Honda Civic Type R

Honda Civic Type R Overview

Undeniably one of the hottest of all hatches, the highly anticipated fifth generation FK8 Honda Civic Type R took the motoring world by storm when it was first unveiled in the 2017 Geneva Motor show, though not without raising a few eyebrows.

Based on the tenth generation Honda Civic hatchback, the FK8 Honda Civic Type R is one of the most powerful front-wheel-drive hot hatches in the market today. Underneath that love-it-or-hate-it exterior lies a 2.0 litre turbocharged VTEC power unit courtesy of its predecessor, the FK2 Honda Civic Type R. Performance figures from the power unit are largely unchanged but now with improved turbo management reducing turbo lag.

The Honda Civic Type R is a serious piece of machinery evidence by the sole 6-speed manual-transmission-only variant, which will surely get a nod of approval from the car purists alike.

It goes up against rivals in Malaysia like the Volkswagen Golf R, Mercedes AMG A 35, Renault Megane RS 280 Cup, Ford Focus ST, Peugeot 308 GTI, Hyundai i30 N and the MINI JCW GP.

Honda Civic Type R Design

Let’s address the elephant in the room, the design. The exterior design of the FK8 Honda Civic Type R looks very much like a Honda Civic hatchback on steroids. At the front, apart from the headlights which they both clearly share, the rest are pretty much bespoke to the Honda Civic Type R, sporting a blacked-out grille, Type R emblem as well as a red Honda badge.

That said, some of the body kits fitted on the exterior aren’t just for show and they do serve a purpose. The scoop on the bonnet for instant feeds air into the turbocharged engine and helps with the cooling. The large front lower air intake guides air to cool the intercooler while the side air intake draws air around the wheel and acts as an air curtain before exiting the vents behinds the wheel, reducing turbulent air generated by the wheel at high speed.

Right behind the shark fin style radio antenna on the roof lies a funkily shaped roof spoiler with more fins, known as the vortex generator. As bonkers as they may seem, the vortex generators function by drawing air towards the huge rear wing, further increasing aerodynamic downforce and stability of the car.

The signature crab-claw taillights are also present in the Honda Civic Type R. The asymmetric exhaust pipes take centre stage at the rear. The larger outlets on the sides are gas exit ports, while the centre pipe controls the exhaust sound.

Honda Civic Type R Dimension

The new Honda Civic Type R is lower, longer and wider than its predecessor. It is also structurally stiffer with lower centre of gravity which greatly improves stability. Weight is kept relatively low too at 1,390 kg.

Honda Civic Type R Interior

Most parts of the interior in the Honda Civic Type R are carried over from the familiar tenth generation Honda Civic sedan. In contrast to the over-the-top exterior, the interior is comparatively more reserved with a few sporty touches specific to the Honda Civic Type R.

The interior theme is red on black. Components that received Type-R specific treatments include the digital instrument cluster, red contrast dashboard with carbon-fibre-like trims, steering wheel with contrasting red leather stitching, and lastly the red Type R sport seats with integrated headrest and red suede style fabric.

The alloy pedals, leather wrapped steering wheel and the alloy shift knob are beautifully made and ergonomically positioned for a sporty drive. It helps too that the seats hug you just the right amount while also being comfortable enough for daily use.

With a class leading boot space of 420 litre, a spacious interior, a foldable 60:40 split rear seats and a proper 5-door layout, the Honda Civic Type R is easily the most practical car amongst its closest rivals.

Honda Civic Type R Features

The Honda Civic Type R features automatic LED headlight with daytime running light and LED front fog lights.

On the inside, you get the familiar 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 8-speaker audio system, a fully digital three-part instrument cluster, touch panel dual-zone climate control system as well as a leather wrapped multi-function Type-R sport steering wheel.

The driver pedals as well as the shift knob are finished in alloy for that added sporty touch. On top of that, it also comes equipped with convenience features like cruise control, walk away auto lock and smart entry with push start button.

On the more technical side of things, the Honda comes fitted as standard with a set of massive five twin-spoke 20-inch alloy with 245/30ZR20 tyres. Also featured are a pair of 350mm Brembo ventilated discs with four-piston calipers up front and a 305mm solid disc at the rear.

A clever helical limited slip differential system, coupled with the front dual-axis struts and independent rear multi-link system, offer superior traction and cornering ability to the front-wheel-drive hot hatch.

In terms of safety, the Honda Civic Type R comes with 6 airbags, front and rear seatbelts with emergency locking retractor (ELR), Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) and security alarm with immobiliser. It also comes with driver assistance features like the Auto Brake Hold (ABH), Brake Assist (BA) and Hill Start Assist (HSA).

Honda Civic Type R Driving Performance

Honda Civic Type R Engine

The Honda Civic Type R is powered by the same 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged engine from its predecessor, pushing out an incredible 310 PS at 6500 RPM and 400 NM of torque from 2500 RPM. 0-100km/h is achieved in 5.8 seconds and goes on to a top speed of 272km/h.

The engine uses a mono-scroll turbocharger delivering 1.5 bar of boost pressure with VTEC variable lift now on the exhaust camshaft which help reduces turbo lag. And unlike a naturally aspirated VTEC engine, it does not have VTEC variable lift on the inlet camshaft, so you do lose that signature VTEC kicking in feel on the FK8 Honda Civic Type R.

The three different driving modes available, namely Comfort, Sport and +R mode, alters the driving dynamics of the car. The Honda Civic Type R defaults to Sport mode each time you start the car and appropriately so. Comfort mode dulls the exhaust note on a motorway cruise, while in +R mode, Honda claims that it gives the ultimate control on the circuit, offering a more aggressive rev-matching on downshifts (which can be manually turned off) amongst other things.

Honda Civic Type R Transmission

Power is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed close-ratio manual transmission. The transmission system features a new single-mass flywheel, resulting in a quick-revving and more responsive engine, largely thanks to the reduction in clutch weight. There’s also an auto-rev match function that blips the throttle during downshifts.

Honda Civic Type R Ride Comfort

Part of the inherent downside of having a lot of power going only to the front wheel is that there is a tendency of the steering pulling to one side under hard acceleration, a little known problem called the torque steer.

To cope with the issue, Honda engineers fitted the Honda Civic Type R with clever suspension geometry that allows the steering to remain straight under hard acceleration even without holding on to the steering wheel.

The car is also fitted with helical limited slip differential where it uses clever gearing to apply locking force to transfer torque to the wheel with more grip, greatly enhancing the Honda’s cornering ability.

At the rear, the Civic Type R now gets fully independent rear suspension which improve stability and comfort. And unlike its predecessor, the new Honda Civic Type R is fitted with adaptive dampers with upgraded electro magnetized shocks. The three weight adjustable dampers are controlled electronically by selecting different driving modes (comfort, sport, +R).

With the suspension in the comfort mode, the ride is no firmer than the normal Honda Civic sedan unlike the predecessor which can be quite harsh. Mighty impressive considering its massive 20-inch low profile wheels.

Honda Civic Type R Fuel Consumption

Official rated fuel economy for the Honda Civic Type R is 8.8 L/100km with CO2 emission of 200 g/km.

Honda Civic Type R Conclusion

Having broken the lap record of the series production front-wheel-drive car at the Nürburgring in 2017, there is no denying that the Honda Civic Type R is a serious piece of kit capable of munching out lap time on the track. Despite its ridiculous exterior, the fact that it’s a comfortable and practical 5-seater with a proper 5-door layout makes it all the more impressive.