|  The Civic Type-R is one of the best hot hatches around, with an awesome engine and gearbox combination that gets better the harder and faster you drive it. It also offers a genuinely roomy body shape. This Honda offers something rare: a very reliable and exciting ownership prospect. The price has been kept at a very competitive level too making it all the more tempting.
As is a Civic Type R tradition, power comes from a naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine, with 2.0-litres of capacity, and instead of using turbos or superchargers to attain quick straight line speeds, Honda turns to its engineering department to increase the rev ceiling and hike power in this way. Given the outstanding performance credentials of its predecessor, Honda saw little purpose in increasing engine output. The new Type R therefore continues to be powered by a naturally-aspirated 2.0 litre DOHC i-VTEC engine with similar output, but reworked for greater refinement and responsiveness thanks to a new balancer shaft and a drive-by-wire throttle. The 201 PS maximum power output is now reached at 8,000 rpm (previously 200 PS at 7,400 rpm). While the headline performance figures are expected to be virtually identical to the 6.6 second 0-100 km/h time and 235 km/h top speed of the Type R in its previous incarnation, the engine enhancements mean the new car is more responsive generally, while improved aerodynamics ensures the new car cuts through the air more cleanly. Slightly lower gearing compensates for a small increase in kerb weight. The Type-R exterior is a little understated but its performance credentials are expressed more clearly when you sit inside. The deeply shaped cloth and suede sports seats, the white dials and the stubby gearstick sprouting from the dashboard all feel immediately right. It’s as if the engineers at Honda started with an engine, added the perfect driving environment and then built the rest of the car around it. This might explain why they didn’t seem concerned about more minor details such as fancy headlights. The Type R and Type S versions of Civic will be built exclusively alongside the 5-door range at the Honda of the UK Manufacturing Ltd in Swindon. Honda has stated that the Civic Type R will go on sale in the UK in March 2007, and pricing will be announced closer to this date.
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