RIDING IN THE NEW PEOPLE’S CHAMPION
Type R magic is still there, only more so
Circuit Tazio Nuvolari is a short but fast-paced assault course of ample straights, technical turns and tricky chicanes. To hook up a proper lap here you need leech-like traction, unwavering high-speed stability and a razor-sharp turn-in. It’s hot-hatch heaven, and the perfect place for our first taste of the new 2023 Honda Civic Type R. Honda refuses to let us loose in the new car for now, and instead hands the keys to one of its works Civic Type R drivers, Néstor Girolami. Fresh from winning the latest round of the WTCR series in Vallelunga, Italy, it’s his first time in the new hot hatch – but you’d hardly notice.
As we set off, Girolami plays with the wheel, curious to feel the slightly quicker rack, and then begins to wind up the pace for consecutive hot laps. As we start our first flying lap, he slots down a gear, floors it and the new Civic claws for grip on the hot tarmac. There’s no hint of torque steer or scrabbling for traction – there barely was on the old car – and the Type R launches onto the straight. The sound is pure touring car (albeit digitally enhanced, like on the last Civic) but it feels like there’s more on offer from the right pedal. The old car was hardly a slouch, but the 2023 model feels closer to Focus RS territory than before in outright acceleration. A sub-5.0sec 0-62mph sprint doesn’t feel out of the question.
Into a fast right-hander, and the Civic – although stiff – is happy to live with the bumps in the braking zone. Now a left, another cog down the ’box and the Type R revmatches simultaneously with a metallic four-cylinder roar. As Girolami rows through the gears, an arc of LEDs (new for the FL5) dance as he keeps the turbo on boost. Like all racing drivers, Girolami approaches corners with more speed than most roadgoing drivers can comprehend, pivoting the car mid-corner as if it’s on some sort of giant turntable. It’s mainly
down to his skill and experience, but the Argentinian points out just how safe and easy the Civic Type R’s brakes and improved steering make driving the car flat-out. He’s also keen to mention how the 35mm longer wheelbase gives more stability in high-speed turns and quick direction changes. But the best part? A new steering rack and increased chassis stiffness don’t hurt agility in any way. Just like that it’s over and we’re left to ponder Honda’s latest Type R. Girolami raves about the brakes, the sharper steering, and the stability – but from the passenger seat my answer is even simpler: it’s just more, of everything.