Throughout its 25-year history the Honda Civic Type R has variously been described as ugly, uncomfortable, underpowered and somewhat short of the class best. But none of the cars in the Type R line-up could never be called 'uninteresting'. Across its five generations the Honda hot hatchback has always ploughed its own furrow, choosing, for the most part, to do things it own way, rather than following the hot-hatch herd. It mixes sports car performance with family car practicality in a spectacular way.
Through being idiosyncratic, single-minded and interesting, the Civic Type R has earned itself arguably the biggest and most devoted international following of any hot-hatch dynasty, comparable to the Volkswagen Golf GTI. Only since the current model arrived in 2017 has the Civic Type R stood tall as the best driving experience in its class, but it was a copper-bottomed performance car icon long before that.
Generations: 5
- Honda Civic Type R FK8 (2017-2021)
- Honda Civic Type R FK2 (2015-2017)
- Honda Civic Type R FN2 (2007-2011)
- Honda Civic Type R EP3 (2001-2005)
- Honda Civic Type R EK9 (1997-2000)
Honda Civic Type R FK8 (2017-2021)
Bodystyle:
- Five-door hatchback
Notable features and facelifts of the Honda Civic Type R FK8 (mk5)
- Evolved and enhanced the previous Type R to become one of the very best hot hatches around
- Set a new lap record around the iconic Nurburgring racetrack
- Loud styling remains, but this is the comfiest Type R yet
What is it that makes the current Civic Type R the best hot hatch you can buy? Simply put, everything that was good about the previous version - the very strong performance specification, the enormous mechanical grip - was carried over, while the aspects of the older model that had received criticism in the press were addressed almost point by point.
The driving position was vastly improved with a lower-set seat, the spring rates were adjusted and a new comfort suspension mode incorporated so the new car wasn’t anything like as punishing in normal driving. It was far better equipped to cope with a lumpy road surface, while a multilink rear suspension made the FK8 altogether more capable whatever the road beneath it. High-spec models got adjustable adaptive dampers.
You’ll have to make your own mind up about the styling – with its lairy, downforce-producing spoiler, air intake on the bonnet and 20-inch alloy wheels and tyres, it certainly wasn’t toned down in any way. But what’s not up for debate is the car’s huge breadth of ability. Take it for a test drive and you'll find it can be civilised and comfortable when pressed into family duties. It's same rear seats as the standard Civic, adding to its usability, and a modern infotainment system.
But it can then become fearsomely quick and exciting to drive at high speed the rest of the time (the latter point is ably demonstrated by a 7min 43secs Nurburgring lap time that was only bettered by a rival front-wheel drive hot hatch two years later).
It mightn’t hold the Nordschleife lap record any more, but the FK8 is still one of the best hot hatches on sale. And who really cares that it took Honda five attempts to get it right?
An all-new Honda Civic Type R is due to launch in 2022.
Read our expert review of the Honda Civic Type R mk5 or search for a Honda Civic Type R FK8 for sale on CarGurus
Honda Civic Type R FK2 (2015-2017)
Bodystyle:
- Five-door hatchback
Notable features and facelifts of the Honda Civic Type R FK2
- Three-door bodystyle ditched in favour of five-door hatchback
- Turbocharged engine replaced naturally-aspirated unit
- More power and much more torque than its predecessors
The fourth-generation Type R was a very different sort of beast to its ancestors. Honda would have us believe its old Type R principles remained intact, but its upgrades included a turbocharged engine - a first for any Type R - in place of a high-revving naturally aspirated unit. For many fans, that meant the very thing that had set high-performance Hondas apart for so long had been lost.
The 2.0-litre VTEC turbo unit did still spin to a reasonably peaky 7,500rpm, but that old effervescent character was replaced by a great swell of mid-range torque and a muted, homogenised soundtrack. Still, with 306bhp and twice as much torque as any Civic Type R before it, the FK2 was comfortably the fastest model yet, and easier on the MPG than its predecessor. For a while it was the quickest front-wheel drive production car ever to lap the Nurburgring, in fact, recording a time of 7min 50secs.
Pushing its top speeds on a race track or a very smooth road, the FK2 Type R was close to unbeatable. However, very tough spring rates made it feel out of its depth on a bumpy road, a problem only exacerbated by the cost-saving torsion beam rear suspension. Meanwhile, a high-set driver’s seat made for an unnaturally lofty seating position behind the steering wheel, while the extrovert styling proved very divisive. The FK2 was on sale for only two years, replaced in 2017.
