Honda has rebellious bad boy in its line-up, says RAY MASSEY

Think of Honda and you may little question conjure up a picture of a protected, dependable, sensible vary of household vehicles such because the CR-V SUV, mainstay of numerous faculty runs.

It’s the wise possibility — the automotive you may cool down with after ill-advised, however character-forming, wild flings. Or as one worldly-wise colleague put it: ‘You’ll date The Fonz, however you may marry Richie Cunningham.’

Well, even Honda has an actual rebellious bad boy in its line-up. And I’ve simply been driving it.

Priced from £46,995, the Honda Civic Type R is the folks’s supercar providing the kind of driving thrills, pleasure and engagement you could possibly count on from a efficiency mannequin costing thrice as a lot.

It’s a mainstream Civic hatchback with added rocket boosters. Other than sharing the Civic identify, behind the wheel, you would be laborious pushed to grasp they’re associated.

Riding on 19 in matt-black alloy wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, it is 8mm decrease and 90mm wider than the usual hybrid Civic e:HEV, and even 13mm decrease and 15mm wider than the previous- era Type R.

As a four-seater, it loses the usual Civic’s rear centre seat. It is powered by an environment friendly 329 hp 2-litre, four-cylinder VTEC turbocharged petrol engine linked to a easily slick and exact six-speed handbook gearbox.

After driving so many automatics and paddle shifts, it was beautiful to get again to the total hands-on engagement and enjoyable of a correct gearstick shift and racing-style stainless-steel pedals. Acceleration feels and is swift from relaxation to 62 mph in 5.4 seconds as much as a prime pace of 171 mph.

But it is the Type R’s sure-footedness navigating tight bends and punching laborious out of them the place the nimbleness and grip of this front-wheel drive (not all-wheel drive) hot-hatch actually reveals.

With an aerodynamic wing and a cluster of three exhaust pipes out again, it has a pleasant revving soundtrack at peak efficiency, and satisfying blips whenever you work again down the gears.

Official gas financial system is an formidable 34.4 mpg with CO2 emissions of 186 g/km.

The launch of the all-new Civic Type R comes as Honda celebrates 25 years of the Japanese automotive agency’s iconic high-performance hatchback – and 50 years of the Civic. Embodying the ‘spirit of racing’ it is usually the quickest and strongest Civic Type R up to now.

The cockpit inside is pretty stripped out minimalist and race-track impressed. It feels extremely nicely engineered, proper right down to the aluminium centre console, polarised gun metallic air vents, and the tip of the sleek alloy gear-knob.

The new supportive light-weight sports activities seats are mounted decrease to offer optimum posture assist and completed in a daring however devilishly fetching shiny crimson, with flooring to match.

There’s even a slim strip of lights on the highest of the ten.2-inch dashboard show which illuminate in a strip to match your red-lining revs. And if out on a circuit, you’ll be able to learn your observe occasions and the way a lot G-force you are pulling.

Japan’s Honda is, at coronary heart, an organization of engineers and engineering excellence is on the beating coronary heart of all the things they do. And the lean, imply Civic Type R is the top of this finessing.

There are three predominant drive settings: consolation for tootling round city which it does surprisingly nicely, sport for extra vigorous engagement, and track-focussed ‘Type R’ which tightens up the sinews to the max.

Honda explains: ‘The +R mode is essentially the most performance-focused driver setting and stays the optimum alternative for observe use. This mode affords sooner throttle response, and a sportier, managed trip by way of the adaptive damper system. The result’s extra direct and linear energy and steering really feel, providing the final word Type R expertise.’

Don’t do that at house, however for extra skilled drivers, it provides: ‘In +R mode, the traction management system and the automobile stability help (VSA) system operate might be fully turned off, permitting a better yaw and slip charge. To do that, customers should press the VSA button for 5 seconds whereas in +R mode.’

Rounding off the +R expertise is the elevated engine noise which goals to ship – and largely does – a ‘extra intense driving expertise’. Or put extra bluntly: it offers satisfying ranges of brrrrmmmmm brrrrmmmmm.

In a world first for the Type R you too can select ‘particular person’ to tweak the settings to your individual private desire.

Honda explains: ‘It permits customers to configure settings that greatest go well with their wants, preferences, and native driving surroundings.

‘Users can individually configure the throttle response, steering really feel, suspension, engine sound, efficiency metre, and rev matching programs and save their settings for future use.’

My personal automotive in Championship White price £46,995 on the street. Other colors embrace Rallye Red, Racing Blue, Crystal Black and Sonic Grey Pearls.

Honda says all elements of the brand new Civic Type R have been reengineered to intensify the sense of driving exhilaration. The exterior trim has been aerodynamically modelled and fine-tuned utilizing racing-inspired knowledge to regulate air move for better stability and enhanced downforce.

A brand new rear spoiler – additionally out there in carbon fibre – is designed to intensify the modern roofline and contribute together with the lower-slung posture to the automotive’s aerodynamic efficiency and muscular look.

The stiffened chassis is designed to dissipate power away from the cabin however does imply fairly a tough trip at occasions, particularly over Britain’s more and more bumpy potholed roads.

There are loads of security and stability options to guard the motive force and passengers, however pedestrian safety has additionally been improved with a brand new ‘pop-up’ bonnet to melt the blow and mitigate accidents from the laborious engine beneath in the occasion of a collision.

All in all, the Honda Type R is an actual quick and livid boy-racer sizzling -hatch and an ideal drive – although I doubt your dad and mom would approve.

Mercedes-Benz’s new all-electric EQE SUV is surprising

Mercedes-Benz’s new hi-tech, all-electric EQE SUV went on sale in the UK this week — and it isn’t simply the price of electrical energy to cost it that’ll shock you.

Prices for the posh zero-emissions 4×4 begin at a whopping £90,560 for the EQE 350 4MATIC AMG Line, as much as the Business Class model from £112,260. The extra highly effective EQE 500 4MATIC prices from £108,760 for the AMG Line Premium as much as £121,766 for high quality.    

The zero emissions 350 has 215 kW twin electrical motors that propel it from relaxation to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds, whereas the five hundred’s 300 kW electrical motors try this in 4.9 seconds. A rival to BMW’s battery-powered iX SUV, the EQE’s electrical driving distance ranges from 324 miles in the five hundred as much as 334 miles in the 350.

Pay automotive insurance coverage in lump save for financial savings 

Motorists may save as much as £65 annually by paying their annual automotive insurance coverage premium in a single lump sum reasonably than as month-to-month funds, says new analysis from Comparethemarket.com.

The comparability website places the typical annual price at £688 paid month-to-month, in opposition to £623 as a single lump sum.And that hole has elevated by £12 year-on-year as common annual premiums have risen by £71, or by £83 paid month-to-month.

The rises stem from insurers passing on the upper price of claims attributable to a rise in the worth of second-hand vehicles and better restore prices.

It comes as a separate survey from Comparethe market.com discovered one in three motorists (35 per cent) have struggled to afford the rising price of driving and 4 in ten (40 per cent) concern they should cease driving if prices proceed to rise.