In the last update, I relayed what editor-in-chief Ed Loh’s wife, Giulia—er, Julia—a self-declared CTR “newbie,” thought of the Honda Civic Type R. But she wasn’t the only one who had a first drive. Her father, Bob, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot (KC-135A tankers and FB-111A bombers) had a stint, too. Ed explains why Bob is uniquely qualified to review the Civic Type R: “[He] is an especially keen car enthusiast, having owned over 60 vehicles in his lifetime (was proud to show me the records), and he has natural skills as a driver that must be related to his career.” Riding shotgun beside Bob, Ed reports, “He drove the car smoothly and confidently from the outset, during a quick city and highway jaunt.”
With permission, here’s the review he sent to his USAF buddies on an alumni list: “The new Honda Civic Type R is a $35,000 Civic with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine making 306 hp: an amazing 153 hp per liter. I drove one, and it’s quite the sports car—very stable and well put together. Steering, throttle/engine response, the manual tranny, and acceleration are all outstanding. Honda quality abounds. Reminded me of my 1990 twin-turbo Nissan 300ZX, but with 1 liter less displacement and only one turbo. The 0-60 mph time is around 5 seconds; my old Z was 5.1, but of course the Z had a lot more torque. That said, Honda is sure getting the most out of this 2.0-liter engine. My son-in-law, Ed Loh, editor-in-chief of MotorTrend magazine, thinks the Type R is the best performance car you can get for the least money in today’s market. I suppose he means when compared to Ford Mustang GTs, Chevy SSs, and Dodge Challenger/Charger SRTs costing north of $50K.” Pilot Bob knows his cars.
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Retired USAF pilot Bob Felts puts the Civic Type R through its paces.
On the way back to L.A. from Northern California, Ed noticed that “Hard charging backcountry roads revealed compromises made at the altar of grip and performance: On rough pavement, tire roar is deafening, filling the cabin with a fullness the speed-sensitive audio system cannot block.” Once home from his 900-mile trip, Ed summarized by writing, “Overall, I was impressed by the Civic as a long haul/daily driver. It’s fundamentally a Civic, so there’s plenty of room for people and stuff. The Type R treatment doesn’t disappoint and is sophisticated enough that it doesn’t get old, either. Sure, the fins and jets and wings aren’t for everyone, and got some comments, but I stand by the statement that the Type R is the best driving car for the money, provided you can get one with no obscene dealer markup. I’ll take one in [Championship] white, please.”
More on our long-term Civic Type R here:
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