Even in Comfort mode it would still whip almost all front drivers on this circuit. Like with FK8, the Sport and +R settings are too stiff for the fast and lumpy Pukekohe corners but FL5 has an ace up its sleeve you can select the Individual drive mode, the myriad settings available meaning you can tailor the car better to the particular track or road surface. Extra herbs come from a smaller, lower inertia turbo, and less restrictive inflow and outlet tracts. The increase in output is subtle but perceptible. There’s slightly more power and torque (420Nm from 2600-4000rpm) to play with as well, up by 7kW and 20Nm, though kerb weight also increases by around 40kg. And the steering is even truer so you can exit corners somewhat quicker with more gas applied. The transmission is silkier, slicker, the brakes even stronger (they’re tweaked, lighter, and have better cooling) while corner grip improves as well (partly thanks to the new wider 265/30ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 rubber). Into the FL5 newbie and there’s another lift, though it’s not as marked which you might expect as the newbie is based on FK8 mechanicals. On Hampton Downs, a different matter perhaps. The best drive mode setting for Pukekohe in this is Comfort, which seems bizarre but the adaptive damping in the +R mode is just too stiff for the rougher corners here, throwing the car off line. The auto blipper in FK8 makes heel and toe downshifts unnecessary, although the pedal positioning is perfect for this. Both cars in the R mode make a real cacophony. The tendency to understeer is reduced too, thanks in part to torque vectoring, the stability in the rougher corners noticeably better, the brakes stronger, the steering sweeter, more neutral. But crikey, it’s quick and oh so composed.Ĭompared with FK2, it seems to have more midrange, to the point where you don’t bother chasing engine speeds much above about 6000rpm. After a lap of Pukekohe it’s not hard to understand why it has proven so popular, almost 50,000 sold globally, even if its transformer-esque design isn’t everyone’s idea of what a performance hot hatch should look like. The latter was good as a taster, but the lower, longer, wider and torsionally stiffer FK8? Streets ahead. It was the outgoing FK8 we climbed into after a rather exhilarating opening stanza in the FK2. FK2 came with adaptive damping, active cruise, and 228kW and 400Nm under its hood. It proved a foil to the AWD heroes of the day, like Golf R, though it was never sold new here. The FK2 that arrived in 2015 represented the start of the second Type R era, of turbocharging and more balanced circuit/road performance this variant even featured a Comfort mode. The two prior examples, FK2 and FK8, were on hand for comparison purposes, and we got to drive all three of these modern type R offerings, in oldest to newest order. It will likely be the last of the solely combustion era. Still, can’t dwell on the downside, for its the 30th anniversary of Type R this year, and the new and rather different FL5 is the result. ![]() We soon discovered this when using the +R race mode in the outgoing and new type R, both too stiff for the lumpy high speed corners. Sadly, it is closing in March but honestly it has seen better days, the facilities drab and maintenance of the track seemingly beyond its uncaring owners. It was a day of mixed emotions, Honda launching its sixth-generation FL5 Civic Type R at the soon-to-be-defunct Pukekohe race track.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |