SAY HELLO WAVE GOODBYE
Our first drive of the new Honda Civic Type R was also probably our last drive at the iconic Pukekohe circuit
It’s a year of anniversaries for Honda’s hot cars. It’s 30 since the launch of the first-ever Type R road car, a lighter, sharper version of the NSX. The Integra Type R came next, but it’s also 25 years since the launch of the first Civic Type R, the EK9.
It’s also the 50th anniversary of the mainstream Civic this year. Although we’re now at risk of going completely off topic, New Zealand’s Pukekohe Park Raceway is in its last days as a motor racing venue and will cease hosting cars in April 2023 — 60 years since it opened.
Take all of the above, wrap it up into one tight package and you have Honda NZ’s media day for the new F15 Civic Type R: a look ahead, a look back (likely our last media drive at Pukekohe) and a lot of high revs.
The new Type R making a 2023 NZ debut is pretty special in itself. We’re one of the first countries outside Japan to see the car and the example you see here is the one and only in the country. For now. But orders are open.
So, the facts: the new F15 model is the sixth-generation Civic Type R. It’s 35mm longer, 15mm wider and 30mm lower than the previous FK8, still pure internal combustion (no electrification at all) and still six-speed manual.
There’s been some confusion about power output since the new model was announced, so let’s clear that up. The Japanese/ European version has 243kW, which is a huge bump from the previous 228kW. But the Kiwimarket model is 235kW/420Nm, in line with the US state of tune (where the Type R engine is built, by the way), in consideration of fuel quality/octane says Honda.
There’s dizzying attention to detail everywhere. The Type R body shape relies less on stick-on bits and more on integrated, bespoke panels — everything forward of the A-pillars is now unique to Type R, for example. The wheels have gone down from 20-inch to 19, but the tyres are 20mm wider: 265/30.
The 2.0-litre engine is carried over but thoroughly finessed,
including a new turbocharger, new intake and a new exhaust system with active valves, a first for the Civic Type R.
We can’t give you the final word on what the new model is like as a performance road car (although we will soon, promise). But we can
tell you about an awesome day at Pukekohe and a rare opportunity to drive the new car back-to-back with two of its predecessors.
Honda NZ’s Type R story only begins with the FK8 (2017-21): that was the first model it sold from new. But thanks to used imported vehicles, every generation is represented here and the Kiwi company has certainly embraced that quarter-century of Type R culture.
Our track day began with the FK2 (2015-17), a car from Honda NZ’s own Heritage Collection. It was the first Civic Type R with a turbo-2.0-litre engine, so it really does represent the origin story of the car as we know it today. From there it was on to the FK8 and the new F15. In that order.
We won’t go blow-by-blow and lap-by-lap, but the FK2 deserves a special mention. It’s really where Honda was working out this turboType R thing: the boost requires a bit of management on the circuit and the packaging is a little