type R panned by Clarkson

[DeanFYoung]

Originally Posted by angie4m

I'm sure your in the minority of drivers that are responsible(when driving) but for one point of the feature Clarkson got it right when he pointed to the young lad in the crowd!

Honda have tried to get away from their image of the CTR being a boy racer car. It costs more to buy and insure and no doubt run!

As for the old CTR, I don't know anyone over the age of 25 who drives one! He also got it right about the boot being big enough for a sound system, most folk with the CTR aint gonna do that. Fact of the matter is Honda designed the new Type R to get away from the stereo typical driver which was a young male in his early 20's.....it now aimed at mid 30's professionals.

Example.........today minding my own business in a 40 limit doing 40 dead on and all of a sudden out of nowhere a gunmetal grey old style type r comes out of nowhere full of young lads and tries to overtake. I have to brake hard for the fact there is something on the other side of the road and he would hit a traffic island and then me! These are the kind of drivers I come up against every day in the old CTR, I must say on an occassion you do see someone in their 30's/40's and they are actually driving like every other civilised human being unlike the lads who think they are Lewis Hamilton!

I agree that the majority of people I see driving old CTR are young lads and are usually driving quite erratically, but I put this down to the used car market, the car is now much more accessible to younger people - I am starting to see a fair few people driving the cooper-s like loons which I never used to.
Generally speaking, people that buy a car from new are more likely to look after it more and hence drive it a little more carefully too IMHO...

Take the M3 driver or indeed the M5 - how many of those do you see being revved stupid? No new ones that's for sure - they're too worried about damaging their pride and joy!

[Civic Fan]

That’s a good point mate. It’s generally true of any mass produced iconic sports or performance car (Rare and exotic aside of course). As soon as the price comes down to the run of the mill family hatch money, the numpty, racing driver wanabee’s get their hands on them and create a bad stereotype. Perhaps this is what Honda wants to exploit now it‘s going after the younger market. I was always looked upon as odd for driving an old mans car (I'm 31) but always had a self satisfied grin knowing how reliable and relatively quick Hondas are. It’s all in the VTEC. Having said that, I never acted like a prick. Impossible really when you have a 2 year old child strapped to her car seat in the back. She is more precious than life its self.

With great power, comes great responsibility!!

[sprinter12345]

Not posted for a while but will have a blast on this one

As the new civ had just over 700 miles on the clock and he used it against a 54 plate old type r correct me if im wronge most modern engines free up after so many miles "god bless me if i am " But is this against the new type r ? And if so ...How did he manage to get off the mark on an old model and then loose....Maybe forgot to say "ooh dear vsa still on " Did not not find anything on the vsa mention in the top gear DISS movie ....
Come on JEZ lets give it a proper road test ....I have heard of back handers but COME ON .......!!!

P.s sorry if this offends anyone the old civ is a proper car but look at the stig trial ....
Must be the driver ...I think driving Lambos/mercs/"so on" and "Ford concept "cars gone to his right foot and forgot how to drive a proper V_TEC..... I did love clarky on his forsight of new car views and sometimes never had a chance to say yay or nay ....But will say on a final note my type r has to go through finances on a new property buy "" But i will buy new this time next year ""...And will max the life out of it as the new civ is a looker a joy to drive and if driven by the "RIGHT PERSON" will give a good car a run for its money ....

All the best type R owners

This is my last post "sniff sniff"

C u some time next year

[Tricky]

I apologize if someone has posted a similar reply to this already, but I couldn't be bothered to read all 8 pages.

Road tests are are very rarely objective reviews, it pretty much comes down to whether not the road tester liked the car or not.

Example:
When the Rover 75 came out, one motoring magazine made it their car of the year, another said it was complete *****.


I don't care that JC didn't like the Civic, I love it thats why I bought one. (I'd driven a Type-S round the tarmac rally stage at Prodrive in Kenilworth prior to ordering.)

Over the years I've driven a lot of cars, some of which the motoring press wet their pants over, I thought where rubbish.

I drove the Civic and thought it was awesome, I still do several thousand miles later.

[vtec-hungry]

Originally Posted by gb110430

Type R panned on top gear tonight and who can argue, jeremy didnt seem to actively bias against it, it understeers, is slow etc....

im a honda fan but why did they do this , how embarassing to be beat by a car 8 yrs older . the new civic just looks nicer

Woudl like to hear how anyone can defend this and this all went out on a prime tv show.......watched by millions


Edit TTDegs - thread title corrected

*************, new type r was 3 seconds faster than the old model

Edit TTDegs - personal comment removed

[TTDegs]

although, hungry, there is some ongoing debate about the time which the old model (or indeed the faclift version of the old model) did it in...

see this thread -> Top Gear Honda Civic Type R Videos

[sfboy]

What about the bongs - they are bloody annoying, not just just in the CTR but across the range, it's like being in an American car.

[Civic Fan]

Originally Posted by sfboy

What about the bongs - they are bloody annoying, not just just in the CTR but across the range, it's like being in an American car.

Do you mean the ones that tell you the key is still in the ignition, the ones to tell you your seat belt isn’t on or the ones from news at ten? LoL.

Sorry, just a little humour there.

[Jack The Lad.]

THATS THE TROUBLE, --I CAN PICK UP NEWS AT 10, BUT S-D ALL RADIO STATIONS.

