 20-valve engine that can be found in every go-faster model in the VAG portfolio, from Skoda Octavia RS to Audi TT, is utterly charmless but the 20-valve V5 warbles and thrums like a muted Audi Quattro in-line five. Shame it does bugger all else, then.
The last V5 we drove felt pretty frisky, but this time, and judged against these cars, it's lacking enthusiasm at low revs and doesn't perk up in the mid-range, either, leading you to expect a scintillating rush for the red line and an accompanying five-pot yowl. Don't hold your breath. Where that 170bhp is, we've no idea. Consequently, the chassis doesn't get much of a work-out, though it feels up for a bit of fun. The steering is rather light but there's strong grip and the ride is the most impressive of any car here, proving supple at low speed and beautifully controlled at high speed.
It's clear why the Clio is our current favourite within a few hundred yards. But even before you get in and drive, the Renault is scoring points off the others. For starters it looks like a hot hatch should ΂- small, compact, quietly aggressive. We prefer the original 172 on this score but it has nothing to fear from the rivals lined up here. The MG is trying a bit too hard, the Golf is hardly trying at all, and the Civic, well, all the detailing is there ΂- the sexy alloys, skirts, splitters and spoilers ΂- but there's so much more of it. It looks like a hot hatch that's swallowed a potting shed.
From behind its rather large steering wheel, the Clio feels small but not cramped, feisty but not coarse, and solidly built. The gearshift could be a bit slicker and the footwell a bit roomier but the supple, almost soft ride is allied to responsive handling and weighty, accurate steering. Turn in and it rolls but the nose stays nailed and the tail shifts helpfully. After the others it's surprising just how much the tail dictates the attitude, yet it never feels like it's going to turn nasty on you. There's oodles of punch from that 2-litre engine, too, right from tickover to the red line.
On give-and-take roads the MG feels almost as quick as the Renault, with superb, unfadeable brakes. Its neat, decisive handling makes you wonder if the Clio has to move around quite so much. The V6 gets a bit breathless over the last 1000rpm and the throttle and clutch pedals feel a bit squidgy, like they're pressing into the carpet, but overall it's an impressive car to hustle along.
The more you drive the Golf, the more you suspect that it's relying on grip rather than handling. You find yourself turning in much earlier than you ought to give the chassis time to respond and although it will keep up a decent pace there's not much adjustability on offer and little feedback about what the tyres are up to. Even on switchback roads it's hard to get a reaction because the throttle response is so damped ΂- it feels like drive-by-elastic. As an indication of how sleepy it feels, co-ed Meaden in the Civic had no trouble holding station as I wrung the Golf out, and he didn't even need to venture into the VTEC zone.
That's i-VTEC, to give it its proper name. This revised system still gives the engine that distinct top-end kick from 6000 to 8500rpm when the high-lift cam kicks in, but now also features variable inlet cam timing, giving it more flexibility across the whole rev-range. The Civic is a very quick car and no mistake, though it's not truly satisfying unless you're making it scream, or 'driving it like you stole it', as Meaden put it.
Against the watch the Type-R is uncatchable. Even in slightly damp conditions it scrabbled to 60mph in 6.8sec, leaving the Clio and ZS just the wrong side of seven, but by 100mph it's a whole three seconds faster than any rival here. The surprise is that the MG matches the Renault every step of the way, right through the gears. Comparing TED times (our overtaking test) presents a similar scenario, the Civic seeing off our imaginary truck in just 5.1sec, the rest managing no better than 5.5sec.
Meaden criticised the Civic he drove on the launch for feeling rather inert, handling-wise, but this one feels much livelier. Whether it's the roads or the car is hard to say. The steering is still a bit numb, but the front end digs in keenly and the tail will slide if you back off sharply. It's rather snappy as opposed to the fluid, gradual transition you get in the Clio, though, and you have to be quick to catch it. That said, the only real foible is that the tail doesn't settle cleanly when you steer the Civic into a fast curve, necessitating a small steering correction.
These are mere details. As a package, the Civic is hard to beat. The expensive Golf certainly isn't up to the task, even with sports suspension. There are plenty of reasons for wanting to own one but few of them involve evoness. The MG ZS 180 is the surprise of the bunch, proving to be a thoroughly well sorted car with character and ability in equal measure. It made a lot of friends in Wales and ranks as the best driver's car that MG Rover has made in a long time. It's sharply priced, too, and if you can live with the looks (and the fuel bills) you'll be very happy.
However, the Civic has only one rival that's capable of spoiling its party ΂- the Clio. They're equally rapid but in markedly different ways, the Civic frantic, the Clio gutsy. They'll get down the same road at pretty much the same pace, too, but again with very different styles. The Civic demands a neat, decisive approach and gets a bit edgy at the limit, while the Clio is softer, helpfully responsive and marvellously malleable. It's a matter of taste, then.
In five years' time this class might be dominated by mini-MPVs with dashboard gearshifts. For the time being we have a choice. We prefer the Renault because its ability is more easily accessed and exploited, and also because it looks and feels like a hot hatch should. Get it while you can.
Source: http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/cargrouptests/19340/honda_civic_typer_v_mg_zs_180_v_clio_172_v_vw_golf_v5.html
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