CIVIC VIRTUES
NEW R-TYPE ADDS COMFORT TO ITS ALREADY IMPRESSIVE
THIS will be a rare beast. It’s the new Honda Civic Type R and it will be sold in hundreds in the UK, not thousands. That’s because for every Type R it sells, Honda will have to sell four Jazz hatchbacks to offset the emissions.
We tested the cooking version of the all-new Civic last summer and were extremely impressed by how well it drove.
And after several generations with controversial styling, also how it looks. We reckoned it would be a terrific basis for the next Type R.
That said, the previous Type R, known internally by Honda as the FK8 (the new one is the FL5), was a brilliant car too. Its styling was very over the top with conflicting angles and seemingly every trick in the stylist’s book thrown at it.
I loved the car but didn’t like the way it looked. This latest Type R is far more understated, with just a rear spoiler on the tailgate and a duct on the bonnet for extracting air.
One thing I don’t like the look of on the FL5 is its price, which is a stiff £46,995.
There’s only one specification but you can add a Carbon Pack for £3,265, which boosts the price to over £50k. Mind you, late last year we tested the Golf R 20th anniversary edition and that was almost fifty grand. Cars have got more expensive in the last couple of years – the last Type R was a relative bargain at £32,820.
The new Type R is slightly bigger than the old one with a wheelbase 35mm longer and a track wider by 15mm yet it is only 24kg heavier. The engine is almost a carry over from the last generation and is a 2.0-litre turbocharged unit.
The only changes are a lighter flywheel, a revised air intake that allows the motor to inhale more air and a freer-flowing exhaust; small changes that increase the power from 316bhp to 325bhp.
Honda’s also slightly modified the gearchange mechanism that operates the six-speed manual gearbox.
Already a brilliant gearbox, this version is about the sweetest manual gearbox I’ve ever used. Certainly so on a front-wheel drive car.
Honda laid on an event at the Thruxton race circuit in Hampshire, the UK’s fastest track (it uses the former perimeter track of the old RAF airfield).
First, we were to drive the new car on public roads around Salisbury Plain, then drive the old car on the track, then the new ’un. It rained hard all day.
The previous Type R is bearable but not comfortable on the road. The new bodyshell is stiffer and allowed engineers to make the FL5’s suspension more compliant.
You have three driving modes: Comfort, Sport and +R. Comfort is perfect for the road but even Sport isn’t unpleasant. Honda has made fine adjustments to the steering which is now even more precise.
Combine this fantastic engine, its power, the lovely gearbox and supremely accurate steering and strong brakes and you have the classleading large hot hatch.
Damon Hill holds the lap record at Thuxton driving his 1993 Williams F1 car at a demonstration event, averaging 147mph for a lap.
Even lesser racing cars manage well over 150mph at several places around the circuit.
Sadly you can’t learn much in a car in wet conditions and comparing old and new was almost impossible.
Not least because I was concentrating on not having a massive accident.
What really matters is how the new Type R works on the public road and in that respect it’s significantly more user-friendly and comfortable. It’s a shame it’s no longer built in the UK (which might also account for its price) but otherwise this fast Honda is at the top of its league.
Expensive, yes, but the next high-performance hatches will be electric, so this Type R is the last of the line and will become a collector’s item.