Type Approval:
FL5 Honda Civic Type R Review
The online world went gaga for the FL5 Civic Type R. Time to escape the fiery debate and simply drive the thing. By Stephen Dobie.
Published on TBC
Type Approval:
FL5 Honda Civic Type R Review
The online world went gaga for the FL5 Civic Type R. Time to escape the fiery debate and simply drive the thing
Type Approval:
FL5 Honda Civic Type R Review
The online world went gaga for the FL5 Civic Type R.
Time to escape the fiery debate and simply drive the thing
Published on TBC
T
he world of social media is a maelstrom. We all know this. Binary, polarising opinions are exchanged with nary a breath or beat taken to consider their impact. Meeting anyone halfway is an art long forgotten. Even those of us who adore cars and their aptitude for escapism can’t cow our heads from battle as so many new model launches, thrilling and exciting in concept, are quickly tarred by the clickbaiting of their headline stats. If it’s not an EV hitting sixty in under two seconds, all notion of ‘driver involvement’ and ‘feedback’ as forcefully displaced as the air in front of the car, it’s provocative pricing.
Perhaps an overly impassioned way of confronting the FL5 Civic Type R’s cost before we get any further. Currently priced at a fiver under £50,000 before you’ve chosen a paint colour beyond this standard Sonic Grey, it would be churlish of me to ignore that a once relatively affordable performance car simply isn’t anymore. But to debate only its price seems awfully reductive, not least when UK dealers needed to syphon customers into orderly waiting lists as units were drip-fed from Japan. This is a car whose story runs much deeper than the tag hung in its windscreen.
Let’s ignore the truly punchy numbers for now and run through the physical, tangible areas of its make-up. The Civic embodies both evolutionary progress and rose-tinted deference all at once, a finely balanced tightrope typically walked by only Porsche and Renault Sport.
Honda refers to a ‘human-centred approach to dynamics’ in its hunt to refine every aspect of the outgoing FK8 Type R, which ranks unequivocally among the best hot hatchbacks ever made. It’s arguably the zenith of front-wheel-drive cars (certainly useable ones) and an act you’d be almost foolish to try and follow.
Swimming hard against the current of a changing car market, though, Honda has attempted exactly that. Based on an all-new (11th gen!) Civic platform, the latest Type R is 37mm longer, 15mm wider and 13mm lower than the one before. The same 2-litre four-cylinder engine continues service, only with wonderfully Japanese attention to detail in tweaks that have eked out another nine horsepower for a new 325bhp peak.
AUTHOR
Stephen Dobie
Newspress Automotive Features Writer of the Year
Photography by;
Ben Midlane
Published on:
TBC
OUR PRINT MAGAZINE
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‘By reducing the number of turbo blades and optimising their shape and diameter, inertia within the unit has been reduced,’ the press kit studiously declares, with the VTEC’s efficiency further increased by a wider front grille and new exhaust system. I’d love to meet the person who climbed out an FK8 and thought ‘nah, bit too tardy for me’. It appears there may have been a few on the development team, though, and the FL5’s claimed 5.4secs to 62mph seems awfully pessimistic once you experience a full-bore start in the real world.
Engine response is further improved by a revised six-speed manual gearbox – mercifully your only transmission option – with an 18 per cent lighter flywheel, revised auto rev-match system and uprated spring action to sharpen up shifts enough to keep twin clutches and paddles completely out of the conversation.
Do relatively minor changes really justify such a big hike in cost? Let’s consider the new, more mature styling instead. Ah yes, styling: the other Type R facet feeding vociferous exchanges in the online comments sections. An extra 35mm in the wheelbase and wider tracks give the FL5 a much broader, more assertive stance than the car it supersedes, while simplification of its detailing – and crucially, more authentic addenda – ought to ensure the controversy has been cranked down several notches. I know several road testers who adored the way the FK8 drove but could simply never consider owning one due to looks alone.
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Perhaps the cleaner lines here can win some of them back. Honda claims the design has been developed in conjunction with its global race contacts, from the World Touring Car Cup to Super GT, slicing the Type R’s drag coefficient via the techy world of Computational Flow Dynamics. All the functional elements of its styling are painted gloss black, including the thin vertical intakes on the front bumper, which help feed air to the front brakes, while those cute winglets on the side sills neatly curve air around the rear wheels. Wider rear arches are now fully incorporated into the bodyshell for what I must admit is a more tailored look than any FK8 can claim.
