The first chance to sample the FL5 in the UK suggests it's better than its predecessor - but not by much...
Three things interested me most regarding the latest Honda Civic Type R – the FL5. Now, I’m told there are many changes, but most seem to sit in a bracket that could be termed minutiae – small percentage gains here and there. The changes that pricked up my ears were all more substantial. First is the driving modes. The FL5 has an individual driving mode.
The lead-up to this UK drive has been so protracted that if you haven’t gleaned what’s new about the FL5 by now, either you don’t care or have been living under a rock. So, I’ll spare you an equally protracted technical deep-dive and simply run you through the highlights. The new, stiffer chassis is wider and longer – that's both overall and between the wheels. The tracks are broader, too, and because the car sits lower to the ground the centre of gravity has been improved.
Despite having 320hp to shove through two front wheels on a very slippery surface, it was surprisingly easy to get the power down without too much drama. The engine pulls hard through all the gears, so it still feels properly rapid, and with tenacious grip, supreme body control and precise steering, which tells you all you need to know, there were no heart-in-mouth moments. It’s just a brilliant machine, the FK8.
Both cars were in R+ when I got in them, and I’d left the FK8 in that mode throughout. But by delving into the new, Individual mode, I configured the FL5 with aggression in most of its settings bar the suspension, which I put in Sport. That made a difference. Having that little bit more roll didn’t just settle the car through the slow stuff, but calmed it down through the quicker stuff, too. This meant I had even more confidence.
Again, this is the beauty of that Individual mode. It gives the FL5 a much wider bandwidth of ability because you can pick and choose every element. That said, having yearned for steering that can be run in a lighter setting, I ended up with Sport – the mid setting – as my preferred option for the road. It just gave me that extra degree of on-centre trustworthiness, without feeling laughably weighty as you add a more substantial lock on. Here’s noticeable big change, though.
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