The all-new Honda Civic Type R is a more mature take on a crazy formula

The latest Honda Civic Type R is finally here, and it has grown up, much like the car it's based on. PHOTO FROM HONDA

Don’t you find it weird how we seem to be in a Japanese sports car renaissance? Just as the market shifts toward electrification and crossovers, the enthusiast market seems to be thriving with offerings from the Land of the Rising Sun.

We have cars like the new Nissan Z, all the exciting cars from Toyota’s Gazoo Racing stable, the Subaru WRX, and now, the latest Honda Civic Type R. The sporty Honda sedan bares itself to the world in all of its high-powered, three-pedaled front-wheel-drive glory.

The vehicle now strikes a balance between attention-seeker and understated. PHOTO FROM HONDA

The FL5 Civic Type R trades the FK8’s love-it-or-hate-it Gundam looks for a toned-down appearance that’s still quite exotic-looking in today’s world of sleek, aerodynamic electric vehicles.

Everything you see here is functional; there's no fluff or fakery this time around. PHOTO FROM HONDA

There are no fake vents to see around the vehicle, as all the openings left are indeed functional. A triple exhaust is still present, alongside a toned-down but still prominent rear wing, and 20-inch wheels shod in very sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires.

If you like the 11th-generation Civic's interior, you will love the Type R's even more. PHOTO FROM HONDA

It’s no surprise that the interior still resembles that of the 11th-generation Civic, down to the new infotainment, the physical climate controls, and the honeycomb-esque air vents.

Suede covers most of the cabin, alongside the iconic Type R red on the seats and the carpet. While there aren’t any other specifics on what features this will have, there is a fully digital instrument cluster with an exclusive +R mode design and a data logger.

It wouldn't be a Civic Type R without a proper three-pedal setup and a powerful four-banger under the hood. PHOTO FROM HONDA

Of course, the crème de la crème of a Civic Type R are its engine and superb handling.

Underneath the hood is still a 2.0-liter turbocharged in-line-four with an improved six-speed manual transmission sending power to the front wheels. But that’s as much information that we’ll get, as Honda’s quite mum on the figures and the specifics.

Considering the vehicle smashed its own Suzuka lap record and Honda says that it has been tuned at the Nurburgring, we trust that the engineers from Minato will deliver.

More prices and details will be provided closer to the vehicle’s official global launch later this year, but we definitely can’t wait for when Honda Cars Philippines brings this latest model to our shores.