[thespacecowboy]

Clarkson has a strong affinity to Fords given the GT he owns. Hence the panning of a near rival. Simple.

And it doesn't make my drive to work and less wild

[CivPilot]

Originally Posted by thespacecowboy

Clarkson has a strong affinity to Fords given the GT he owns. Hence the panning of a near rival. Simple.

Might wanna check your sources, Clarkson sold his GT quite a while ago (dodgy alarm install kept killing the thing). His "toy" is now a Grey Lambo Gallardo Spyder.

But on the Civic note, I think it's time to let this thread die (and lock). Fact is Clarkson is totally entitled to his opinion and the blind faith among some that his opinion is wrong because the Euro Type-R is the second coming is frankly silly. The car is great, but seriously flawed as a "Type-R" in the actual meaning of the name. And apart from the storming engine and stunning styling it is (I'm afraid to say) not as good as it's main rivals when you really drive it as it name implies. Pretty much every (credible) road test has agreed to that fact. And before we get the "but you shouldn't drive fast anyway" comments... then what is the point of making cars that do over 70mph? Thats for a whole other discussion. The fact is the car is sold as the sports model so should be as good, if not better, a tackling the twisty roads of britain than it's rivals. It's not.

The above statement is my opinion and no cries of injustice will change it, I've driven the car and it's rivals and I have also driven old (real) Type-R's and I have to say, as much as I love the Euro car, it is highly frustrating when you compare it to what it should have been. It simply is not good enough in some areas.
It has been pointed out by several people including those in the car magazines that if the car had been called something different then the test results would have been very different, as it was they had to compare it to the old model and others that bear the Type-R name. In this respect the car is flawed and in many respects a step backwards by the marketing men.

Funnily enough the Japanese version followed the original formula (light weight, big power, LSD, independant suspension etc) and hasn't suffered with such venom. I fact it has been widely praised as an awesome car, it even came 6th in Evo's car of the year test beating things like the Aston DBS and Lambo Superleggera. Food for thought that.

But like I said, my opinion, I think it is totally cool that everyone here loves thier cars with such passion. But lets be honest, if some of the venom being displayed here was being directed at another member of the site then the perpetrators would be closed down very quickly and the post locked. So why is all the hatred being allowed towards Clarkson? I've seen him being called a ******, being accused of being "on the payroll" etc.

All out of order, if it wasn't for him we wouldn't even have a Top Gear on TV.

So he doesn't like your car, so frakin what? Ignore him and move on, lifes too short. (and if someone takes the pi$$ out of you, just smile & walk off safe in the knowledge that you don't care)

Your final line is superb...

Originally Posted by thespacecowboy

And it doesn't make my drive to work and less wild

Absofrakinlootly

And I think that is what everyone should be concentrating on, not the opinion of some Roadtesters. You love your car, end of.

[mrh339]

Originally Posted by thespacecowboy

Clarkson has a strong affinity to Fords given the GT he owns. Hence the panning of a near rival. Simple.

And it doesn't make my drive to work and less wild

Clarkson does not own a Ford Gt and Top Gear was weeks ago, Get over it!!

[Civic Fan]

I agree with CivPilot. Time to move.

[Ian Pallett]

Is it me but have other type R drivers noticed that since Mr Clarksons Comments Other drivers tailgate you and rev their engines and want to race at traffic lights etc because i assume they think now the car is slower than they thought? . And dare i say it but this applies to other civic drivers also!

Ian
Milano red GT number 06767

[gor7don]

if it`s good enough for STIG it`s good enough for me.what clarkson did not tell you was after STIG had it round the track,he said i would happily take this home.

[CivPilot]

Originally Posted by gor7don

if it`s good enough for STIG it`s good enough for me.what clarkson did not tell you was after STIG had it round the track,he said i would happily take this home.

If you read through this thread you will find it mentioned that Magazine STIG is not track STIG. They were two different testers (Track STIG is a highly under rated real racing driver, not a journo).

Besides, I thought this one was finished already?

[jazzman]

Originally Posted by gor7don

if it`s good enough for STIG it`s good enough for me.what clarkson did not tell you was after STIG had it round the track,he said i would happily take this home.

ENOUGH ALREADY

[Bog]

Originally Posted by Ian Pallett

Is it me but have other type R drivers noticed that since Mr Clarksons Comments Other drivers tailgate you and rev their engines and want to race at traffic lights etc because i assume they think now the car is slower than they thought? . And dare i say it but this applies to other civic drivers also!

Ian
Milano red GT number 06767

It's you

[angie4m]

Originally Posted by Ian Pallett

Is it me but have other type R drivers noticed that since Mr Clarksons Comments Other drivers tailgate you and rev their engines and want to race at traffic lights etc because i assume they think now the car is slower than they thought? . And dare i say it but this applies to other civic drivers also!

Ian
Milano red GT number 06767

Hmmm, Not quite sure if Clarkson really has anything to do with it. I was already getting this from silly little boys on the road. Recently a guy trying to impress his bird in his FTO. He thought he had managed to take me pulled right in front of me and started kicking up all the crap from the side of the road. Wasn't impressed, was only in fourth at the time and he was flat out so I pulled out, put it into fifth waved and then v'tec'd it. He pulled out but was never seen again.

I've had the same with young lads in C2's and Saxo VTR's doing excatly the same in my Dad's M3.

I've noticed that folk with Decent, expensive performance cars give you the repect you deserve on the road while behind the wheel of the Type R