WHAT IS IT about some cars? The ones you spend ten minutes behind the wheel with, and then you’re hooked.

You can’t stop thinking about them, how they feel at wheel, and how they make a sound that gets into your skin and makes your neck hairs tingle when you’re firing through the gearbox and the tacho is dancing at the redline.

This is Honda’s brattish but charismatic Civic Type R. It’s as cheeky as schoolies week and has fun written all over it.

It is deliciously balanced – few sub-$45k cars are as satisfying on a winding mountain run – and few have such poise and ‘connectedness’ at the wheel.

From the mesh grille, to the funkified interior, the chunky racing-style seven-spoke alloys, to the high tail and twin-exhaust rear, Honda’s little warrior oozes enthusiasm and on-road vigour.

Styling

Not everyone is a fan of the Type R’s edgy lines. Me? I love them. To these eyes there is not an angle that doesn’t work.

Short, with bobbed tail and raked road-hugging nose, its lines are classic ‘wheel-at-each-corner’ styling. And hunkered over guards-filling 18-inch alloys, it looks loaded and ready for business.

Subtle fender extensions rim the guards and carry through into the side sills, front spoiler and rear diffuser.

Out back, a high integrated rear spoiler wraps across the hatch, a styling ‘nod’ to its spiritual forebear, the stunning CRX of twenty years earlier.

There is a distinctive triangular motif repeated in the fog lights, door handles, and twin tail-pipes, and a flattened chevron crease linking the tail-light clusters.

The goodness continues when you pop the bonnet. With smart brushed-alloy surfaces, exposed pipes and exquisite layout, few engines this side of an Alfa Romeo have such appeal.

Head to tail, ‘our’ Type R, in white, looked a treat. There’s little I’d fiddle with or want to change… perhaps I’d put a set of graphite Compomotive Motorsport rims under it. But otherwise, straight from the box, the Type R has head-turning style.

The Interior

Inside, things don’t work as well for me.

No complaints though about the hugging Alcantara sports seats, nor the feel of the leather-bound wheel, drilled metal pedals and fabulous stubby gear-shift. The moment you nestle into the Type R it feels right. It feels like a car begging to have its wheels driven off.

It’s comfortable and surprisingly roomy – even for back-seat passengers. It is also nicely trimmed with an up-market feel to the materials and fit and finish.

The problem I have is with the over-designed dash. I find it a bit of a mess of lines and pieces. Sure, I can get used to it, but I’d prefer something less fussy and easier on the eye.

It seems to be a feature of a lot of Honda dashboards at the moment – in the Accord, the Jazz and the Odyssey. It seems like Honda’s interior designers did not know when to stop.

It’s no deal-breaker, but I’ll take simplicity over fussiness any day.

That said, there are also no complaints with how things work; the logical arrangement of the controls and functions, the immense ‘in yer face’ tacho, eye-high speed readout and the layout of the centre console.

So, all up, a ‘thumbs up’ for ergonomics, fit, quality of materials and for one of the best six-speed shifts you’ll lay a hand on; but a ‘thumbs down’ for the fussy dash.

Equipment and Features

There is no shortage of features nor standard-fit equipment for the Type R. From the natty start button, to the tilt and reach adjustable steering wheel, retractable wing mirrors, halogen headlights with auto on/off, and rear parking sensors – all standard – the Type R is well-configured out of the box.

It also comes with dual-zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers, iPod, USB integration, aux-in jack, and high-fidelity radio and MP3-compatible CD.

For safety there are driver and front passenger side and front airbags, full length curtain airbags, seat-belt pretensioners, progressive crumple zones and a tyre deflation warning system.

And down below, to keep the show on its feet and pointing where it should, the Type R features ABS (with EBD), vehicle stability assist (VSA) and traction control (TCS).

When at the wheel and cosseted in classy sports buckets, the Type R looks and feels like a premium small car package.

Mechanical Package

The soul of the Type R though is in its engineering.

The DOHC i-VTEC engine in that short swooping snout is a jewel. Just 1998cc, race-car style ‘square’ (with an 86.0mm bore and matching 86.0mm stroke), and engineered with low-friction high-compression pistons and lightweight conrods, it’s designed for revs, and lots of them.

Maximum power of 148kW is not found until 7800rpm, just 200rpm short of the 8000rpm redline, with maximum torque of 193Nm chiming in at a high 5600rpm. From 5500rpm up, it howls like a Banshee (it simply sounds fabulous).

Though it loves revs, its breeding is also evident at idle where it hums with perfect balance and Swiss-watch precision.

Putting drive to the front wheels, that sweet i-VTEC engine is hooked up to one of the nicest six-speed boxes in the business. Firm, precise, topped by a snug brushed-aluminium knob, and with each gear slotting home with a satisfying ‘tuk’, it is simply a joy to use.

Below, keeping traction to the tarmac, the Type R comes with a limited-slip diff and sports suspension – McPherson struts up front and torsion beam rear.

Steering is electric assisted. Precise, direct, with thread-the-needle accuracy, it provides the right feedback from the road and a surprisingly tight turning circle (given the big rubber).

Ventilated 300mm discs up front and 260mm solid discs at the rear wheels, take care of stopping power. With a relatively light body, a wheel at each corner, and pedal-feel that is just right, braking performance is at the top of the class.