WATCH THE VIDEO ONLINE AT
compromised, because the Civic base platform (specifically, the position of the fuel tank) means you’re sitting relatively high.
But still: what a machine. It’s powerful (228kW), light (1380kg) and still supersharp on track. It’s also pretty raw, with the soundtrack and chassis feedback giving the FK2 a special type of mania that stands apart from the models that followed.
In fact, what’s remarkable about the Type R over these three generations is how comfort and refinement has improved significantly with each model, yet not at the expense of circuit composure and speed. Quite the opposite, in fact.
The last FK8 update, in late-2021, brought a positively geeky suite of upgrades, including a 90g counterweight in the manual gearlever to improve shift feel/accuracy, two-piece brake rotors that removed 17 per cent of play, a 13 per cent larger grille to improve cooling (and a consequent tweak to the spoilers to balance out the loss in downforce) . . . the list goes on.
Point is, the last iteration of the FK8 stood as one of the finest FWD hot hatches out there in terms of driver appeal.
Jump out of that into the F15 and it’s clear the new car has not lost any of that mechanical precision, while being more forgiving in its low-speed steering response and chassis behaviour. The promise is of a day-to-day drive that’s more refined than the previous model, yet it’s also a Type R that raises the bar the faster you go. On track, of course; why else have the HRD Sakura Super GT team test that rear spoiler to 270km/h?
The rev-match function now works right down to first gear, there’s an upgraded LogR app for mobile that allows you to enhance/share track experiences and the drive mode function now has an Individual setting, meaning you can mix and match different steering, adaptive suspension and sound profiles.
One thing all three cars had in common: hitting the crimson red R-button transforms the little Civic into a stiffer-than-stiff circuit machine. Arguably too stiff for Pukekohe, which is a notoriously bumpy circuit. But also a reminder that despite the Civic Type R’s abilities as a day-to-day driver, Honda remains very serious about its credentials as a track car.
It’s still a machine made by purists, for purists.