*CARS.CO.ZA correspondentWayne Gorrett attended the launch of the Honda Civic Type-R in Slovakia and shares his thoughts.*

If you’re going to spend five years in the wilderness sans any performance models, you’d better have one almighty bang in your top pocket when you return to the fray.After a lengthy hiatus, Honda has launched the most eagerly-awaited hot hatchfor 2015. International followers of Honda’s Red Badge number in their millions and over 400 advance orders have so far been received in the UK alone.

Headline news in terms of the drivetrain is a switch from natural aspiration to turbocharging – a first for a Type R category product, as is a four-door body shell. Some purists will bemoan the inevitability of a turbo, particularly as its introduction impacts on the engine’s audio character. That aside, this fourth-generation Type R is without question the best fast Civic so far.

Engine, Drivetrain and Performance

The new 2.0-litre, four-cylinder i-VTEC turbo unit produces 228 kW at 6 500 rpm and 400 Nm of torque from a 2 500 rpm. It still uses the VTEC variable valve timing system, however.All of that brutal power is received by the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox only – no dual-clutch, flappy paddle options here – and a limited-slip differential. Honda claims 0-100kph in 5.7 seconds and 269kph flat out.

The front suspension now uses a strut arrangement with a bespoke ‘dual-axis’ design to reduce centre offset, reducing torque steer by an incredible 55%. Ford RS and Opel OPC have used a similar system in the past and RenaultSport still does.

As fundamental as it is to make a halo performance car go fast, Honda made sure it stops with the same urgency. Fortunately, the Type R brakes are no-nonsense Brembo units – the ventilated front discs are 350mm in diameter – and both performed exceptionally well on road and track.

Factory-fitted rubber was a set of Continental Sport Contact 6’s on 19-inch wheels. On the road they’re fine and performed adequately. However, around the Slovakiaring I found them wanting and by hot lap number five, were already going off. Still, for a road tyre, that’s pretty impressive.

To the left of the grippy steering wheel is a button marked +R. This sports setting immediately changes all the dials in the car to red and puts the car into fight mode. The result is a change in engine mapping for greater, sharper performance, tighter steering, vehicle stability assist to maximise grip, while adaptive damping is increased by a spine-shrinking 30 per cent.

The Looks

The new Civic Type-R looks exactly like a Type R should look. Producing a useable amount of aerodynamic downforce was one of the priorities for the Type R engineering team. It’s gloriously shouty, it has a big mouth, an equally big butt and the XL rear wing tuned for maximum downforce.

Other radical visuals include dual twin exhausts either side of a massive black rear splitter, a big front splitter, the flared wheel arches and the vents that adorn them. There’s not one millimetre of free-riding aero on this car – every outlandishly wonderful thing you see has a purpose and function.

The Inside Story

Inside, it’s a mixed bag if I’m honest.The seats are fabulous with really tall side bolsters offering excellent side support. They’re probably the best road car seats I’ve sat in for a while. Ditto for all the tactile elements, too – a sweet aluminium gear lever, shapely leather steering wheel and well-judged pedal weights.

The trouble is the rest of the two-tier dash which frankly, is a mess. There are six major screens and info binnacles, a steering wheel that blocks the digital speedometer and a driving position that some may find too high – despite Honda having already lowered it by 20mm.

There’s plenty of headroom front and rear and the view out the back is surprisingly good, entirely unimpeded by that lofty wing and the boot is huge, too.

The Drive

The engine starts with an impolite boom which settles to a gargle-like burble. On light prods of the acceleratoraround town the turbo chatters audibly.On public roads (without the +R activated), throwing the Civic Type-R into sweeping corners inspires confidence as every judder of grip is fed back into the wheel.

Those adaptive dampers ensure that smaller bumps are shrugged off with an ease that defies the low-profile tyres, although potholes and crusty surfaces still smash through the structure like you’ve drivenover a brick. A motorway cruise meanwhile is undertaken with perfectly acceptable levels of engine, wind and road noise.

Start to use the performance and the engine adopts a monotonous, booming drone that is neither pleasant nor inspiring. Honda’s engineers seemed pleased that they hadn’t employed any fake sound actuation for the Type R – after several brief spells of enthusiastic rural driving up to the 6 000rpm redline and back I almost wished they had.

If you’re given an opportunity to take one of these onto the track – grasp it with both hands. You’ll discover a car that’s exceptionally racy, but also very manageable and fairly forgiving. Steering is weighty, but precise, with none of the twitchiness evident on other race-tuned cars. There’s lots of feel and just the right amount of assistance via features such as the mechanical limited slip differential and adaptive dampers.

Summary

The new Honda Civic Type-R is a seriously extreme car. If you’rewanting the best of both worlds, as it were – you’re unlikely to find it here, even with the R+ button off. For that you may want to venture into the territory of the Golf R, Audi S3 or Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG.

The new Civic Type-R is worth the five-year wait. Its target buyer will be the sort of driver who doesn’t welcome compromise – and hasthe bank balanceto live with that decision. It is an utterly brilliant piece of automotive engineering and, as a former Southern African track racer, I fully comprehend and appreciate its modern appeal.

Honda Civic Type-RQuick Specs

Price: R550 000 Estimate

Engine: 2.04-cylinder turbocharged petrol

Power: 227 kW @ 6 500rpm

Torque: 400 Nm @ 2 500rpm

Transmission: 6-speed manual

0-100kph: 5.7sec

Top speed: 269kph

Claimed fuel consumption: 7.3 L/100km

CO2: 170g/km

SA release date: Honda South Africa says the new Honda Civic Type-R will be here in the third quarter of 2015.

*Pics and words by Wayne Gorrett*