Hullo!

[Type-Robbo]

Now don't shoot me, but I'm a Civic Type R driver, had one for 4 years and looking for a change.

Been considering a cup for a while, and now that Trophies are starting to 'possibly' fall into my price range, I thought I'd do some research!

Now there's no doubting the looks, performance, handling etc, but in terms of day to day etc, how do people find them?

I have a few questions and any help be greatly appreciated! 8)

In 182's, the driving position can be a little bit high, I'm 6'4", and curious to know if the recaros improve this?

Whats their thirst like? My CTR gets through £40 for 280 miles worth!

Are they ok on long distances?

Is there any long term expensive problem/fault I should look out for?

And a side question as primarily they're drivers cars, but is the radio any good, and do all trophy's come with aircon? I don't have it in the CTR and really want it in next car.

Cheers for help.

 

[hyb]

Mine was great, had no problems with it at all, Only time I went to the dealers was to pick it up for the first time. I drove the type r back to back with a normal 182, the steering in the civic put me right off, it didn't feel connected. I actually went for an s2000 before going for the trophy and I'll rate it right up the top as a car to own.

I'm 6'1 and didn't headroom or seating position a problem, initial thoughts when you get in are that it feels high, but after a while you soon get used to it and I personally wouldn't want it lower, it feels right after a bit. The recaros are set lower then the 182 from standard. The seats are superb, i miss them!

They get pretty decent MPG, average of 33mpg I used to get, 14 on a trackday. £35 to fill up 250-300 out of that.

I drove mine from dorset to bedford, and london a few times, I was thinking I'd get out the car with a bad back and dead legs but london and back was a pleasure to drive, no cramps at all It's a great all round car .

With mine I didn't have any problems, I think the only problem some people have had is the dodgy engine temp sensor, I think i've only read 1 guy on here having that problem though, its a simple dealer fix. I'd personally buy one from an enthusiast and un modified, an aftermarket exhaust would be fine as the standard one imho is a bit pants sounding.
The standard radio's pretty good I found, single slot cd, controls behind the right hand side of the wheel, I was quite suprised at how alright it sounded. It's a smaller cabin then the civic so I guess that helps.

All trophys come with aircon, they come as they are so if you see one its going to be the same as the next, in this heat you sure need it

It might pay to speak to Steve at allvehicles, he's a regular member on here and is a bit of a renault enthusiast, he usually has 1 or 2 trophys locked up in padded cells somewhere

http://www.allvehicles.co.uk/usedcar.htm

 

[Neophyte]

Now don't shoot me, ... I have a few questions and any help be greatly appreciated! 8) ... Cheers for help.

No firearms, but some input..
Day to day: Makes me smile every day, even driving slowly. Can be driven hard, or by relying on the decent torque levels
6'4'': not small hey, I think others on here are similar and don't have problems. Using a lid (helmet) may be a bit of a squeeze though, should the need arise :twisted: .
MPG: I get about 33.5, with a mixture of driving. So I think maybe a bit better than your CTR (may be related to lighter weight?)
Long distances: I've done (from London) Germany (Eiffel), Scotland and Wales without much trouble, but it isn't the best part of the car
Common faults: Nothing to that keeps me awake at night
Radio: OK'ish, but some have upgraded
Aircon: Standard

Overall summary: Great car, a performance bargin..

 

[amm]

i had a 04 new shape i know what you mean about the fuel i only used to get 250 miles on a tank and that was if i drove it like a saint.

as for a day to day car you will not be upset the suspension is 40 times better than a type r.

as for the thirst if you don't drive like your pants are on fire you can see up to 350 miles + from £40 of fuel .

as for the recaro's it is down to you whether you like them or not i love them but my brother hates them.

and yes you do get air con and esp traction control and a trip computer all things you did not have on your type r you also get abs and two air bags like you have in your type r.

 

[Type-Robbo]

Cool, thanks for the imput guys!

CTR is not as bad as you make out! I have driven a boggo 182 before and liked it, so know would love the Trophy.

Had already been to allvehicles website and dribbled over the two he has there.

I now own the CTR outright, 51plate, 44,000 miles, would hope to get a good price for it, as really don't want to borrow much to get a Trophy.

 

[cardealer]

Thanks for the nod James, just been released from the padded cell to check the mail. I sold a Trophy To Steve Gunnis who would make a great basketball player. The guy I bought that one from was also very tall and said that he had found you could also change the bases of the Recaros to drop them? I couldn't guarantee that but you could find out.

 

[Johnnytheboy]

I'm 6'6" and have no problems, but then a Puma is the biggest car I've ever owned.

I get 30mpg on lanes and A roads.

I'm sure I've read more than one person here say a Trophy is more liveable with day to day than a CTR.

 

[Steve]

I'm 6'7" (it's like a competition now!) and as many have said, the Clio has loads of room, a bit tight around the knees but there is acres of headroom and the seat slides so far back, there is about an inch of space between it and the rear bench!

Never driven a CTR but I do like them. Didn't even make it into the 15 best front wheel drive cars ever article in this month's EVO though and the Trophy, well, you'll just have to read it but it'll probably make your mind up for you. Even if that means sticking with the Hondas!

I sold a Trophy To Steve Gunnis who would make a great basketball player

I was good at basketball once, but I was 5'7" then (14) as soon as I could slam dunk it became a bit dull.

 

[Type-Robbo]

Haven't had my Evo through the door yet, but amazed it didn't make it into the top 15! It has a great chassis, and I think, the best engine of any current hot hatch. We all know the steering isn't good at feed back, but it goes where you point it!

