Using the standard car as its base platform means that Honda Civic Type R safety should be its equal, and when tested by Euro NCAP the regular Civic was awarded the full five stars. And with the firm’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure and six airbags you can see why.

There is of course a standard electronic stability system, which you can disable if you are hoping to exploit your Civic Type R on a circuit.

The Honda Civic Type R comes with City Brake Active (CTBA) which uses a radar system to monitor the path ahead and if needs be will brake the car to a halt (from below 19mph) should it detect an imminent risk of collision with other vehicles ahead.

Choose the GT pack and safety is even stronger thanks to standard fit adaptive cruise control and parking sensors front and rear. The Advanced Driver Assistance Systems include Forward Collision Warning which augments the CTBA system with visual and audible warnings, Lane Departure Warning, High Beam Support System which switches between high and dipped beam headlights automatically at speeds above 25mph.

Blind Spot Information is also included as is Cross Traffic Monitor which uses side-mounted radars to detect approaching vehicles when reversing and Traffic Sign Recognition system which reads signs at the side of the road and displays relevant information to the driver such as the current location’s speed limit.

With its clever tip-up rear seats the standard Civic has always been favoured for its load-lugging ability, but Honda Civic Type R practicality is slightly hampered by this innovative system being deleted. It’ll still hold just as much luggage overall, seats up or folded down, as the standard car but removing the mechanism reduced the weight of the bench construction by 17 percent.

Make use of the boot with those seats in place and the carrying capacity is 498 litres, while folding them flat increases the total to 1,214 litres. Like the car it’s based on the Civic retains its five-seat configuration with ISOFIX mountings for the outer pair of seats on the rear bench. There’s ample space back there too, though the high set solid seat shells from the chairs in front can make it feel a little claustrophobic.

There are of course door pockets on each of the doors – though the ones at the rear are frustratingly small – and the front features a usable glove box and transmission tunnel-mounted cubby plus a pair of cup holders.