A real hottie: Honda Cars
The Type-R has always been to Honda’s Civic what vindaloo is to a curry, hot stuff. Now, the sixth installment of the Civic Type-R legacy, called the FL5, has arrived in New Zealand.
Based on the current 11th generation Civic, the FL5 Type-R is a far more grown-up looking beast than the FK8 it replaces. The wheelbase is 35mm longer and the whole car sits 30mm lower and 15mm wider.
The body is 15 per cent stiffer, the rear haunches are no longer added on and its new rear wing has been tested up to 270km/h to ensure flex doesn’t compromise your rear vision. The 19-inch alloys also trick you into thinking they are 20s thanks to what Honda calls, “Three-dimensional vision”.
It also gets much wider 265/30 R19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber.
The K20CI VTEC four pot now produces 235kW and 420Nm. This is
a 7kW and 20Nm increase over the outgoing FK8. Put this down to a refined turbo set up, a larger intercooler and a revised ECU. Naturally, the six-speed manual makes a welcome return and you can choose from multiple drive modes including Comfort, Sport. +R and Individual. The latter allows you to tailor drive settings to suit your personal driving style.
For some perspective, Honda NZ gave us the chance to experience the old FK2 and FK8 versions of the Type-R, on the racetrack at Pukekohe, before the FL5. The FK2 was entertaining, yet quite harsh in R mode, resulting in the FK8 being the best all-rounder of the two older cars.
On to the FL5. Being a Type R, you get plenty of emotive red throughout the cabin and those red bucket seats are lighter and hold you firmer in place than before thanks to redesigned bolsters. The driving position is nigh on perfect and the digital meter display, exclusive to the Type-R, displays a rev bar and speedometer in +R mode which harks back to the Honda S2000.
Bury your right shoe into the firewall and the uber-sweet VTEC turbo engine gives a much angrier engine note at high RPM. Going through the gears is even more precise thanks to a lighter flywheel. That extra body stiff ness does show and the steering is by no means any less direct. There was next to no fade on the brakes either. Also, the grip generated by those wider tyres means one can carry more speed through the corners than the FK8.
Five laps around Pukekohe in what Honda calls “Ultimate Sport 2.0” was epic fun. While we are yet to experience the FL5 Civic Type-R on the road, rest assured this latest Type-R vindaloo is the hottest yet on track.