Evo is the best mag around, but I think they let there personal preferences cloud their judgement sometimes, this has happened on lots of cars. It's clear their on the BMW/Porsche payroll! :lol:

 

[Steve]

Haven't had my Evo through the door yet, but amazed it didn't make it into the top 15! It has a great chassis, and I think, the best engine of any current hot hatch. We all know the steering isn't good at feed back, but it goes where you point it!

Evo is the best mag around, but I think they let there personal preferences cloud their judgement sometimes, this has happened on lots of cars. It's clear their on the BMW/Porsche payroll! :lol:

They are very keen on Porsches and RenaultSports but I don't think they're on the BMW payroll, they are always slating them.

As for your Civic Type R, it does pretty well by EVO, they just don't rate the steering hence connectivity that high and that is a huge factor in EVO evaluation. The engine (in similar tune) is in the car that won overall so you shouldn't be too displeased.

You will have less maximum power when you switch to a Trophy but you won't notice a drop in performance, it is well documented that there is fuck all in it between a 182 and a CTR in a straight line, and the Trophy weighs substantially less so will carry more speed into corners and the overall driving experience will definitely bring a smile to your face.

Have you seen the pictures of the new Type R concept? it looks awesome, like a hot hatch of the future, I just know it's going to weigh in excess of 1280kg though. So it will never make my shortlist.

 

[Type-Robbo]

Yeah I saw the concept at the motorshow in the flesh and loved it.

But it will be way to much ££ for me and if it has the same steering flaws it will be a great shame. I'm pleased to see though that Honda haven't bowed to this daft power struggle that seems to be happening with hot hatches of late, I hope they will return to the original Teg R ethos and concentrate on rounded performance - like a Trophy!

 

[cardealer]

You'd think someone at the car manufacturers would see the following of the Trophy etc and think back to Lotus Cortina with ally bonnet and boot lid and start to go for the weight loss = faster car ethos. I guess Euro NCAP has been the killer of lightweight performance cars hence the power struggle. The irony being that the FIA have been instrumental in the instigation and proliferation of NCAP.

 

[Type-Robbo]

According to Evo this month which I've finally recieved, manufacturers are looking at ways to lighten cars to aid economy, so this could return to some lightweight specials! 8)

 

[Steve]

I'm not sure about Honda resisting the power struggle, they have plans for a Type RR with 240bhp +! At least that will have 4WD though, but that pitches it against the Impreza and Evo - Dangerous territory.

I think the weights will go up a bit more (small hatches reaching 1300kg), then they will stay at this weight for a while with more and more safety features/interior space along with lighter components until they will start to fall again, but not by much. I think the days of the sub-tonne performance hatch are long gone.

I even think the Trophy is a bit of a fatty and that is 3/4 of the weight of most performance hatches. It is a good 180kg heavier than my 205 1.9 was and feels it.

 

[Type-Robbo]

The Type RR is a myth or a lie. Won't happen, would wager money on it. There is a knowledgeable guy on civic forum who works quite high up at Honda, and to date, has never been wrong about any upcoming Honda's, there are some dealers who are bigging up this unicorn RR, but the dealers probably know less than a lot of us.

The costs and development to design a 4WD with an all new drivetrain would price it way over any scoob or Evo, and it's not what the type R's are about. The shell of the new Civic (as the current civic) has a flat floorpan too, so again would need a new shell.

At best there would be a stripped out version with maybe some JDM (jap domestic market) parts on such as LSD and a slightly higher output engine.

I agree the Trophy is a little heavier than could be, but I like the idea of all that handling with some air con and creature comforts! :lol:

 

[Type-Robbo]

Excuse the lame english, I'm on the red wine!

 

[Steve]

Very interesting about the RR, didn't realise it was a fairy-tale. Quite glad about that, didn't seem very Honda to me, the NSX kept to RWD when their contempories were all using 4WD so why stick it on the Civic?

I actually think the Trophy is 1075kg rather than the often quoted 1090kg but for some reason the 1090kg stuck. Either way it's pretty good for it's class. The S Works GP only manages this weight by dumping the rear seats and it's got a paultry 1.6( :wink: ).

It's surprising with the power to weight of that thing (203 bhp/tonne - higher than any other hot hatch) that it's straight line performance isn't much better than the Trophy's. 0-60 in 6.5 secs is pretty slow for a car that's more powerful and significantly lighter than a Focus RS. It's not short on torque either (184 Lb/ft).

Any ideas?

 

[oliie]

Steve - gearing ratios and aerodynamics are the top two things that come to mind.

O.

 

[cardealer]

Back to your point about weight. I took in a 172 CUP on Saturday, and you can feel it's a lighter and quicker car. I was surprised when I looked at the speedo vs revs.

The 182 CUP is not such a loved car and it's only down to about and extra 60-80kgs for the AC and ABS. There's probably a future in weight reduction in those as an affordable used car special.

 

[owenb1983]

should you get a trophy?............Yes!

hiya mate

I live in north west germany about 100 miles past dortmund and have driven to the uk a few times now. when i do go bk its to the preston area it usually takes just under two full tanks keeping at about 85mph all the way. so on the mways there good depending if you floor it or not.

I get tax free fuel out here so i fill up then fill two 20 litre jerry cans and stick em in the boot then fill up again wen i get off the ferry

air con aint to bad but the standard stereo cud be a bit better plus the cruise controls gud 4 mways

owenb