Honda Civic Type R (2017-2021) review

Most of the cabin was brilliant, and all the stuff that really mattered was absolutely nailed. The positioning of the pedals, steering wheel and gear knob were all set ‘just so’ for driving quickly, while the seats hugged you just the right amount and provided suitable padding from the harsher aspects of the ride.

In fact, you’ll have found no better seats below £100,000 when it was on sale. Not ones attached to a car, anyway.

They put many supercars to shame when it came to proving ‘support’ and ‘comfort’ aren’t enemy forces. They were mounted much lower than in rival hot hatches, too, for a properly focused driving position (though you could ratchet them back up if you craved crossover-esque visibility).

Changes for 2020 included an Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel – all the way round the rim, regardless of which level of spec you’ve chosen – and the option of more mature, less SHOUTY black seats if you went for the subtler Type R Sport Line. There was also better phone link-up than ever, so you wouldn't be wound up by Honda’s own touchscreen setup for long. Phew.

Points of contention? You only got four belts – so there’s no popping a passenger in the middle of back seats – and lovely as the Alcantara wheel looked and felt, we wonder quite how red its red bits will be 10,000 miles down the line.

Anything else? If you do somehow get hold of one of those very limited Limited Edition examples in the future, be advised that the lack of air con is annoying on a hot day and the deleted touchscreen - oddly also sacrificing Honda's data-logging tech in the version of the Type R most likely to visit a track - makes getting around tricky. Even a holster to display Google Maps on your phone would've done the trick.

Anyway... in case you're wondering about more practical matters, the boot measured 420 litres with the rear seats up and 786 litres with them folded down. Meanwhile the Limited Edition managed a tad more on account of having more gubbins stripped from it. Rear legroom was plentiful but anyone over six foot might've needed a short back 'n sides to avoid scrubbing the roof.