Then there’s the refreshed wing, which not only looks nattier but solves a more prosaic issue posed by its predecessor, namely poor rear visibility. Even forward vision has been worked upon despite refreshed sports seats dropping your hips by another 8mm. You are truly submerged in the vibrant red cabin and yet Honda has worked hard on carving out clearer sight of the bonnet’s extremities. All the better for placing the front end accurately on either road or track.
Those seats prove superb on an early morning slog up the M1 to finagle our way to the Yorkshire/Derbyshire borders and the wondrous Holme Moss, something of an underrated road. For all it lacks sprawling length and truly smooth tarmac, it proves a thrilling test of any driver or car. The tight and twisting stretch between the curiously busy A628 and the more tranquil village of Holme doesn’t even muster five miles, yet it presents the perfect little escape from the fraught and combative outside world.
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This interior is undoubtedly focused on its front occupants; the dramatic red colour scheme runs dry before the rear seat bench, which is funereal black and still only sports two seatbelts to take a miserly chunk out of the Type R’s usability. This feels more five-door sports car (rather than do-it-all hot hatch) than ever, with troubling tyre roar evident all the way up north. While Honda claims a 47-litre fuel tank, the Civic seems to drain it awfully quickly when a modest 30mpg is displayed on the digital gauges.
Still, nerdy details abound and the dashboard is rich in detail improvements over tackier Type Rs of old. The faux-suede wheel possesses gorgeous red stitching while the new mesh trim, incorporating polished air vent controls, represents a much slicker approach at sportiness than the ‘masculine toiletry washbag’ aesthetic often lent by the uncouth carbon trim of rivals I’ll leave nameless. We’re ducking out of needless social media mudslinging, after all…
The cherry atop it all is the Type R hallmark, a red H badge mirrored between the grille, bootlid and steering wheel and whose tradition dates to the Honda RA272 wearing a bold red rising sun on its snout in the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix.
"Because when this car does grip it simply bounds forwards, seemingly making mincemeat of even its own claimed figures. There’s an argument that cars like this have simply become too fast, but I think the FL5’s engineers know as much and have woven in plenty to occupy the lucky sod in the scarlet red seat."
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There truly is enough tenacity to live up to the billing, too. Not least in the – ahem – focus of its suspension. The damping ramps up through Comfort, Sport and R+ modes but the car is only truly tolerable on British road surfaces in the former, which feels as tough as you’d expect most cars’ punchiest setting to be, not their most amiable. It certainly feels like the Civic’s mettle has grown with its price, that transcending the affordable hot hatch world and heading into the sports car market has freed up even more attitude.
Further proof of its more specialist ethos comes in a whole lot more wheelspin than I recall FK8s exhibiting. Holme Moss is dry today, if a little cold and wintry, and yet even with a smart front differential and bespoke compound 265/30R/19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber we’re scrabbling uncouthly in second gear. In truth it’s a bit of welcome excitement at low speed, an opportunity to illuminate every one of its delightfully retro shift lights (whose bulbs complement a techier TFT rev counter) without immoral speeds on the tacho.
Because when this car does grip it simply bounds forwards, seemingly making mincemeat of even its own claimed figures. There’s an argument that cars like this have simply become too fast, but I think the FL5’s engineers know as much and have woven in plenty to occupy the lucky sod in the scarlet red seat. While the auto rev-matching is sublime on downshifts, you’ll be punished with a clumsy blare of revs if you don’t upshift quickly and precisely, the system pre-empted by any hint of hesitation on your part.
The Type R's 'Dual-Axis Strut Front Suspension' reduces torque steer and improves front-end grip during aggressive driving.
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I like this. The car asks of its driver. There’s precision coursing through it and it really does feel like the perfect tool to scythe through a well-trodden road or navigate a new one, but the Type R stops short of being foolproof. It calls to mind another Japanese hero, the Nissan GT-R, a brute of a car often misrepresented for the level of engagement and sheer chutzpah it possesses.
