Honda Jazz Sport and Civic Type R

By Martin Pretorius 

Given our market's mild obsession with performance hatchbacks, it's strange that it took Honda so long to send their hottest Civic to South Africa. We missed out on the first two generations of Civic Type R, and when it finally arrived (in third-generation) form at the tail-end of this century's first decade, it was everything except a hit.

That third-generation Type R came with an impressive history, yet landed with a rather sloppy thud - because by then, it was clearly a car from an earlier era. With a high-revving normally-aspirated engine, beam-axle rear suspension and manual gearbox, the Type R was completely out of its element in a market sector then being overrun with turbocharged torque, fancy multi-link rear suspensions, and twin-clutch gearboxes.

But then they added boost and sophistication…

For their next effort, Honda finally took a step in the right direction, giving their K20 engine  a healthy dose of turbocharged power and sticking a whole lot of aerodynamic add-ons onto the 5-door Civic, in their effort to reclaim some of their prior Type R glory.

Then they took it to the Nürburgring, and promptly grabbed the lap record for its class. The Civic Type R was back with a bang, but because it only arrived as that generation of Civic was being phased out, its impact on the marketplace was still very limited. No matter, because as it turned out, that Type R was more of a beta-testing development car than it was a serious production offering: A platform to develop the new turbo-engine and try out some aerodynamic tricks.

 Onto the next chapter.

Which brings us to the latest Civic Type R, the one which finally ties it all together in a single package. Faster than ever, completely redeveloped compared to the base car, and loaded to the hilt with spoilers and skirts, this is the Type R which Honda hopes will re-establish them at the top of the hot-hatch pile.

 And did they ever go all-out, this time around! The body shell is bespoke (with a strengthened central tub), the suspension is all new, the engine and gearbox (while derived from the older car) has been fettled some more, the interior features some specially-developed seats and unique trim, and the exterior has grown all manner of bumps and scoops to manage airflow more effectively.

 About the styling...

Your first encounter with the new Type R is guaranteed to make you gasp – but not for its sheer beauty and classy detailing, because those words don't feature in this Honda's vocabulary at all. Instead, you're faced with a multitude of spoilers and skirts all the way around the exterior, vortex generators on the roof, and air vents all over.

 In fact, it looks like the add-ons have add-ons, such as the side skirts which are adorned with extra carbon-fibre extensions, and the tailgate, which sports not one, but two very obvious spoilers. Below the fin-bedecked hatch, the rear bumper is framed by a diffuser, which in turn is accentuated by an unusual centre-mounted triple-exhaust arrangement, while the flared front wings have air outlets of their own to complement the scoop (mounted high up) on the bonnet. There's so much going on styling wise, that even the huge 20-inch wheels basically get lost in all the clutter.

 The engineers tell us that it's all functional, but it's likely that they also watched plenty of Fast & Furious re-runs before sitting down at their computers. It most definitely makes an impression, and it's extremely distinctive, but only the most diplomatic (or juvenile) observer would call it attractive. That said, there's no doubt that this over-the-top approach will appeal to equally extroverted buyers: if your prime motivation when buying a car is standing out in a crowd, this is definitely the Civic for you.

 At least the go matches the show.

The performance modifications go much deeper than just a powerful engine, but because it's such a focal point of this car, let's take a look at that powerplant. As in the (short-lived) previous-generation car, it's a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder unit, with unchanged outputs of 228 kW and 400 Nm.

There are some tweaks to its hardware though, with various tricks applied to the turbo's wastegate, the throttle mapping, and valve timing to give a more-linear throttle response and smoother power delivery. All that power is sent to the front wheels through a 6-speed manual gearbox and a mechanical limited-slip differential, with the gear change benefiting from a new rev-matching feature in the Sport and “+R” driving modes.

Closer to the tarmac is an entirely new front suspension – and we're not just talking about stiffer springs and (adaptive) dampers, either: the front hub carriers and control arms have been re-designed to reduce torque steer and improve traction through improved wheel geometry, and share nothing with the items in the normal Civics. The steering system furthermore benefits from a new variable-ratio setup, while out back, there's an intricate new multi-link independent suspension in the place of the old model's twist-beam rear axle. Meanwhile, the brakes are upgraded to massive Brembo items, while the body shell itself benefits from increased rigidity.

 Seems good on paper...

The driving experience certainly matches the on-paper promise, and then some. For starters, it's blisteringly quick, and in a way unlike almost all other turbo-fours. While the current trend is to have a turbo mill produce all of its torque low down in the rev range before petering out as the engine speed increases, the Type R takes a different approach. Peak torque only arrives at 2500 r/min, following which the power curve begins it steady climb to the power peak at 6500 r/min.

 In short, it encourages the driver to rev it out to the 7000 r/min rev limiter, and although this is quite a way short of the 8000+ r/min rev range of its non-turbo predecessors, it's still a welcome improvement on most turbo-engines out there. And, once it's on the boil, this 2.0-litre shunts the lighter new body around with real authority: the 0 – 100 km/h sprint is dispatched in only 5.8 seconds on the way to a top speed of 272 km/h. It's one of those cars which feels like it accelerates harder, the faster it goes.

 It's extremely handy around corners as well.

