The Honda Civic Type R is 25 years old...
...time to doff the PH cap and consider the legacy of arguably the best front-drive hot hatch ever
There are two anniversaries for the Honda Civic. The most commemorative in terms of chronology is 50 years of continuous Civic production. That’s a long time in anyone’s book. Well done Honda. However, the most fabulous as far as PH is concerned, is 25 years of the Civic Type R. Half as long, maybe, but ten times as good.
Over six generations, the Civic Type R has evolved – of course it has. It’s gained turbocharging, which was a concern at the time, but has proved no impediment to the ethos of one of the greatest hot hatches of all time. And that’s what’s been a constant throughout each generation: top-notch Honda engineering, front-wheel drive, a manual gearbox and, best of all, a rev-happy VTEC motor. And red seats.
EK9 (1997-2000)
The Type R badge first arrived in 1992 on the Honda NSX Type R. It took a little longer for it to appear in the Civic, though. The EK9 arrived in 1997 but wasn’t offered here, sadly. That didn’t stop them from being imported, of course. Now, when we think of Japan we think of mass production, but the EK9’s 1.6-litre twin-cam VTEC motor was ported by hand.
And it produced a fantastic 118hp-per-litre as a result. It peaked at 185hp but what made it so special was that it kept on singing to 8,200rpm. This was just brilliant in a little hatchback, and so was its lightweight, seam-welded shell, which helped keep the thing ridged and the weight down to just 1050kg. It was an utterly joyous thing.
As with most Type Rs – certainly those sold in the JDM – it came with a limited-slip differential and unique suspension components to push the driving experience to another level. And with this being the original, it’s hard not to have a special place set aside for the wonderful EK9. Their rarity in the UK has only added to the allure – and the price. Here’s one up for £40k with 93k on the clock.
EP3 (2001 – 2005)
Finally, a Honda Civic Type R we could officially buy in the UK. It was thanks to the rip-roaring success of the original car – not to mention the success other Japanese manufacturers had enjoyed selling performance cars in the UK – that led to the introduction of the EP3. Well, that and the fact it was manufactured in Swindon, which no doubt helped a little.
Along with a completely different look, the EP3 introduced a new engine with a larger capacity. The 2.0-litre K20 still forms the basis of the Type R today, up to an including the new, hotly awaited FL5. The K20 didn’t rev quite as high but still peaked at 8,100rpm. And it had more power at 200hp – but more importantly, more torque. For the Japanese market, the output was even higher, with power stretching to 215hp.
It stuck with the formula of a close-ratio six-speed gearbox although with that famously bent lever sprouting from the middle of the dashboard rather than the floor. A lot of high-tensile steel was used to make the chassis stiffer. There was also new suspension, with toe-control link strut at the front and reactive-link double-wishbone suspension at the rear. It also introduced electric power steering with a variable gear ratio, which was tweaked to make it quicker in 2003. The EP3 was hugely popular right up to its retirement, which makes supply plentiful: here’s a nice-looking 2004 example for £8k.
FN2/FD2 (2007-2011)
There were two versions of the third-generation Civic Type R. The FD2 saloon was offered in Japan but here we stuck with the hatchback, now called the FN2. It isn’t everyone’s cup of tea; it lost some of the purity of the earlier versions and got bigger and heavier at the same time.
It also introduced a new chassis. This moved the fuel tank beneath the front seats to improve interior space, but in another retrograde step it ditched the double-wishbones at the rear in favour of a cheaper, simpler, torsion beam.
There was only a token increase in power for the K20 engine to compensate for the extra weight, too. And by ‘token’ we mean just one: a solitary, single horsepower, taking the peak to 201hp. This was even more galling because in JDM world the saloon had the K20A motor with 225hp. It also had lighter aluminium panels and a bonded, rather than a welded, chassis to save weight. Still, time’s a healer and the FN2 does look, to my eyes at least, very cool. Here’s one from 2008 that’s barely been run-in.