For all the Civic’s toughness, there are few better cars on sale for those who seek a clear and constant stream of communication from the car we drive. You need to head significantly lower in weight or higher in price for anything that’ll surpass it. The steering in Comfort mode is especially wonderful; smooth, linear and beautifully weighted, it seems to communicate what the front end is up to with millimetric accuracy. Get on the power too fervently and the front axle pushes immediately and bullishly wide, but you’ll fix it immediately, the car’s reactions so instant and its throttle so crisp.
The rear axle, meanwhile, stays faithful at even boisterous road speeds. Coercing this car to move impishly around isn’t the point and would require outrageous commitment, not least when the Type R possesses a larger footprint that many family crossovers. While it doesn’t offer the slapstick driving experience of a Hyundai i30N, it’s still enormous fun. Rarely has such grip, intensity and focus felt so enveloping.
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Each element of this Civic’s dynamic behaviour ultimately comes together as a wonderful platter upon which to serve the most delicious entrée: its manual gearshift. When the handling beneath you is such a bedrock you can really savour this most endangered of arts. With 310lb ft from just 2,200rpm, there’s enough torque to flick up and down its ratios on impulse, though the K20C1 VTEC’s appetite for revs ensures you’ll still want to light up every one of its shift lights in second gear (maybe even third…) every chance you can snatch. The beautiful metal lozenge knob is also the perfect size and weight and feels like a dazzling jewel worth half the price hike alone.
It goes a long way to assuage the disappointing digital gauge setup. It’s too plain in its regular, round dial mode, while the barred rev-counter of R+ mode looks intoxicating but relegates the speed reading to a distracting corner of the display. Fine on circuit, frustrating on road. More generally speaking, R+ mode brings such artificial steering weight and ruthless ride quality that I’d wager anyone who truly loves the process of driving will instead make a pick ’n’ mix Individual setting, which even adjusts the strength of rev-matching (but doesn’t make it easy to turn off).
There are other bugbears. A lack of head-up display or heated seats, even on the options list, feels stingy at fifty grand. The e-handbrake isn’t the most intuitive to use and in the context of everything else Honda has done, it’s a surprise to not find a proper manual one anyway. The reversing camera is curiously low-rent and beaten for clarity by that of a Hyundai i20N at half the price. And with some inevitability, the lane departure assist must be turned off every time you prod the starter button.
"It really does feel like the engineering focus has run at molecular level and new technology hasn’t just been reluctantly embraced, but had the potential wrung and squeezed out of it"
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But those qualms are steamrollered into insignificance by the utter brilliance of everything else. I’m not convinced it’ll satisfy as a true everyday car, which does feel bonkers now I see it written down. The Type R will suck up daily life, sure, but it always feels one downshift away from strong-arming you to tear up your routine and drive in the opposite direction. And bloody quickly.
Which was precisely today’s mission. Waking up on a Tuesday morning and heading to a favourite road to revel in the Civic’s superstar status, utterly free of the usual noise drowning out its nuances. It really does feel like the engineering focus has run at molecular level and new technology hasn’t just been reluctantly embraced, but had the potential wrung and squeezed out of it. Even the augmented engine noise is pleasing. It’s perhaps the perfect car in which to outrun its own online commentary. To pop your phone down in the wireless charger – or better yet, switch it off completely – and immerse yourself in the act of just driving the thing.
Still offended by its price? Well, the by-product of such incremental evolution over the fabulous FK8 means its forebear now looks a true bargain at £25k in classifieds. And to hell with what the world has to say about its styling.
The FL5 Honda Civic Type R achieved a Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time of 7 minutes and 44.881 seconds. This run was recorded in March 2023 and set a new front-wheel-drive lap record for production cars.
