Comments by "TassieLorenzo" (@TassieLorenzo) on "NEW Honda Civic Type R review: the best hot hatch in HISTORY" video.

In the UK, there is a CO2 tax on new cars (which is £1470 pounds or $1800 USD for the Civic Type R's 200g CO2/km bracket) as well as a 10% import tariff on cars imported from Japan and a 20% VAT tax on cars.
2
"Aren't type r are supposed to be driven hard on the track out of the factory?" They are, hence the stiffer suspension to handle modern ever grippier track day tyres, that people are complaining about!
2
Don't forget things that don't apply to the Japanese price: no CO2 road tax (£1470 for the Civic Type R's polluting 200g CO2/km bracket), no 10% import tariff due to being made outside EU, no 20% VAT (sales tax is 10% in Japan -- so that's ~32% total tax in the UK since VAT is charged on top of import tariff, versus 10% in Japan). Regardless satisfying the Japanese Domestic Market is Honda's priority hence the more reasonable price and the 10,000 Japanese orders being preferentially filled (compared to very limited export allocation).
2
If you are from the UK, it likely rains a lot! Here in southern Australia or, say, in southern California, 3/4 of the year is quite dry and warm. People have different views. I would always prefer the Megane RS, or the GTI Clubsport, or the Type R as I think they are more exciting than the AWD models. I had an AWD WRX and I did not like it, it was too easy IMO, YMMV of course! 🙂
2
FD2 is the best sedan Type R... (The only one even!) Arguably still the best Civic Type R period too. 🙂
1
340i is a luxobarge. I think you'd want a M2 for a similar driving feel.
1
You can also go for a forgotten JDM car like a Mitsubishi FTO -- those (and other unpopular models, e.g., Mitsubishi Colt Ralliart) -- haven't appreciated AFAIK.
1
The Suzuki Swift Sport follows the old formula (it's under 1 tonne), but doesn't seem to receive any hype for doing so!
1
@Hells_Gift_MB "The whole purpose of a hot hatch is that it's supposed to be accessible for the majority of everyday people" The car is priced at a more reasonable 30k GBP in Japan, which is the main market for the car (10,000 orders in Japan). The export volumes are quite limited on this car now.
1
@9x1000-RPM "I can't believe Uk had a typeR for 16k." That was a lower spec EP3 without LSD or Recaros, compared to the one imported from the UK to Japan.
1
US 0-60mph times from certain magazines tend to include rollout which is not realistic.
1
The weight difference is negligible, the difference in higher gear acceleration is because the FL5 has a longer final drive (3.9 instead of 4.1 IIRC) but the same gearbox ratios.
1
Of course, but why not have both? You can have a EF Honda CRX with a K20A swap and it will be somewhat fast (about the same as these new turbo Type Rs in a straight line) and fairly agile (900kg does that!), but it will be noisy, rattly etc and not make a very nice everyday car compared to the big, comfy modern factory Civic Type R that's really an Accord Type R.
1
If it's wet, yes. If it's dry, I think the Civic would be faster even though it's a bigger car. The Civic has got 40mm more tyre on each corner and a higher power-to-weight ratio for instance.
1
@ikaika7439 It's designed for the Japanese market where they have very good roads. The UK market thought the FN2 was too stiff, yet the Japanese market FD2 Type R at the time was far, far stiffer (VBH described the suspension as "rock solid" on Fifth Gear)... I think Japanese enthusiasts (the primary market for the car now) prefer a stiffer suspension. It's like people want to have their cake and eat it too ("give us the Japanese Type R, not some watered down softer European Type R which understeers too much") -- well, you're getting that, happy now? 😉
1
" 'fun and affordable' " Hmm, that the Civic Si ethos. Europe just happened to get a detuned Civic Type R that was closer to a Civic Si but badged as Type R for marketing reasons. 🙂
1
"how much more car you can buy that doesn't have a honda badge on the front" Way to misjudge! Most of the people buying them are buying them FOR the Honda badge, lol. Rightly or wrong, most of these Civic Type Rs are selling to the converted... People who have already had or still have S2000s, Civic Si, Integra Type Rs etc before. Be it the Japanese Honda enthusiasts buying the main production run of the 10,000 reasonably priced units in Japan, or some of those abroad buying the limited export allocations at the inflated prices. 🙂
1
That's not quite correct, even the 2005 Impreza STi (1475kg) is heavier than this car (1445kg), let alone the 2005 Forester STi (1500kg). The Forester is probably only that light because it's still on the older less rigid body structure more similar to the GC8 Impreza anyhow. 🙂
1
@dh-ro6gh Have you seen L'Argus lapping the Nurburgring in the A45S? The body roll and understeer is unreal, the way it understeers into a corner and then rolls into torque vectoring oversteer on the way out is really strange too (a car that both understeers and oversteers, wonderful!). The same driver drives the track a lot more confidently in both the old Civic Type R LE or ordinary, or the Megane RS Trophy or ordinary one. The A45S seems to be too softly sprung and biased towards understeer compared to the more planted handling of the Civic or Megane.
1
10% import tariff added now as it's from Japan instead of Swindon, but that also applies to the GR Yaris (and GR Corolla if you get that in Europe). Otherwise it is priced on the high side, as things like the import tariff, VAT and CO2 tax apply equally to the GR Yaris which is lower priced.
1
"only one usable mode(the comfort one)" You have to understand the car is primarily designed for the Japanese market (again), where they have very good roads and buyers prefer a stiffer suspension -- refer for example to the old Japanese-market FD2 Civic Type R which has very stiff suspension (much stiffer than the European FN2 that was already described as "intolerable" by certain UK farmers). The chief engineer noted that the suspension has been designed like this (with stiffer bushings and damping than the old model), so it can handle the grip generated by modern track day tyres like the Potenza RE71RS even on factory standard suspension.
1
@eugenux Vote with your wallet and buy something else! The Renault Megane RS drives just as well (I say that as Honda fan, the Megane RS is really good, RenaultSport know their stuff), so I'd perhaps go for an older manual one of those (sadly the manual was discontinued recently).
1
@zGJungle The Suzuki Swift Sport is available in the original hot hatch brief -- yet people seem to think its 140bhp/970kg is "not enough". Go figure! It is 400-600kg less than most other "hot hatches" but it just doesn't sell that way. So people might say they want an old school sub 1000kg hot hatch with a more modest amount of power, but they just don't buy them.
1