The Honda Civic Type R FK8 is no doubt the last Civic Type R of the Heisei era since its 2017 debut. During its five-year tenure, the last British-made Type R smashed every front-wheel-drive lap record from Suzuka to the Nurburgring thanks to its 2.0L VTEC TURBO engine, no torque steer, and impressive dynamics, making it the force to be reckoned with.
As Japan approached the Reiwa era, the main question was what would the Civic Type R look like in this current era we're facing? Here's your answer...
This is the Honda Civic Type R of the Reiwa era, the FL5. Making its video game debut on Gran Turismo 7, the Type R of the Reiwa era is ready to make the grade for the eager speedo boys who wish to get their word on the newest generation of the king of front-wheel-drive hot hatchbacks.
Based on the 11th generation Honda Civic hatchback, the FL5 Civic Type R eschews the obvious styling from its predecessor in favor of a more subtle approach while retaining the triple exhaust setup from the FK8. For the first time since the FD2, the FL5 Civic Type R is back to being a Japan-made hot hatchback.
It runs on the same K20C1 2.0L VTEC Turbo engine as the previous FK8 but it's been boosted to produce 330PS of power and 420Nm of torque while mated exclusively to a 6-speed MT.
From the improved suspension setup, electronically controlled dampers, improved braking performance, and new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires built exclusively for this car, it smashed the Suzuka Circuit's FF lap record in 2:23.120 and recently, the Nurburgring Nordschleife's FF lap record in 7:44.881.
The FL5 Civic Type R became the 2022-2023 Japan Performance Car of the Year winner.
Having tried out the FL5 Type R in Gran Turismo 7, I'm slightly impressed with the reworked styling and the dynamics compared to the previous model. Sure, it's less obvious than the FK8 but it still packs some noise and some added punch when I let this one loose on the track and I'm slowly starting to get...addicted to it.
At this point, I was going to give the FL5 Civic Type R a bravery test in either Suzuka or the Nurburgring Nordschleife to battle against the FF world record set in the real world but...there was an ongoing competition going on for Japanese GT7 players trying to beat the real world records. I'm off-limits to either of these tracks.
Instead, I went to Spielberg's Red Bull Ring, the venue of the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix. Joining alongside the previous FK8 model, it's time to find out how much evolution the Reiwa era Civic Type R has gained compared to the last UK-built Heisei era Civic Type R. Let's roll the tape.
And now, the results...
Civic Type R FK8 - 1m53.385s
Civic Type R FL5 - 1m52.847s
Nearly a second! That's how much improvement the FL5 has gained compared to the FK8, meaning this all-new model is a slight improvement from its predecessor. Touche.
Because we live in the new normal, it's sad to say that the Honda Civic Type R FL5 will be known as the last Type R to be run on a pure internal combustion engine, as experts believe, but whatever the reason, the Reiwa era Civic Type R is the swansong to the world's craziest engines ever made, the VTEC engine that became a favorite for speedo boys many.
Domo arigato, Civic Type R. You made us proud.
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