Live Thread: One week with an FL5 Honda Civic Type R

Any dealers willing to sell at MSRP if we say Grassroots sent us? 

In reply to Livitygus :

If you can find one let me know because I really like this car. 

Can I swap the rear seat with lower model civic hatch to get a 3rd seatbelt in the rear? 

brandonsmash said:

Coniglio Rampante said:

To bad it's not August so you could show how the gear shift branded its pattern into your right palm.

This always confuses me a little. For the past 7 or 8 years I've had sports cars with stainless steel shift knobs (mostly that I've made myself from SS304 billet). I live in Phoenix, which is well-known for its intense light and heat. 

Even here I don't really have a problem with hot shift knobs. Putting a shade in the windscreen seems to keep the interior metal bits at least touchable. I've certainly never burned myself on any of my shift knobs. Is this a big concern elsewhere? 

 

It cuts both ways. My Volvo has an aluminum shift knob. I assume it must never get cold in Sweden.

After several track laps and a few street miles, I'm left feeling like the newest CTR is a much different car than its predecessor. Not necessarily better or worse, but just very different in focus.

It feels larger, more GT-like, and more muscular than the previous car. It's ungodly fast in every direction, but it feels fast more in a BMW M2 way than a hot-hatch way. It's kind of like it's broken out of the hot-hatch segment into this new category of FWD super-sedans. 

JG is right, our little Civic has grown up and almost feels more BMW than Honda. It’s solid, it has presence. 

The Acura Integra Type S felt perfect to me. It was the total package: fast, comfortable, good looking.

But what about the GR Corolla, for example? We just didn’t connect nearly the same way. The GR Corolla was fun for a few days, but the ride was rough and it felt both big and small–for a “small” car, it just felt big, while the rear seats felt just tiny. After driving it, I didn’t find myself wondering how to put one in the garage. 

The Integra Type S? As a friend said to me, Bro, you look so happy driving it. (If not for the price, one would be here right now.)

This one’s nearly the same except the seats feel a bit tighter–reclining the fronts a bit helps–and, even though both wear the same Michelins, I’d swear the Civic Type R has a bit more NVH. Maybe we can blame that one different roads, different days, different sets of tires. (I’m picking nits here, folks.)

So if the Acura Type S is a 10, maybe this is a very high 9.

I took the Type R out for a short drive before it goes home to Honda today, and have to second what JG and David said--this is just a BMW with road noise. And that's an insanely good compliment. It handles, well, perfectly. The front differential seems to be made of magic, and no amount of throttle application is too much (at least on the street). This car seems laser-focused on diving towards the apex at every opportunity. 

There's a fairly decent datalogger built right into the infotainment system. Torque steer is remarkably mild. And I saw an indicated 56 mph in second gear--though there's lots of wheel hop on the way there.

If there's a nit to pick here, it's that this car isn't stupid. I loved the last Type R, as it basically said "Hey, wanna get arrested for reckless driving?!" as soon as you hit the start button. It made stupid noises, did stupid lane changes as it torque-steered and spun its wheels around, and put a giant smile on my face the whole time. This is a way more grown up car. That makes it a better car, but I'm still a little sad to see the stupidest hot hatch go.

And here's a question... if you're shopping for a fun daily drivable sports car in this price range... why not a Mustang?

In reply to Tom Suddard :

A friend and I were having the exact same conversation. My argument, the Type R is way more practical than a Mustang, you get a real rear seat and a good bit of storage with the hatch.

In reply to Tom Suddard :

Because I couldn't fit the car seats comfortably in the mustang. The minivan is ideal but they don't make a Pacifica trackhawk edition yet. 

Re. Mustang v Civic Type R. 

Both are terrific performance cars. I think you can argue numbers but for me, personally, it’s going to come down to the driving experience–just how things feel when behind the wheel. 

As a Honda owner since 1986, I guess you can guess where I’m going. I prefer the experience while I also see the Civic a little easier to live with. 

Andy Neuman said:

In reply to Tom Suddard :

Because I couldn't fit the car seats comfortably in the mustang. The minivan is ideal but they don't make a Pacifica trackhawk edition yet. 

You should have a talk with Ralph Gilles about his early days at Chrysler.  :-)

I feel like the model 3 performance should be compared against this segment now with the reduced price and tax credit. Not sure how you guys feel about it? 

In reply to Andy Neuman :

I'm a broken record on that issue. A Model 3 is so much faster and so much cheaper that it's almost an unfair comparison. 

In reply to Tom Suddard :

But Would you rather drive it every day?

The Civic is a much better DD than the mustang.  4 doors, more easily usable space, better mpg's, etc.  I can't comment on the Tesla, I'll never give Elon any of my money.

I'm sitting back and thinking about selling my 2018 M2 DCT for an FL5 Type R. The FL5 seems more fun and practical for occasional dual-duty usage with two kids in the back. According to Apex, one can fit a 18x10.5 with no problems. Thoughts?

Any thoughts on what it feels like compared to the Elantra N? 

Lsxus said:

Any thoughts on what it feels like compared to the Elantra N? 

The Elantra feels smaller and more nimble. The CTR feels like it has more thrust and like it engages all four tires better.

Honestly what's weird is not how similar they are but how different they are. The Honda is approaching a territory where it doesn't even feel like a sporty compact anymore, but more like a performance sedan. It feels as much like it's a marketplace mate of the M2 as it is the Elantra N.

"Performance sedan" and other invocations of BMW seem appropriate considering the MSRP and ADM, while the Elantra N and certainly the Civic Si remain at a more "affordable" sport compact level.  But we're in the era of ~$40K GTI's now so what do I know.

I'm starting to see more of these listed with sellers asking MSRP around me.  It would be tempting but I don't want a manual transmission for my next daily.

And if talking comfort, I’d add the Integra Type S to the conversation. I so loved that car: fast, comfortable. The total package. Yeah, you pay for it, but it was nice. 

docwyte said:

The Civic is a much better DD than the mustang.  4 doors, more easily usable space, better mpg's, etc.  I can't comment on the Tesla, I'll never give Elon any of my money.

I like the current Mustangs, but I have to agree that CTRs win on practicality. I've had a Model Y as a rental for a week, and while I liked having a fully fueled up vehicle in the morning (hotel had a destination charger), I wasn't that impressed overall.

I liked a friend's Taycan Turbo a lot more . 

Coniglio Rampante said:

"Performance sedan" and other invocations of BMW seem appropriate considering the MSRP and ADM, while the Elantra N and certainly the Civic Si remain at a more "affordable" sport compact level.  But we're in the era of ~$40K GTI's now so what do I know.

$40k is the new $10k, I suppose.

Mine showed up a few weeks ago. I've been very impressed so far. The kids love it.