[LMB]

Well it had to be done, being a nice sunny (although bloody freezing) day, I decided to find out for myself how good the Type-R was.

My local Honda dealership happened to have a red Type-R ready and waiting just for me. Having seen both a Black and Silver Type-R in the flesh, the red did not do the Civic justice. But I was able to give the car a through looking over from every angle, and my conclusion is that I still think the Civic looks the part.

Next I spent a good 30 mins checking out the interior, and I am sorry to say I found this to be a *big* disappointment. Firstly the beautiful seats had no height adjuster, and being relatively small in height, I was not happy. The dealer used the excuse that it was due to them being Recaros, but my Dad's Golf GTi has the same seats, yet comes with a height adjuster. Whilst I happened to really like the *look* of the seats, and gear stick I found the dashboard to be a bit bland.

Finally came the test drive...

Well, only one word comes to mind... Manic

Truth be told I soon got used to sitting low in the car. I found the driving position quite comfortable, the seats are *excellent*. The gear stick, whilst it may look a bit odd, is perfectly placed and *extremely* fluid. The steering is ok, and was probably the biggest disappointment, it just felt a bit numb compared to the Mini. But on the whole, so far I was finding the car nice to drive.

However, I then hit the motorway and then came the real test drive. Well what can I say...the car is crazy. Everything feels relatively normal until you hit 5,000rpm, then all hell breaks loose. It is like hitting a nitro If I remember rightly my words were in the region of f**king hell. All I could hear was this raw from the engine mixed with laughter coming from the dealer. He was a top guy, quite happy for me to rag the car, even encouraged me to, because that is what this car is all about. I have driven many a fast car but this car is seriously mad.

All in all, whilst this car is great fun, I have decided it is not the car for me. Put that engine in the Mini and maybe you have got a match made in heaven. But it was all to manic for my liking. I could not wait to get back in my Mini, and it is amazing how much more I appreciate what a brilliant car the Mini is. It may not be the quickest on the block, but it wins hands down in every other department.

The Cooper S is going to be something special, and I for one cannot wait

Cheers

LMB

[Kinster]

Also, when u line up the Civic with the Toyota Corolla T Sport and Ford Focus, they look quite the same...

Not as unique as the MINI