Used test: BMW M135i vs Honda Civic Type R: interiors

Interiors

Driving position, visibility, build quality, practicality

The Honda Civic Type R's driving position is generally excellent for a hot hatch, mostly thanks to the deep bucket seats that offer lots of side and shoulder support and hold you firmly in place when cornering. However, those seats do make it quite difficult to get into and out of the car, and it’s a shame that the Honda’s speedo is easily obscured by the steering wheel. Rearward visibility is, frankly, laughable due to that huge rear spoiler.

The BMW M135i’s seats are less supportive at the sides but still hold you in place very effectively through bends and are far more comfortable on long journeys. The M135i also has a high quality dashboard that’s much easier to use, thanks to a cleaner layout and a single central colour screen that you control using a rotary dial and some shortcut buttons positioned between the front seats.

The Civic relies on a touchscreen, which is slower to respond and much more fiddly to use. It’s also trickier to see in bright and sunny conditions.

Both cars have plenty of leg room in the back, if slightly limited head room for six-footers, and while the BMW can carry five at a push, the Type R’s bespoke rear seats are strictly for two people.

The Honda’s boot is vast and much bigger than the BMW’s, although there's no parcel shelf, and it's also blighted by an annoying sunken area in the load bay that is covered by a false floor in the standard Civic.

You can fold down the rear seats of both cars for those occasions when you need to carry extra long or bulky items.

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