Honda Civic type R FK8 Road Test Review Indonesia - Part 1

Honda Civic Type R

Editors' Rating

10Best

Editors' Choice

Price Starting at

$36,620

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Overview

The radical Civic Type R is a polarizing hi-po hatchback.
Haters think it's too hideous to own, and backers believe it's too
fantastic to miss. We know it's the latter, seeing as we named it a 10Best Cars winner along with the impressive Civic Sport hatchback and the Civic Si: What’s more, the Type R beat the Ford Focus RS in a head-to-head comparison. To all who disagree, we say don't knock it until you try it. Honda has
seemingly perfected front-wheel-drive performance on the Type R by all
but eliminating unpleasant torque steer and prioritizing balance through
celestial chassis tuning. The sole powertrain is a sweet six-speed
manual gearbox paired with a 306-hp turbocharged four-cylinder. Its
in-your-face styling may be too much to stomach, but its funky looks are
forgotten after your belly fills with butterflies from its bonkers
engine and gigantic grip. While words can't fully describe what the Type
R is like to drive, we strongly suggest you don't judge this crazy
sonuvahatch by its cover.

Highs: Sublime chassis tuning, nearly perfect powertrain, the comfiest sport seats ever.








Lows: Over-the-top exterior styling, lackluster exhaust note, loud interior color scheme.








Verdict: Honda's wicked winged thing is both a track star and daily driver, and it has won our hearts.

What's New for 2019?

While we've heaped praise on the Type R, and deservedly so,
we've also bemoaned its frustrating touchscreen-based infotainment
interface—until now. Honda has graciously added a volume knob and
physical buttons for 2019 that instantly make the system more
user-friendly. The climate controls also now have a hard button that
adjusts the fan speed. Along with those updates, the Type R receives
larger cupholders, a revised switch for the electronic-parking brake,
and more streamlined steering-wheel controls. The super Civic's color
palette is also expanded to include Sonic Gray Pearl.

Honda Civic Type R Pricing and Which One to Buy

• Civic Type R: $36,595

Buyers who can live with its outrageous styling will be
rewarded with a phenomenal driver's car. The Honda is more refined than
rivals such as the Ford Focus RS and the Subaru WRX STI. While the Volkswagen Golf R
is also easy to drive daily and is much better to look at, it's not as
ethereal on the track and has a base price above $40,000. Speccing out
the Civic Type R is simple, since desirable features are standard,
including navigation, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, passive entry and
push-button start, adaptive dampers, and front sport seats. Apart from a
handful of optional accessories, the only buying decision is to pick a
paint color that calls the most—or least—attention to this rolling
caricature. Hint: Rallye Red is eyebrow-raising and outrageous.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

Likes: Impeccable turbocharged powertrain, nonexistent torque steer, razor-sharp handling and really comfortable ride.








Dislikes: Less than thrilling exhaust note, no more high-strung VTEC four-cylinders of yore.

The Civic Type R looks like something the devil himself
spat on the asphalt, and it goes like a bat out of hell, too. Its
exclusive turbocharged four-cylinder makes 306 horsepower and 295 lb-ft
of torque. The eager engine always feels alive with a responsive
throttle and imperceptible turbo lag. In our testing, it spurred the
hatchback to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. A short-throw six-speed manual is
also on hand and the only transmission choice. The Honda's easy clutch
action and precise shifter are as perfectly synchronized as a pair of
figure skaters. Too bad the triple-pipe, center-exit exhaust isn't as
loud as the exterior styling. Sure, its innocuous note is appreciated on
long trips, but we want more roar in a car that looks and drives like
this one.





The Type R is that rare type of car with terrific track
ability and amicable road manners. It sticks to the road like bionic
Velcro, with steering telepathy that would embarrass Miss Cleo and a
chassis seemingly tuned by a Formula 1 engineer. Although its suspension
is stiffer than the sporty Civic Si's, the R-rated version is still
surprisingly comfortable—especially compared with the hard-riding Focus RS.
It's only slightly impolite on rough roads or over harsh bumps, where
the 20-inch wheels and low-profile tires yield loud impacts. The Honda's
immense grip was exhibited on our skidpad, where it pulled 1.02 g's—an
impressive feat for any car, let alone one with front-wheel drive. The
Type R set the bar even higher with its astonishing emergency-braking
distance (70 mph to zero) of 142 feet, which equals that of the $200,000 Acura NSX supercar we tested.

Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG

The Civic Type R boasts above-average EPA fuel-economy
ratings and does equally well in the real world. The Type R and its
competitors all matched or exceeded their EPA highway estimates on our
fuel-economy loop. Honda's hot hatchback rang in at 29 mpg, beating its
rating by 1 mpg—though still trailing the Golf R's 31 mpg.

Interior, Infotainment, and Cargo

Likes: Oh-so-comfortable front sport seats, trackable and practical, stereo has a volume knob—finally!








Dislikes: Vibrant red interior will offend some, no mobile hotspot.

The Type R's interior is rated R for scenes involving
gratuitous red accents and obscenely comfy racing seats. Although the
styling isn't subtle, the interior relies on Type R trademarks and racy
materials to highlight its sufficient passenger space. The 7.0-inch
digital gauge cluster has a red theme—obviously—and a distinct
appearance for each drive mode.





The addition of a volume knob and physical buttons has
alleviated some of our frustrations with the infotainment system's
touchscreen interface. Otherwise, the infotainment system has standard
features such as integrated navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and
a rockin' stereo.



The Civic Type R may be equal parts track star and daily
driver, but it's also a very practical travel companion. In our testing,
it accommodated significantly more ping-pong balls than its rivals and
tied the WRX STI for the greatest carry-on-luggage capacity.

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

Safety is a primary concern at the racetrack, but driver
assists such as adaptive cruise control and automated emergency braking
are useless there and add weight: at the track, lighter means faster. As
such, the Type R skips driver-assistance features in favor of ultimate
performance.

Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

Honda covers the Civic Type R with a competitive limited and
powertrain warranty. However, it lacks complimentary scheduled
maintenance.

• Limited warranty covers 3 years or 36,000 miles
• Powertrain warranty covers 5 years or 60,000 miles
• No complimentary scheduled maintenance

Reviewed by Eric Stafford, Assistant Buyer's Guide Editor, November 2018

Honda Civic Type R Generations Explained

Major redesigns occur every five years or so; not much changes in between. Dividing them into generations provides
more meaningful distinctions in the shopping process.