The Honda Civic Type R Thread

"A mini masterpiece": why the EP3 Honda Civic Type R is a proper hero car

One of Honda's great engine and gearbox combos wrapped up in... a box

I’ve met this one a fair bit before. In fact 20 years ago I seemed to be driving a Type R pretty much every week in yet another battle to establish the best hot hatch. Ah, hot hatches, remember them? I tried to before I drove this EP3 and what I recalled was that the Civic’s strength was its engine – actually its whole powertrain – and its weakness was its chassis.

Turns out I’ve been doing some misremembering. Because the chassis is a corker. It’s the steering that lets it down. Anyway, there’s a reason this is the Civic that everyone bangs on about. Yes, its predecessor, 1997’s FK9, had VTEC variable valve timing, but it didn’t quite fit the European hot hatch mould. We didn’t know what box it should fit in.

To help us out, Honda made its successor the shape of a box. The EP3 was quickly nicknamed the breadvan. It’s a curious looking thing, the one angle front end and upright tail giving it the air of a rakish, shrunken MPV. People carriers were all the rage back then, plus Honda made sure the EP3 was practical inside with decent back seats and a 315-litre boot. But that’s not what got us rubbing sweaty palms on our trousers.


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