In Australia, one of the most common venomous snakes you are likely to encounter in urban areas is the red-bellied black snake. This bright shiny black snake has an underside consisting of creamy pink to rich red scales, a colour scheme much like this Crystal Black Honda Civic Type R.
It’s normally a placid snake species and will usually move away if it hears you coming, but if it’s cornered or feels threatened it will behave aggressively. Similarly, you can enjoy the Type R as an ordinary family hatchback, but if you provoke the accelerator pedal this tame Civic will become a very different animal indeed.
Under the bonnet of the Honda Civic Type R is a 2.0 litre, double-overhead cam, turbocharged, in line 4-cylinder petrol engine with Drive By Wire throttle technology. The maximum power available is 235kW at 6,500 and maximum torque is 420Nm between 2,600-4,000rpm making this the most powerful Civic Type R ever. The official combined fuel consumption is 8.9L/100km and for my week of fun with the Type R I used 10.5L/100km.
The FL5 Civic Type R is designed to push the boundaries of performance, and there’s a 4-Mode drive system enabling you to select between Comfort, Sport, +R, and Individual, that allows you to do this. Under the Individual drive mode, you can adjust the Engine, Steering, Suspension, and Engine Sound between Comfort, Sport, +R, the Rev Matching between Comfort or Sport, and the Guage display on the driver’s dash between Comfort, Sport or my favourite graphic, the +R. In the more aggressive drive modes, the active exhaust valve on the central of the triple exhaust pipes opens so you can really hear the VTEC sing.
Like all venomous snakes the red-bellied black is front fanged and as with its spirit animal this Type R is front-wheel drive. Normally a hot hatch with this configuration has some difficulties getting its power to the ground, but not the Type R. There is some loss of traction from the front Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres under hard acceleration through the sweet-feeling 6-speed manual gearbox. The LED shift lights above digital drivers dash go from orange to red to indicate when you should select the next gear using the sensual smooth alloy gear shift knob. The downside of this design is that the metal does get scratches on it from your ring over time, if this much-driven Type R is anything to go by.
The MacPherson with Dual Axis Strut (front) and multi-link (rear) suspension with the adaptive damper system offers quite a firm ride in +R mode. But is comfortable enough in the softer drive mode settings and there were no complaints from my back seat passengers. I really like how the black and red Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel feels to the touch and how it communicates to you what the front wheels are doing.
The red-bellied black snake can give birth to up to 18 live young, but the Type R is only a four-seater. The sports bucket front seats have red suede style fabric that is grippy and holds you snuggly in. Both front seats only have manual adjust for recline and forward/back, with the driver’s seat also having manual height adjustment. I usually wouldn’t go for coloured seat belts, but in the Type R the red seatbelts work for me. To stay hydrated while driving you have two deep cup holders in the centre console and good-sized drink bottle storage in front door cubbies.
The Civic Type R has handsfree remote keyless entry and keyless start, you simply have to press the Alloy brake and clutch pedal at the same to do this and on the honeycomb dash in front of the passenger you will find the Type R serial number plate, mine was 03696. The central 9” touchscreen sits up above the dash and allows you to connect to Android Auto with a USB cord or wirelessly to Apple CarPlay. There’s a wireless charge pad in a cubby at the front of the centre console and above it two USB-A ports and one 12V socket. But by far the most exciting feature on the infotainment system is the Honda LogR app. This can display critical temperatures or a G meter on the screen, but if you download the app and use the LogR data logger it’s like you have an F1 engineer in your pocket. Check out the full description of how it all works here.
Unfortunately, I still had the same temperature issues with the climate control I have encountered previously in the new Honda models I have driven recently. It feels to me like there is no temperature variation between the Lo temp setting and the Hi temp setting, so if I am after a comfortable temp between these two, I just can’t find it. It also doesn’t help that the front two central air vents can’t be closed off to stop the air from blowing on you.
The rear seats contrast the fronts and are covered with black suede style fabric with red stitching and have two ISOFIX/rear tether child seat restraint points. I found that there was ample leg room for me, but head room was tight and therefore taller individuals will struggle to fit. I liked the ‘Type R’ stamped into the rear of the front seats, but there are no rear air vents or USB ports, which is a downside. Between the two seats there are two drink bottle holders and additional good sized drink bottle storage in the rear door cubbies.
The boot lid is power assisted with manual close and there is enough room for the weekly shop or a pram and a small shop in the boot space. There are four substantial tie down points, one hook, and one light with the tyre repair kit is neatly packaged in side of boot. If more space in the boot is required the rear seats have a 60:40 split fold mechanism with manual release on seat shoulder.
The new Civic range does not have an ANCAP safety rating, but the Type R does have front, side front, full-length curtain, and knee (front) airbags. There’s a number of active safety measures including blind spot information system, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane keep assist system, and adaptive cruise control. You also get high beam support system, automatic headlights, automatic wipers and a standard rear-view camera with front and rear sensors.
All new Honda’s sold in Australia come with the Honda Road Ahead Guarantee that includes a five year/unlimited kilometre warranty, five years Premium Roadside Assist, and five years map updates for the satellite navigation system. Plus, owners have the confidence of five low price services for just $199 each (some conditions apply, see the Honda Australia website for more information). For the new Honda Civic Type R, the service schedule is every 12 months, 10,000km, or when the engine oil monitor light illuminates, whichever occurs first.
When it comes to purchasing a Honda Civic Type R, you’ll find there is no snake in the grass, because buying your new Honda is made easy with the Honda One Price Promise. This means your new Honda has the same price no matter which Honda Centre you visit in your State or Territory, haggle free and for the Honda Civic Type R drive away the cost $73,600, up $1,000 from last year, and they are in stock now. Contact your nearest Honda Centre for more information or Build and Price your new Honda Civic Type R here.
| Pros | Cons |
| The engine performance | The issues with the climate control temperature |
| The feel of the gear knob | Can’t close the front central air vents |
| The snug front seats | The scratches on the gear knob |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.