New Honda Civic Type R first look | PH Footnote

Underwhelmed by the new CTR's mature looks? It's a completely different animal in the metal...

I’m in a baking pit garage at a grassroots Italian racetrack just outside of Milan to see a car I’m not allowed to drive. I don’t even know how much power it makes (although the internet suggests not a great deal more)because apparently it hasn't been homologated yet. But PH wasn't about to turn down the chance to get a firsthand peek at the car in question, the all-new Honda Civic Type R. After all, very few cars in 2022 are as hotly anticipated as the pretender to the front-drive hot hatch crown.

A quick refresher: the new FL5 generation CTR was announced last week sporting a vastly more mature look than its predecessor in part to broaden its appeal to those who felt a bit self-conscious driving the old car. Yet it has still proved divisive, with some feeling it’s nowhere near as radical - in design at least - as a red-blooded Civic Type R should be. Now I’ve had a good look at the car and poked around at the interior, I can confirm that the new FL5 is considerably more impressive in the metal than perhaps it was in the original press shots.

For starters, it’s noticeably wider than the standard Civic. Again, this is difficult to spot without a reference point, but there’s a noticeable step between the base of the headlights and the edge of the bodywork that emphasises the extra width. Vents behind the front wheels also do a great job of beefing up those front arches and, unlike those on the FK8, they’re functional, too. And that extends to the rest of the car. The brake ducts, grille, bonnet mesh and side vents are all there for a reason, which, I’d argue, is a better look than the sea of blocked-off plastic bits that littered the FK8. Moreover, Honda says it has used four times the amount of structural adhesive on the FL5 - so it should be stiffer, too.

The front tyres, still mounted on dual axis strut suspension, are also 20mm wider than the old car at 265/30, while the rim size has shrunk to a more sensible (and, crucially, lighter) 19-inch diameter. Camber rigidity is said to have increased by 16 per cent. Plus, they’re now wrapped in stickier rubber with a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres over old car’s regular PS4s. And, while I’m here, we should cover the brakes. You still get twin-disk Brembos like the FK8, but Honda says they’ve been reworked to offer a bit more stopping power – which you’ll need with the extra horses under the bonnet that Honda won’t tell us about. It did however suggest that a number of detailed changes have occurred under the bonnet, with the familiar 2.0-litre VTEC unit earning a lighter crankshaft and an increase in the number of turbine blades to help reduce inertia in the turbocharger.

At the back, the diffuser is vast with the now-signature trio of exhausts in the middle, only the FL5 has a larger centre exit with two smaller outlets either side (it’s the other way around on the FK8). Best of all, there’s a new thinner aluminium rear wing that replaces the old car’s plasticky one-piece spoiler. It does look more purposeful and is said to deliver 92kg of downforce at 124mph, although it’s a fixed wing so there's no way to change the angle of attack.

Speaking of the setup, the FL5 is the first Civic Type R that allows you to create your own driver mode. Like pretty much every performance car to come out in the last five years or so, the new model lets you tweak the exhaust, engine and suspension all from the new and vastly improved infotainment system. You can activate the menu by holding up on the driver mode toggle, or you can switch between the usual presents plus an +R setting which, naturally, puts everything into its most hardcore setting. Admittedly, Hyundai’s N menu is a step above the CTR’s, which looks a little basic in comparison - but at least we now have the option to open up the exhausts without suffering an ultra-stiff ride.

Also, a note on the interior. It’s very red, just as a Type R should be. The red Alcantara seats are a lightly tweaked version of the FK8’s - Honda claims they are its 'most supportive seats ever' - and now come without the black centre stripes. The carpets? Red, as are the floor mats. No doubt they’ll be a nightmare to keep clean, but it’s worth it for the EK9 Civic Type R vibe the colour combo gives off. Alcantara covers the steering wheel, armrests and parts of the centre console, and it’s all topped off with a proper metal gear knob to access the six-speed manual ‘box. My absolute favourite feature, though, is a small plaque with the Civic Type R name and the car’s production number, mounted to the thin air vent strip that runs the width of the dash. It’s a small touch, sure, but it makes a series production car feel a bit more special than it ultimately is.

Truthfully, the Civic Type R formula hasn’t changed all that much despite its new look. It’s still gunning to be the fastest front-drive hatchback on the planet, which Honda has backed up by nabbing the appropriate lap record at Suzuka from… the FK8 Type R Limited Edition. But it feels – at least, from a distance – like the incremental updates here and there will add up Let's just hope it's as encouraging to drive as it is to look at.

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sidesauce

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