Honda Civic Type R (FL5) – ride and handling

From the moment you get behind the Civic Type R’s thin-rimmed, perfectly sized Alcantara-wrapped wheel you feel completely connected to the car. Both it and the weighted aluminium gearknob are wonderfully tactile, instantly instilling confidence that Honda’s absolutely got the basics right. This is backed up by the perfect driving position, low and ensconced, but with even better visibility than in the FK8 due to a more upright windscreen.

There's a freeness and energy about the CTR that's immediately inspiring, and consistent across all the major controls. Clutch and brake pedals are firm and silky, the steering perfectly weighted, laser-accurate and so nicely judged in terms of response that you nail your first apex without having to think about it.

The drivetrain has an expensive feel, at once sharp and smooth. There's plenty of low-down response, which builds quickly but progressively so that even in slippery conditions you can play the throttle to j-u-s-t have the front wheels breaking traction but not running away with wheelspin.

On the track there's plenty of opportunity to feel for and ultimately breach the limits of grip, revealing a progressive stability and consistency that gives lots of confidence. It'll slide its tail beautifully, too, if you give it the right nudge of lock and lift off as you turn in. The brakes have great feel, strong stopping power and rarely if ever fall into ABS, even in the wet. 

It's equally brilliant on the road. There isn't scope for extreme angles, but the CTR remains playful at less than lunatic speeds. That measured steering response is welcome, as is the progressive nature of the powertrain. It's also great to have more adjustability for the dynamics than the FK8 offered, the new Individual mode allowing you to mix and match chassis and powertrain settings.

The Civic is firm and can be caught out by sharp-edged bumps, causing you to pogo around in the seat, but it gets better the faster you go. In your mind’s eye you pick the lines, your hands make the inputs and you find the Civic is on the exact line you wanted, and the next, and the next. With single steering inputs you carve neatly through the turns, while adding to the sense of precision and calm is the chassis, rotating the car just so and filtering out noise from the road surface. There’s a rare and wonderful quality to its dynamics, a clean, effortless precision that genuinely does bring to mind the 911 GT3.

The Civic is a much simpler car than the GR Yaris but it’s every bit as much a product of obsession, and in a much more subtle, long-game way. The Type R team were able to influence the design of the regular Civic at its inception, building in specific strengths and engineering details they would need to deliver the Type R’s extraordinary dynamic fidelity. And deliver they most certainly have.

There was magic like this in the last Civic Type R but it feels like it has been honed and refined to an even more exceptional level, and there’s plenty more to enjoy too. Usually, if the feel of the brake pedal doesn’t draw attention to itself, it’s fine, but the Honda’s pedal stands out because it is so brilliantly judged: perfect response stepping in light or hard, terrific progression and easy modulation. And you won’t find a better gearshift anywhere, the Civic’s little silver lever snicking around the gate with a satisfying precision and ease.