The new Civic Type S bodes very well for the Type R – and that’s the best possible news for enthusiasts. But the Type S is more than a warm-up act for next year’s sporting flagship – it’s a great car in its own right. Featuring substantial suspension changes, the new three-door looks great, has a superb cabin, and is even more fun to drive than the five-door.

The Japanese firm pulled the wraps off the three-door Type S at the British Motor Show back in July. It’s aimed at a young audience and replaces the old Civic three-door, but the model range will be considerably smaller – comprising only the Type S and Type R.

While the latter, due next year, will have a high-revving 200bhp unit, this version comes with either a 1.8 i-VTEC petrol or a 2.2-litre i-CTDi diesel, both of which develop 138bhp.

Video: watch CarBuyer's video review of the previous-generation Civic

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Although the five-door hardly lacks road presence, to distinguish the new model designers have fitted a deep front air intake, gunmetal trim round the wheelarches and sills, and 17-inch alloys as standard. The doors, rear panels, sills and bumpers are all unique to the Type S. Even the suspension has been tuned – the rear track is 20mm wider, the ride height is lower, and spring and damper settings have been revised to provide a sportier feel.

And from the moment you pull away, you can detect the engineering changes at work. The ride from the shorter-travel suspension is firm but not jarring, and while overall comfort levels have dipped fractionally, the sacrifice is definitely worthwhile.

Due to the greater handling agility and sharper road manners, the three-door dives into corners eagerly, and you can feel the rear axle assisting with the change of direction. Best of all, you don’t have to be going fast to enjoy this new-found appetite for bends.

Regarding performance, the 2.2-litre remains one of the best on the market, returning 54.3mpg yet propelling the car from 0-60mph in 8.6 seconds.

With only 174Nm of torque to play with instead of the oil-burner’s 340Nm, the petrol 1.8 variant driven here can’t quite match those figures. However, it still achieves 42.8mpg and covers the benchmark 0-60mph in 8.9 seconds.

So it’s a strong powerplant with reasonable mid-range pick-up – although it lacks the top-end fizz and fireworks the Type R is guaranteed to provide when it arrives in a couple of months.

No other hatch has such a brave and bold cabin as the Civic, and the design and layout in the three-door remain true to form. To create a more sporting feel inside the Type S, however, there is a leather-wrapped steering wheel, plus new seats and racy metal pedals.

The controls are as well engineered as ever and the quality is good overall. Nevertheless, we were disappointed by our test car’s below-par paint finish.

As with the five-door, the Type S has a 485-litre boot and shares the clever seat folding mechanism from the Jazz. Thanks to the tilting and sliding front chairs, access to the rear cabin is fine. It’s comfortable in the back, too, even if the upswept design of the rear windows limits the amount of light getting into the cabin. However, choose the optional £1,000 GT Pack and a panoramic glass roof is added, along with cruise control, auto lights and wipers and dual-zone climate control. With prices from £15,250 for the 1.8 and the diesel £1,300 more, it all adds up to a great-value package that whets the appetite for the Type R.