Britain's best affordable driver's car: BMW M140i versus Honda Civic Type R

The lack of a limited-slip differential is a problem, too, especially on a damp circuit. The problem is you just don’t know what it’s going to do when you get back on the power: it might drive out
 to the exit of the corner neatly and predictably, or it might snap into sudden oversteer; it could spin up the unloaded wheel hopelessly or it might settle into a neat and graceful powerslide. For all its inherent rightness, the M140i gets less and less satisfying the harder you push it. 

The opposite is true of the Type R. It feels good from the outset, and with no strange foibles to get your head around, you find yourself driving it quickly and skilfully right away. That’s a very strong indicator of a well-sorted performance car. And as you build your pace and dig deeper and deeper, the car seems to get better sorted and more capable still. Of the two cars, it’s much happier being driven on and around the limit. Against the odds, it actually feels like the more natural performance car. 

The overwrought styling and unexceptional cabin are difficult to overlook, especially at this money. The seating position is much better now, though, with a seat that drops much lower than before, and the seats themselves are as supportive as any you’ll find without a fixed back. The engine is still somewhat laggy – you can count Mississippis as you wait for the boost to arrive – but once it starts pulling, it does so with real urgency. And the manual gearshift is as good as they come. 

It is still frustrating that Honda won’t allow you to configure the car how you’d like it, because what you really want is the sharper throttle map combined with the softest damper setting. Instead, you drive everywhere on the road in Comfort mode rather than Sport or +R because that’s when the ride quality is at its best. It feels plush and compliant, flowing down a road at speed almost like a Porsche GT car, and the body is always so well controlled. As the car absorbs the worst of the road surface, it keeps its Continental tyres pressed deeply into it, so they find more grip than you’d ever imagine. 

On track, that means the Type R is sensationally fast. Only two (much more powerful) cars went quicker around Llandow than the Honda. It’s also fun and exciting, though, with some adjustability in the chassis, a differential that drags you through corners and brakes that barely seem to wilt. 

At times, though, you are aware of its size, particularly on narrow roads and also in very tight, very slow, second-gear sections of race track, where you find yourself hauling it from one apex to another. 

Even so, it is the best Civic Type R to date and the first one that you don’t have to make excuses for... aside from the divisive styling and very average cabin. What’s really remarkable about the front-wheel- drive, four-cylinder hatchback, though, is that it’s actually better and more entertaining to drive quickly than the six-cylinder, rear-driven M140i. It’s a victory for the Type R, and a victory for hard work and dedication over complacent virtuosity. 

Second opinion - Matt Prior

I liked the previous Civic Type R without ever really thinking it a serious contender for best-in-class honours. The new version, though, feels like a monumental step forward. That its breadth of ability — most notably, its faculty for tangibly changing character between drive modes — now rivals the Golf R’s all-game versatility was very much the day’s big surprise. Nick Cackett

Honda Civic Type R

The best Civic Type R to date and perhaps the best front-driven hot hatch on sale 

Price
 £32,995
4 

Engine 4cyls, 1996cc, turbo, petrol

Power 316bhp at 6500rpm


Torque 295lb ft at 2500-4500rpm

Gearbox 6-spd manual


Kerb weight 1380kg

0-62mphʉ۬5.7sec (claimed)

Top speedʉ۬169mph


Economy 36.7mpg (combined) 

CO2/tax band 176g/km, 34% 

BMW M140i

Looks so right on paper, but its on-the-limit dynamics never deliver on the promise 

Price
 £31,875
6 

Engine 6cyls, 2998cc, turbo, petrol 

Power 335bhp at 5500rpm


Torque 369lb ft at 1500-4500rpm

Gearbox 8-spd auto


Kerb weight 1505kg

0-62mphʉ۬4.6sec (claimed)

Top speedʉ۬155mph


Economy 39.8mpg (combined)

CO2/tax band 163g/km, 29% 

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