Search for a Honda Civic Type R FK2 for sale on CarGurus
Honda Civic Type R FN2 (2007-2011)
Bodystyle:
- Three-door hatchback
Notable features and facelifts of the Honda Civic Type R FN2
- FN2 hatchback model that came to Europe was very different from the Type R saloon sold in Japan
- Rear suspension was simplified over previous model
- Some 100kg heavier, but power virtually identical
- Limited-slip differential introduced in 2010
For the 2007 Civic Type R, Honda took the idea of developing one version for the European market and another for the Asian market and ran with it. While the Euro Type R was based on the angular three-door hatchback and built once again in Swindon, the Asian model was based upon that region’s more conventional-looking four-door Civic saloon and manufactured in Japan.
With very firm springs that gave an unyielding ride quality on lumpy UK roads, less sophisticated rear suspension than the previous model (a simple torsion beam rather than the EP3’s trick multilink rear end), much more weight (upwards of 100kg on top of the previous version) and only a single additional brake horsepower with which to offset it, the FN2 Type R met with a mixed reception.
Some reviewers loved its uncompromising nature; others reckoned it was too much like hard work. It had funky styling, an eye-catching interior design, great bucket seats (Recaros, of course) and a magnificent powertrain in the best Type R tradition, but it simply wasn’t as good to drive as the model that came before it.
Only from 2010 onwards did the FN2 Type R come with a limited-slip differential. Midway through its life, Honda built a version of the Civic Type R so hardcore only 20 were offered for sale. The Mugen cost close to double the price of the standard car, but it came with a comprehensively reworked Type R engine with power lifted to 237bhp, a motorsport clutch, even more focused suspension rates, bigger brakes and a wild aerodynamic makeover that incorporated a vast rear wing. Nobody really expected a Honda Civic Type R limited edition model to be subtle, and the Mugen duly wasn't.
Search for a Honda Civic Type R FN2 for sale on CarGurus
Honda Civic Type R EP3 (2001-2005)
Bodystyle:
- Three-door hatchback
Notable features and facelifts of the Honda Civic Type R EP3
- First Civic Type R to be officially sold in the UK
- Built at Honda's factory in Swindon, Wiltshire and in Japan
- Facelifted in 2003 with tweaked suspension and looks
Interest in Honda’s Type R performance models was so vibrant across Europe that the company decided to make the second-generation Civic Type R available for sale outside of Japan for the first time. In fact, it went even further than that; not only was the European-spec EP3 Type R manufactured in Swindon in the UK, the more hardcore version that was developed for the Japanese domestic market only was as well. These more extreme Type Rs - with more power, a stiffer suspension tune and signature red seats - were shipped from the UK to the Far East.
The European model was somewhat watered down compared to the Japanese version, but it still had a seam-welded chassis, a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission and a high-revving engine. The naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre i-VTEC engine developed 197bhp and redlined at 8,600rpm. The car was facelifted in 2003 with more modern headlamps and revised suspension settings, but throughout its time on sale the EP3 Type R was most admired for its show-stopping powertrain. Its highly strung, high-RPM persona helped to cement the reputation not only of the Civic hot hatch itself, but of Honda’s Type R brand as a whole.
Search for a Honda Civic Type R EP3 for sale on CarGurus
Honda Civic Type R EK9 (1997-2000)
Bodystyle:
- Three-door hatchback
Notable features and facelifts of the Honda Civic Type R EK9
- Only sold in Japan, but enthusiasts started importing them to the UK
- Lighter, more powerful and with stiffer suspension than a standard Civic, as well as a limited-slip differential for improved handling
- Based on the sixth-generation Civic
Honda had been building the Civic hatchback since 1972, but it was only in 1997, the Civic range by then into its sixth generation, that the company brought a high-performance variant to market. Its Type R sub-brand was born only five years previously having debuted on a go-faster version of the NSX supercar. Offered for sale in Japan only, the original Civic Type R featured many of the same refinements that had made the NSX-R one of the most thrilling cars on the road, among them extensive weight-saving measures, a very high-revving engine and retuned suspension settings.
With less weight than a conventional Civic and a close-ratio transmission, a mechanical limited-slip differential and substantially more power, the Type R was effectively a Civic hatchback redeveloped for the race track. Its body was seam welded to make it more rigid, bright red Recaro seats were fitted within the cabin to support the driver and passenger in hard cornering and uprated brakes were added, too. The engine was a screamer; displacing only 1.6-litres it nonetheless developed 182bhp at 8,200rpm, with a peak torque output of 118lb ft not arriving until 7,500rpm. This was state-of-the-art motorsport engineering applied to a road-legal hatchback.