Last year, just a month into the job, I was flown out to Italy to have a poke around the all-new Honda Civic Type R before most of the motoring press got their mitts on it. Lucky me, right? I even bagged a hot lap around Italy’s Tazio Nuvolari circuit (a real hidden gem, by the way) from none other than 2005 US GP podium finisher Tiago Monteiro, and he let me have a go with the newly improved gear shifter from the passenger seat. Eat your heart out, Chris Harris. The only problem is I didn’t get to experience the most hotly anticipated hot hatch of the decade from the driver’s seat. ‘Not to worry, I’ll have a proper go when the first drives come about.’
Or so I thought. Mike Duff called dibs on the first media drive late last year, and by the time the car arrived in the UK I was annoyingly too busy working on PH Project Car to have a go. What made things even more frustrating was that my social media feeds were packed full of reviewers singing the car’s praises. The consensus was that the FL5 wasn’t a huge leap on from the FK8 it replaced, though you only need to read the spec sheet to know that. It was, however, just a little bit better than the old car in practically every way; it delivered its power more effectively, handled bumps more gracefully and finally allowed you to fine-tune the settings with an Individual driving mode. This was the ultimate Civic Type R, they said, and I was desperate for a go.
Thankfully, that opportunity came during a triple test we put together a few months ago, where we brought together three of (what might be) the last manual performance cars to go on sale. I called shotgun on the new Type R and, just like that, a Championship White FL5 was parked outside my house. Although I’d only have it for a couple of days, it’d be all the time I’d need to confirm what I’d garnered from the passenger seat a year before - that it’s the closest thing to a 911 GT3 hot hatch on sale today.
Sounds hyperbolic, I know, and you can’t compare a 4.0-litre flat-six with a turbocharged four-cylinder motor that still relies on synthesised exhaust noises to sound interesting. Rather, it’s the level of detail that’s gone into every facet of the car, from the precise shift of the delightfully mechanically six-speed manual gearbox to the feedback through the steering wheel of the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres scrubbing against the tarmac at low speed. Every component feels as though it’s been scrutinised under a microscope and refined to the nth degree. And although it isn’t a world away from the old car, all the little tweaks - the stiffer chassis, revised suspension geometry and the extra 9hp on tap - add up to a package that is in pretty much every way better than what came before. Just like a GT3.
Like a dream that ends just as you’re getting to the good bit, Honda came knocking at my door a couple of days later asking for their car back. Being in the fortunate position to drive all sorts of magnificent cars, it’s a feeling I’m all too familiar with. It's disappointing to no longer have a brand new car at your disposal, but a quick run in my Fiesta ST usually serves as a reminder that life with an old hot hatch - even one as snotty as mine - isn’t half bad. But that’s why the Type R stood out from the Ferrari Roma Spider, bonkers Brabus 900 Rocket R and all the other cars I'd experienced this year - I couldn’t stop thinking about the Honda long after handing the keys back.
So when asked to submit our car of the year picks, I once again called dibs on the Civic Type R and within a few days a Racing Blue Pearl one arrived. This time it would have a full week to bury itself deeper into my skin, though by ‘living’ with the new FL5 I did discover a few things I wasn’t completely keen on. First of all, it’s absolutely massive. At 4.6m in length and nearly 1.9m in width, it can be a genuine squeeze trying to fit the Type R into a parking space. And though the red Alcantara seats are properly comfy and supportive, they frustratingly don't come with a heating element. I’m well aware that makes me sound a bit delicate (and I am), but the cabin takes an age to heat up and they would have come in handy during the ‘arctic blast’ that descended on snowflake south at the time.
A good way to distract yourself from the cold (and wait for the aluminium gear knob to thaw out) is to have a poke around the new Individual mode. I stuck with the tried and tested ‘everything on R+ bar the suspension’, which gave the ride a little more room to breathe while still keeping the body firmly in check. Honestly, why don’t carmakers make a preset like this? Anyway, it’s a small yet considerable quality-of-life improvement that allows you to access everything the Type R has to offer without furiously switching between driving modes for different roads like you would on the FK8. That’s progress.
And when you are on it, the Civic Type R is on another level entirely. The way the front end snaps to an apex with the flick of the wheel, how the steering communicates the texture of the road to a degree that's rarely seen on today’s performance cars and especially the way the front wheels light up under acceleration without tugging at your arms - it all contributes to hot hatch greatness. Then, when you've had enough, knock it back comfort and it’s almost as if it forgets it’s a Type R. There’s still plenty of power and torque on demand, but the calmer throttle response, muted dash graphics and stifled exhaust note makes it feel a lot like any other Civic.
‘That’s all well and good, but £46,995 is crazy money for a Type R’, so everyone says. True, it’s £10k more than the outgoing car, and there's no denying that the FL5 shares a lot in common with its predecessor. But what’s the alternative? A Golf R is similar money yet isn’t nearly as engaging (nor as well made) as the Honda, while the Audi RS3 is more money still and, again, not nearly as rewarding to drive despite its superior engine. The Toyota GR Yaris is a genuine rival on many levels and substantially cheaper - but you can't buy one new in the UK any longer. Of course, the same could be said of the Civic, which is being brought ashore in such low volumes that you'll already need a build slot to get a factory-fresh one. Which does seem a crying shame to those of us who must go without. For the lucky few, however, hot hatch perfection beckons.
SPECIFICATION | HONDA CIVIC TYPE R (FL5)
Engine: 1,996 four-cylinder, turbocharged
Transmission: six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 329@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 310@2,200-4,400rpm
0-62mph: 5.4secs
Top speed: 170mph
Weight: 1,429kg
MPG: 34.4
CO2: 186g/km
Price: £46,995
Honourable mention | VW Golf GTI - PH Project Car
Okay, I’ve got something to admit: the Type R wasn’t the first thing that came to mind when Nic asked for my favourite car of the year, it was a Mk5 VW Golf GTI you’ve come to know as PH Project Car. Annoyingly, 17-year-old cars aren’t eligible for COTY, especially one I’ve rambled on about for most of the year. But I’ve seen that GTI go from a regular old five-door hot hatch (with a wonderful beige leather interior) to a track weapon that got within a whisker of a Mk8 Golf R 20 Years around a circuit. And while there were areas we didn’t gel - most notably when the dampers were left on their firmest setting for a week - the GTI was phenomenal by the time we were done with it. PH Project Car is now in good hands with our competition winner Morgan Brady (not jealous, promise), though I’m hoping for a definitely-not-tearful reunion at a Sunday Service in 2024.
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