2023 Honda Civic Type R: Track Review | 4K

Is the new £47,000 Honda Civic Type R really worth nearly £15,000 more than the previous generation Type R? Rory Reid and Alex Legouix take to the track to find out which is faster over a drag race and hot laps.

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[paulwardzynski]

Rory/Alex, great review thank you. Shame the Honda "incremental" philosophy wasn't also applied to the price!

[rmpc]

I have had both cars. Bought the FK8 for £35, 000 and sold it after over 2 years for £31, 000.
In those two years the price of cars has gone up. Also the FL5 is now made in Japan and so also costs more due to that, taxes etc.
My FK8 I replaced the Conti's with PS4s. Certainly better at a standing start / comfort.

Here is what I think after 2 weeks with the FL5

Styling
I loved the FK8 styling. The wife hated it. I got loads of comments - people either loved it or hated it and used to tell me all the time. People always looked at you at lights and you would get people trying to race you all the time. The FK8 was a nightmare to wash with all the fake vents.
Now I have the FL5 I think I prefer the styling. Perhaps because Im in my 40s now but I like the fact that it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb but it still looks amazing. Even more so than the pictures. I haven't had many people ask me about it though. Mostly only people that know about cars. With the FK8 people that didn't have a clue about cars would comment.

Interior
The Interior is a major difference with the FL5. There is no competition. The Infotainment system is night and day better. The FK8 used to crash all the time. The FL5 has not had a single error and Apple Wireless CarPlay is amazing. The wireless charger also actually works. The interior has a lot less rattles and feels a lot more solid. Any FK8 owner that closes the doors in an FL5 will notice straight away. Boot space is slightly smaller. Rear seat is far better with the materials and cup holders which was only a US option for the FK8. Digital dash is amazing especially in R Mode. And the front seats!! Wow.

Ride Quality
I thought that the two cars would be a lot closer in terms of ride quality but they are more different than I thought. The FL5 is better for day to day driving. It can handle the terrible UK roads and if you hit a pothole you don't feel like you have broken an Alloy wheel. During spirited driving the FK8 felt faster but when I look at the speedo on the FL5 it is going just as fast. I felt that the FK8 was crazier and felt like you were maybe more connected to the road. It is hard to be sure as I am still getting used to the FL5 and breaking it in but as it feels more comfortable so you don't feel like you are driving on the edge as much. The FL5 perhaps feels more responsive but I am not 100% sure.
Gear change and clutch are better on the FL5

In the end they are both fantastic cars. I was shocked at the price increase but the better build quality and infotainment system justified it for me.
I find I prefer the FL5 though but it is hard as its my new toy. Maybe give me 6 months (and a couple of repayments...yikes)

[MrSwaggernaut]

New one looks so damn good, especially that front 3/4s shot, grows on me every time.

[arnoldkiel]

What wasn't mentioned is that the new one has 5% longer gearing (actually +7%-2% smaller tire circumference), which is a disadvantage at a slower track, unless the number of upshifts differs. On the road, especially in Germany, a little less rpm and higher top speed is a good thing.

[johnjackson]

£15k more for the new one simply isn't worth it. The old one is out landish but It helps identify it in a sea of hot hatches and prefer the look. New one looks very bland imo. Interesting to see what happens when putting ps4s tyres on the old car

[cj]

You can notice how much more FL5 is bouncing around compared to FK8....rebound setting must have been way more stiff....

[drivescene]

People don’t know what they want. When the FK8 debuted they complained that looked too ricey and now they released the FL5 which is good looking and they complain it’s too bland as if they were gonna buy it anyways.

[TotallydubbedHD]

Phenomenal video; love the chemistry in the video too, well done both!

[KTH]

So basically, just get a FK8 and put better tires on it.

[supersayin]

At first I didn't like the new Type R but it grew on me with the look! I actually like it a bit now!

[atlegangletsoge]

I would still love the new type r but with the old type r wing. That's the coolest. But i still love the old one more😁

[shaunm]

So pleased Alex is back on the block - makes a great team complete.
Fantastic video - thank you.

[acanuck]

There were other issues that you overlooked, such as the differences in terms of transmission and engine temperatures over several laps (and the same thing for brakes and tires). Other tests have suggested that cooling in the FK8 was a bit of a challenge over sustained track use. Nonetheless, job well done. Thank you for this entertaining review.

[sooperman]

It sounds like the difference is tires. So seems simple to me. Test them both on the same rubber and get rid of that variable.

[markrhoden]

So ultimately 47k for 0.8 seconds advantage over the old car, its cheaper to buy a set of new tyres and wheels if you like plus modify the suspension and tune the engine and still have change.
Thats a tough sell

[hugdeath]

That wheel hop is primarily the reason why I don’t want a FWD vehicle. Inside of the car it sounds like you’re destroying it or having an accident. It also negatively impacts your ability to get out of the way in a hurry. It feels unsafe. If it shakes and shudders like that when it’s dry out just imagine what it feels like to accelerate in a hurry under less than ideal conditions. I know there’s a ton of love out there for these but it’s just not for me. Great video though 🍻

[beepeesoup]

You chose that camera angle for the onboard race why? WTH guys.

[shaglioni]

I am waiting on my Golf R20, but wanted to watch this because your reviews and comparison vids are on another level. Great job man.

[NCLme]

I could probably build Out my FK8 with that extra $15k and get more power and a better Setup while still keeping the weight down as well - WIN WIN 😊 Sorry FL5 love the shape but I fell in Love the the FK8 boy racer look the Only thing I would change would be the fake vents and fake side body panels that they added on vs the wide body look of the FL5 which I think the FK8 would look Aamazing with if Swapped Out 😊😁👍🏿

[Ziggyziggy]

I am going to put those lap times differences down to superior tyres for the new type R.