FK2 (2015-2017)
Although the FN2 took a bashing because of its portliness, the fact was that cars were inevitably getting heavier. And there’s only so much you can do to counter that with increased power from an already peaky, high-revving engine. The solution for the fourth-gen FK2 was fitting a turbocharger to the K20 engine. This was a serious milestone in the Type R’s history.
Yes, the peak revs dropped down to 7,000rpm but there was still plenty of top-end explosiveness from the VTEC unit and so much more power: 310hp. And instead of scrabbling about trying to generate torque from atmospheric conditions, having the turbo forcing air into its cylinders had a dramatic effect on that as well. It shot to 295lb ft and was now available from 2,500rpm.
To tame such feistiness in a front-drive car, Honda introduced its Dual Axis Strut Suspension paired with a limited-slip differential to counter the torque steer. It worked, but it also needed some serious brakes, so the FK2 came with 351mm Brembo discs at the front. Anyone who’s driven an FK2 at a track day will know what an accomplished thing it is, and it was also a highly effective Touring car, racking up titles around the world. Its short life span means there aren’t as many about as you might think: here’s a lightly used example from 2017 for just shy of £27k.
FK8 (2017-2022)
As brilliant as the FK2 was - and it really was - it had a few issues on the comfort front. The ride was quite harsh, it was very noisy thanks to the boom from the exhaust, and the driving position was, well, a bit rubbish. It was too high. So when Honda claimed that the FK8 would be softer and more easy-going there was, naturally, a sharp intake of breath. Would it be too soft?
But immediately after it was launched the world breathed out again and smiled. Up until this point, everyone claimed that the Golf R was the most comfortable hot hatch you could buy. Well, not anymore. With the FK8’s dampers in Comfort mode it was sublime. And a lot of the boominess on motorways had gone, plus the driving position was just about perfect.
At the same time, absolutely none of the old car’s dynamic brilliance had faded. It was even better. With added downforce and a near-flat underfloor, the cornering speeds it developed were supercar-shaming. And even though power was up just a little to 320hp, this thing was fast in a straight line. Once it was rolling, it would outgun a Focus RS through the gears. The FK8 was an utter joy and got even better with the final Limited Edition. You’ll pay mega money for that, but a nicely cared for standard example can be had for less than £30k.
FL5 (2022-)
Naturally, we haven’t driven the FL5, yet, but our man Cam has been driven in it. There’s a video of him having a passenger ride if you haven’t seen it already. The upshot is, the FL5 looks to be even better than the FK8 in terms of performance, but, crucially for many, it solves a few more problems associated with ownership.
Specifically, the Civic Type R now has an infotainment system you can use, an interior to be proud of and exterior styling that you don’t have to hide in the garage. It’s still proving divisive because some are suggesting it’s gone a little boring – but what it isn’t, is offensive. And that’s likely to make a difference when it comes to UK sales.
There are other wonders to look forward to as well. A minor blight on the old FK8 was that you couldn’t set up the driving modes individually. Well, now you can, which means you can have the suspension, steering and drivetrain in the mode that suits you and the road you’re on best. It sounds very much, then, that after 25 years of refining, the FL5 could just be the perfect Type R. Here's hoping, eh?
EK9 has always appealed to me, but the FN2 seems the best value option at the moment. People criticise it, but they seem pretty capable, especially with a few upgrades. I'd have one over an EP3 to be honest.
I really missed the boat on an EK9, it's the hot hatch that I should have owned at some point. On the rare occasion I see one they always get a double take with an air of regret. Perfect hot hatch recipe for me, if it's similar and as engaging as my old DC2 but in a smaller package it's got it all.
Maybe the ep3 would have been slighly more fun, i dont know, but the fn2 puts a huge smile on my face every time i drive it and i dont really want it to be faster - as with the mx5s i had before the fun is in finding a twisty road and being at high revs etc... My kit cars have been a lot faster but it never really translated into more fun, just more holding back.
I have huge respect for all of the generations of these, and I'm not really a big FWD fan either.
I may just keep it forever.
I have huge respect for all of the generations of these, and I'm not really a big FWD fan either.
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