We've been a bit lax in officially introducing our long-term Civic Type-R, although the sharp-eyed amongst you may have spotted it in the pages of evo over the last couple of months. It arrived with us in the middle of November last year, prior to which it had been one of Honda UK's launch cars, so had spent its early miles being thrashed around the Isle of Man by mobs of motoring hacks. It showed up here with 2752 miles on the odometer, and in three months we've added another 5768 to that total. Major trips have included the two-day thrash on the Yorkshire moors (evo 40), and not long afterwards it was off to the south of France chasing the STi Impreza (amongst others).

A little plaque on the centre console down by the handbrake reveals that this was Type-R no. 00009 off the Swindon production line. Our car has one important optional extra, air-conditioning (cost: around ΂£1250), and though it's a bit of a redundant feature right now, it'll be much appreciated when the weather perks back up again.

Despite having 197bhp and an evo four-star rating, opinions of the Type-R vary greatly. In fact, in last month's long-termers special, the jet black Honda got a roasting from several quarters, the worst criticism coming from those who didn't drive it far. This is a car you have to spend time getting to know, and even then you may not warm to it. Its tearaway temperament, rowdy motorway behaviour and its love or loathe looks will forever prevent it being universally loved.

Then again, the fewer people chasing the keys for the Type-R the better, as far as I'm concerned. I've been enjoying its company, revelling in its sheer pace, making good use of its practical side ΂- it's very roomy in the back and boot ΂- and I begrudge others the use of it. I even like the way it looks, and reckon respect is due to Honda for turning, with the aid of a few bits of bodykit and a set of titanium-coloured wheels, the frumpy and towering mainstream Civic into something lower and racier.

I'm not alone in admiring its looks, either. The Type-R has tremendous road presence, and everyone from the Nova boys to Impreza drivers stare and point; the 'Goodbye GTi' ads are obviously working well. Ironically, given the fact that Honda is using the Type-R to yoof-up its image, the hooligan hatch also attracts gaggles of little old ladies who wander around the car checking out the badges to see what it is; if only they knew what a mean critter it is, they'd scurry away before it bit them.

The Type-R has the same sort of manic energy possessed by the Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9. It's almost impossible to drive slowly. Lines of traffic that I would normally dismiss as being not worth the bother of overtaking, I now feel obliged to blast past. Mundane journeys have become qualifying laps. This is not a car you can feel relaxed in and that's one of the reason that some people really don't like the Type-R. 'I feel so tense after driving the Civic,' moans photographer Morgan, 'because you end up driving it flat-out everywhere. It's an exhausting experience.' While I know what he means, that's why I like the Type-R ΂- to me it embodies the spirit of a true hot hatch.

Other criticisms of the Honda I find I've quickly adjusted to. The slight and inconsistent vagueness of the steering simply isn't a problem once you've learned how much grip the car has, and for the most part the car can be guided with accuracy. The only time the steering is problematic is at parking speeds when without warning it seems to lose all power assistance and gets terribly heavy, then suddenly returns to full assistance. As for complaints about needing to rev the engine hard to get at the performance, I really don't see the problem. At 5000rpm the Honda delivers enough poke for you to be going quicker than 90 per cent of other traffic on the roads. And having to rev it to 8000rpm to uncover its truly insane side is hardly a chore ΂- what have people got against stretching an engine these days?

To more practical matters; the headlights are commendably a match for the car's performance, although they do get grubby quickly in the winter grime and could do with washers. The interior has also been suffering the onslaught of winter, its grey carpets now so ingrained with dirt that they need shampooing. And greasy winter conditions have also highlighted the need to replace the Bridgestones on the front. There's still a decent amount of tread left on them, but it's not enough to prevent wheelspinning out of junctions and they're beginning to run wider than inspires confidence through wet corners. The rear pair still have plenty of life left in them, so it'll be nice to get the fronts replaced so that both ends of the car have the same amount of roadholding. Call me fussy...