FL5 Honda Civic Type R, Performance and RUSH Rating
Engine
In-line 4-cylinder, turbocharged
Engine Code: K20C1
Displacement: 2.0 litres (1996 cc)
Bore x Stroke: 86 mm x 85.9 mm
Compression Ratio: 9.8:1
Maximum Power: 329 PS (325 bhp) at 6500 rpm
Maximum Torque: 420 Nm (310 lb-ft) at 2600-4000 rpm
Fuel System: Direct fuel injection
Valvetrain: DOHC, VTEC
Transmission
6-speed manual
Gear Ratios:
1st Gear: 3.625
2nd Gear: 2.188
3rd Gear: 1.541
4th Gear: 1.212
5th Gear: 0.970
6th Gear: 0.738
Reverse: 3.757
Final Drive Ratio: 4.111
Limited-slip differential (LSD)
Brakes
Front Brakes: 2-piece ventilated and cross-drilled discs, 350 mm diameter, Brembo 4-piston callipers
Rear Brakes: Solid discs, 305 mm diameter
Tyres
Front Tyres: 265/30 R19
Rear Tyres: 265/30 R19
Brand: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
Chassis
Front wheel drive, transversely mounted front engine
43:57 front/rear distribution
Front Suspension: MacPherson strut with anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Multi-link with anti-roll bar
Adaptive dampers
Overall Length: 4,594 mm
Overall Width: 1,890 mm
Overall Height: 1,407 mm
Wheelbase: 2,735 mm
Track Width (Front/Rear): 1,625 mm / 1,615 mm
Drag Coefficient (Cd): 0.30 (est.)
Weight
DIN Curb Weight: 1,430 kg
Power-to-weight: 227.27 bhp/ton
Torque-to-weight: 293.71 Nm/ton
Performance
0-60 mph: 5.4 seconds
0-100 mph (0-160 km/h): 11.5 seconds
1/4 Mile Time: 13.2 seconds
1/4 Mile Terminal Speed: 108 mph
0-124 mph (0-200 km/h): 22.5 seconds (est.)
Top Speed: 169 mph
50-75 mph in 4th gear: 3.2 seconds (est.)
RUSH RADAR
Steering - feedback & responses
Drivetrain - throttle response, power delivery
Performance
Value - running costs & residuals
Chassis & Handling Balance
Ride & damping
Engine
In-line 4-cylinder, turbocharged
Engine Code: K20C1
Displacement: 2.0 litres (1996 cc)
Bore x Stroke: 86 mm x 85.9 mm
Compression Ratio: 9.8:1
Maximum Power: 329 PS (325 bhp) at 6500 rpm
Maximum Torque: 420 Nm (310 lb-ft) at 2600-4000 rpm
Fuel System: Direct fuel injection
Valvetrain: DOHC, VTEC
Transmission
6-speed manual
Gear Ratios:
1st Gear: 3.625
2nd Gear: 2.188
3rd Gear: 1.541
4th Gear: 1.212
5th Gear: 0.970
6th Gear: 0.738
Reverse: 3.757
Final Drive Ratio: 4.111
Limited-slip differential (LSD)
Brakes
Front Brakes: 2-piece ventilated and cross-drilled discs, 350 mm diameter, Brembo 4-piston callipers
Rear Brakes: Solid discs, 305 mm diameter
Tyres
Front Tyres: 265/30 R19
Rear Tyres: 265/30 R19
Brand: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S
RUSH RADAR
Steering - feedback & responses
Drivetrain - throttle response, power delivery
Performance
Value - running costs & residuals
Chassis & Handling Balance
Ride & damping
Chassis
Front wheel drive, transversely mounted front engine
43:57 front/rear distribution
Front Suspension: MacPherson strut with anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Multi-link with anti-roll bar
Adaptive dampers
Overall Length: 4,594 mm
Overall Width: 1,890 mm
Overall Height: 1,407 mm
Wheelbase: 2,735 mm
Track Width (Front/Rear): 1,625 mm / 1,615 mm
Drag Coefficient (Cd): 0.30 (est.)
Weight
DIN Curb Weight: 1,430 kg
Power-to-weight: 227.27 bhp/ton
Torque-to-weight: 293.71 Nm/ton
Performance
0-60 mph: 5.4 seconds
0-100 mph (0-160 km/h): 11.5 seconds
1/4 Mile Time: 13.2 seconds
1/4 Mile Terminal Speed: 108 mph
0-124 mph (0-200 km/h): 22.5 seconds (est.)
Top Speed: 169 mph
50-75 mph in 4th gear: 3.2 seconds (est.)
