Honda Civic Type R (FK2) | Spotted
For a long time after the FN2 there wasn't a Civic Type R; the first turbo car was more than worth the wait
It would be a surprise bordering on shock if the next Honda Civic Type R didn’t turn out to be a brilliant hot hatch. The old one was so adept at just about everything that to expect anything less than greatness from the replacement would seem silly. The Type R is likely to be the car to beat in its segment, and with good reason if it’s anything like the car that came before.
But it wasn’t always the case for the Civic Type R. Back when the first turbocharged model, the FK2, was launched back in 2015, expectations weren’t quite so high. It had been four years since the last Civic Type R, the FN2, had gone out of production, and that hadn’t been universally adored even when new; then there was the turbocharged engine to think about (in a Type R Honda!), the contentious looks, the torsion beam rear suspension when the Golf GTI had an independent back axle… It can be easy to remember now given the reverence around the outgoing Type R, but many were unsure just a few years back.
By and large, however, the fears were allayed by the driving experience. The FK2 Type R was revvy for a 2.0-litre turbo (if hamstrung by a heavy flywheel effect), composed for a car without multi-link rear suspension and looked… well it looked unforgettable, let’s put it that way. Those that thought Japanese cars should be fast, attention grabbing and unlike anything else were well served by the Civic Type R.
It had almost 100hp more than a Golf GTI (310 versus 220), had better traction than a Focus ST, the best manual gearbox by miles and the sort of robustness and sturdiness that was never really a calling card of the fast Japanese car. It felt built for days and days, months and months of hard driving. If not without flaw - the driving position was a bit perched and the ride punishing in more aggressive modes - then the FK2 proved Honda could definitely still make a great Civic Type R. Even a five-door, turbocharged one.
As a used prospect the first forced induction car holds additional appeal as a really rare fast Honda. On sale for just 18 months, the Type R was never going to sell in huge numbers; add into that the divisive styling and £30k+ price and tiny sales were guaranteed. On PH right now there are just 16 Type Rs from 2015-17 available, compared to 45 from 2017 onwards. Even limit the replacement FK8 to a similar two-year period (2017-19) and there are 28 cars for sale. Which itself isn’t exactly a car you see every day.
With so much of what made the later car so good (engine, gearbox and differential, most notably) as well as the rarity factor, the FK2 Civic Type R is an intriguing car. Because the FK8 is probably worth reaching to if possible, but then there’s always something to be said for the older, rawer, rarer car that costs that little bit less. This FK2, as a 2017 model, is one of the last sold, with just 23,000 miles and one owner to its name. Somehow the infamous 19-inch wheels have avoided (much) kerbing, so that’s always an encouraging sign. It’s for sale at £23,990, which is some feat of residual strength given it would have only cost about £10k more when new. Part of that will the nature of used cars at the moment; but partly its recognition of just how good the Civic Type R we all weren’t sure of really turned out to be.
SPECIFICATION | HONDA CIVIC TYPE R (FK2)
Engine: 1,996cc 4-cyl turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 310@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 295@2,500-4,500rpm
MPG: 38.7
CO2: 170g/km
First registered: 2017
Recorded mileage: 23,000
Price new: £32,960
Yours for: £23,990
Also, the talk about the rear beam is so ridiculous. The FN2 and FK2 were criticised for having a twist beam, while every generation of Megane and Clio is adored, even though they have a torsion beam. Motoring hacks are a strange bunch at times.
And it's on 19" rims, not 20"
The drive? Fast, and willing to rev. Steering feel light and not a lot of feed back (even my NC MX-5 give better steering feedback), and the BMW can be bit fun in wet. The FK2 just fast with no drama, sitting position feel high and feel like sitting on the car, R mode make your 140i feel like a 7 series or S-class in comparison
I know almost nobody uses them like this, they're for traffic light GP on bypasses around cesspit regional towns and cities, but I'd love to spank the hell out of one down a bumpy undulating single track road and see how it copes. The last model completely and utterly fell to bits, skipping all over the road and giving me a few 50p-5p moments at speeds a cooking car with grown ups suspension wouldn't bat an eyelid at.
I know almost nobody uses them like this, they're for traffic light GP on bypasses around cesspit regional towns and cities, but I'd love to spank the hell out of one down a bumpy undulating single track road and see how it copes. The last model completely and utterly fell to bits, skipping all over the road and giving me a few 50p-5p moments at speeds a cooking car with grown ups suspension wouldn't bat an eyelid at.
Most bizarrely, I simply didn't fit into it. I thought the seat must have some way of going further back than I thought, but no. Even the salesman had to admit that there was no way he could sell me one...
I'm just over 6 feet tall, long in the leg and short bodied. I've never had a problem fitting into other cars of all sorts before (including an FN2, which was a great driving position for me) but this was an oddity for me.
It wasn't just the FK2 Type R either; when I was shopping for a family estate, I could only sit in a Civic Tourer with my head scraping the A pillar. Most odd.
So I was gutted that I was never going to drive one.
TL; DR: If you're tall or long legged, try to sit in one before putting down a deposit.
Most bizarrely, I simply didn't fit into it. I thought the seat must have some way of going further back than I thought, but no. Even the salesman had to admit that there was no way he could sell me one...
I'm just over 6 feet tall, long in the leg and short bodied. I've never had a problem fitting into other cars of all sorts before (including an FN2, which was a great driving position for me) but this was an oddity for me.
It wasn't just the FK2 Type R either; when I was shopping for a family estate, I could only sit in a Civic Tourer with my head scraping the A pillar. Most odd.
So I was gutted that I was never going to drive one.
TL; DR: If you're tall or long legged, try to sit in one before putting down a deposit.
Though I’m much looking forward to this years Type R.
My prediction- and I really, really hope I'm wrong about this- is that:
- Either the next Civic Type R won't be sold in the EU, and possibly not in the UK.
- Or If it does come to the EU & UK, Honda may well limit numbers and seek at a high price or risk making a loss if they need to pay Tesla to bail them out.
I know almost nobody uses them like this, they're for traffic light GP on bypasses around cesspit regional towns and cities, but I'd love to spank the hell out of one down a bumpy undulating single track road and see how it copes. The last model completely and utterly fell to bits, skipping all over the road and giving me a few 50p-5p moments at speeds a cooking car with grown ups suspension wouldn't bat an eyelid at.
When I drove one, it was down just such a road that you describe. At low speed, the ride was quite harsh but, once you got some speed up, I thought it flowed quite nicely and wouldn't describe it as falling apart. I've driven the Megane and Clios I've owned down those same roads and, again, they were fine.
Ultimately, of course an independent set-up is better but, in the real world, most customers wouldn't even notice.
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