You'd imagine that sending that much power through the front wheels will lead to unruly handling, but you'd be dead wrong. In fact, there's something almost supernatural about the way the Type R pours its power on the road, with nary a hint of wheel scrabble and an almost-total lack of hysterics through the steering wheel.

 Point it in the right direction, stand on the throttle, and the car will scythe through any bend with nothing more than a confident shrug, thanks to that trick front suspension and limited-slip differential. The brakes are just as impressive, shedding speed with seat belt-straining power and showing no sign of fade even after numerous hot laps around a race track.

 Its handling balance is just as spectacular, with beautifully incisive steering when turning into a corner, reasonable feedback through the steering wheel, loads of grip from all four tyres, and no marked tendencies towards either under- or oversteer.

 The differential plays its part in this, but it's clear that the myriad of under-the-skin tweaks also help the Civic Type R go around corners in a way which makes all other front-wheel-drive hatches suddenly seem coarse and under-developed. This may just be one of the finest-handling FWD cars ever made, an accomplishment made even more remarkable by the fact that there's so much power being shunted through the front wheels.

 Comfort receives a similar boost.

Generally, cars with such a sharp focus on handling dynamics tend to be quite miserable away from the race track, as was proven by its predecessor. But yet again, the new Civic Type R bucks the trend. The adaptive dampers relax some of their grip when the Comfort driving mode (new to the Type R) is selected, giving a ride quality which, while not exactly cosseting, isn't nearly as punishing as that of the previous-generation car. Comfort mode also quiets down the exhaust sound, and mutes the throttle response to make it feel rather more sedate all round.

 Some of the new Type R's improved comfort should also be attributed to the new seats: deeply bucketed and firmly braced, they offer enough lateral support to keep the driver firmly in position during hard cornering, yet soothe your back and thighs in a highway cruise. They're also very red (as are the seat belts and the surrounds for the mock-carbon dash trim inserts), meaning that the cabin looks just as borderline gaudy as the exterior styling.

 A fully-resolved Type R

Some improvements over the outgoing model are incremental (engine and transmission), while others are giant strides ahead (cabin, comfort and handling). But as a complete product, the new Civic Type R leaps right to the top of its class. It's far more in-your-face than Volkswagen's GTI or even a Focus ST, challenges the Golf R on straight-line speed, and handles better than just about anything else in its class.

 We'll see how well the new Renault Mégane RS turns out, but it will have to be pretty spectacular to beat this Honda at any metric. Yes, a list price R 627 900 seems like a huge pile of money for a FWD Honda hatchback, but given its immense spread of abilities, sheer speed, and massive driver enjoyment factor, it's not only the best hot hatch currently out there, it's also a surprise performance bargain. All hail the hottest of hot hatches.... for now!

 Honda Jazz Sport... in name, mostly.

Launched concurrently with the stunningly capable new Civic Type R, the Jazz Sport is really nothing like its bigger brother. For starters, there's no turbo-engine, the styling is attractive (if somewhat subdued by comparison), the cabin is rather ordinary (barring some red trim accents), and it comes only with a CVT. Yes, Honda actually tried to give us a non-turbo, non-manual warmish hatchback, and the results are as predictably tepid as you'd imagine.

 Slightly warmer engine and firmer suspension.

The Jazz Sport isn't meant to set your soul on fire, and caters to the “more-show-than-go” crowd to a larger degree than the blistering Civic. The engine receives an upgrade from the cooking 1.5-litre Jazz, now producing 97 kW and 155 Nm (9 kW and 10 Nm up from the standard one), and the CVT is reprogrammed and features steering wheel-mounted shift paddles for a sportier feel.

The springs and dampers are uprated as well, but that merely brings the Jazz from roly-poly up to reasonably firm. That's all it is, really: a sportier-feeling Jazz, yet without actually being all that sporty. A 6-speed manual gearbox would undoubtedly make the slightly fizzier engine feel more energetic, but that option isn't available to South African buyers at all.

New range-topper

Replacing the Jazz 1.5 Dynamic Auto, the Jazz Sport is more of a cosmetic upgrade than a genuine performance derivative, despite its slight bump in power. There are some red-accented trim pieces in the bumpers, the alloy wheels are of a different design, and the headlights are upgraded to use only LED lighting elements, but as far as hot Hondas go, this one flies under the radar. It's almost as though the designers realised that this is still a Jazz...

There's some fair value to be found in the Jazz Sport, however: apart from the aforementioned LED headlights, you'll also find a rear-view camera display on the 7-inch centre touch screen, new soft-touch dashboard trim, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, and a gloss-black grille insert – all for the same price (R 310 000) as the outgoing Dynamic Auto variant. So it's a little sportier, slightly quicker, and better equipped than before, all for the same money as its more mundane predecessor.

In short, the Jazz Sport is pretty good, but nowhere near as enticing as it would have been with a proper gearbox. It certainly wouldn't give a Swift Sport any cause for concern, and the Opel Corsa Sport will walk right over it both in corners and in a straight line. Jazz owners will probably appreciate this upgrade more than genuine enthusiasts would, but it feels like a slightly missed opportunity nonetheless. Please, Honda: give it a manual, and drop its price below the R300 000 barrier, and you'll have a surprisingly appealing little machine. But as it stands, it will remain a fringe player.