Road test - Honda Civic Type R

The Civic Type R is offered in two versions, the £17,600 Type R and the £18,600 Type R GT which we test here. Prices are comparable to the Ford Focus ST and Vauxhall Astra VXR. Even the standard Type R is well-equipped and the Civic's attractive, futuristic styling makes both the Focus and Astra look decidedly old hat. Our Type R GT had pretty much all the equipment you'll ever need, included as standard are an attractive set of 18" alloy wheels, comfy, figure-hugging, Alcantara trimmed sports seats, climate control and a good quality single CD player. It's futuristic looks don't appear to affect the practicality either. There's a good sized boot and access to the rear seats is made easy by the big door and sliding front seats. However, the tall-sided design and small windows can make the back seats feel claustrophobic.

Honda Civic Type R video road test Check out the Tiscali motoring video here.

Honda Civic Type R fans will be familiar with the 2.0-litre double overhead camshaft VTEC engine, and mated with the slick, six-speed manual transmission. Words fail to describe the pleasure of pushing the Type R to its 7,950 rpm red line. But there's more to this engine than big revs, the valve timing changes at the point of peak torque (5,600rpm) and an i-VTEC dashboard light comes on to let you know that the power is rising sharply from around 130PS to the full 201 at 7,800rpm. Carry on and a bank of lights tells you you're almost on the limiter. Top speed is 146mph with 62mph coming up in just 6.6 seconds.

What about the alternatives? Take a look at our road test of the 265bhp Mazda3 MPS here.

Considering the engines power output and frenzied nature, I think the combined fuel economy figure of 31mpg, is pretty good. In fact, the Civic Type R is a surprisingly easy car to drive sensibly. Although at the expence of you licence - all too easy to drive fast!

The Civic Type R might be fast, but there's still the full compliment of safety kit, with front, side airbags as standard with Curtain airbags added to the GT. The outer rear seats have Isofix child-seat mountings. ABS and electronic brake-force distribution and traction control are also fitted as standard.

So what's it like then? The Civic might be down on horse power compared with hot hatch rivals, but what it loses power it more than makes up for in the adrenalin buzz when you squeeze the loud pedal. I dare anyone to ever get bored with the rev-happy nature of this car. The steering is pin sharp, and despite its electrical assistance, it manages to feel less artificial in feel than rival systems. The engine is smooth and because it's naturally aspirated, there's none of the scary torque steer that's so noticeable in the 256bhp Mazda3 MPS. The handling is tight, with plenty of grip and little body roll. The Civic Type R looks great, but part of me thinks its futuristic styling will date badly and surely a face-lift will be difficult. Some of the futuristic styling touches make the Civic Type R difficult to live with on a day-to-day basis; these include the split-level rear glass which has no wash wipe and does nothing to aid rear visibility.

To sum up: the Honda Civic Type R is the enthusiasts' choice. It's also well-made, practical and likely to be as reliable as a Swiss timepiece.

Fancy a closer look? Check out our Honda Civic Type R gallery