Car News and Reviews in Malaysia

Following the launch debut of the 2020 Honda Civic Type R in the United States back in February this year, the carmaker has now released a short video detailing some of the changes made to the venerable hot hatch.

Before getting into the nitty-gritty, the video starts off by introducing us to the various generations of the Civic Type R, which began with the EK9 followed by the EP3. For the third-generation model, Honda offered the CTR in two distinct versions, with the FD2 sedan – mentioned in the video – making its way to markets such as Japan and Malaysia, while Europe got the FN2 hatchback.

The company would later go back to offering the CTR as a hatchback only with the fourth-generation model based on the FK2, before we finally arrive at the model we know today, the FK8. First introduced at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, the fifth-generation car received its first facelift at the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon, bringing with it several improvements.

For starters, there’s a new CTR-exclusive Boost Blue Pearl paint finish, which joins other options like Championship White, Crystal Black Pearl, Polished Metal Metallic, Rallye Red and Sonic Grey Pearl.

The design has also been updated too, with a larger front grille opening to provide better cooling for the 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder VTEC engine, which still sends 306 hp and 400 Nm of torque to the front wheels.

Elsewhere, the front and rear fascias get new bumper inserts for a more aggressive look, while new two-piece brake rotors and brake pads improve high-speed braking efficiency with reduced fade. The car’s suspension also sees updated dampers for improved ride comfort, stiffer rear bushings for better grip, as well as revisions to the front suspension and steering for better steering feel.

Moving inside, select trim panels receive a new surface treatment for a better look and the steering wheel gets an Alcantara-wrapped rim for a grippier feel. There’s also restyled shift knob for the six-speed manual transmission to provide more accurate gear changes.

All 2020 Civic Type R cars in the United States will come with the Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies, and there’s even an Active Sound Control function, which modifies the interior sound generated by the speakers according to the chosen drive mode.

For track driving enthusiasts, the CTR gains the new Honda LogR, allowing drivers to monitor and record a variety of performance parameters via a mobile app and the car’s onboard computer and sensors. The system offers three modes, with Performance Monitor displaying real-time info like a G-meter, gear position, coolant and oil temperatures, oil and atmospheric pressures and engine intake air temperatures.

Log Mode uses GPS to monitor and map the vehicle’s location and the car’s internal sensors to gather data on acceleration, braking, cornering G and other parameters while on track. The last mode is Auto Score, which monitors the driver’s behaviour over time by tracking inputs for acceleration, deceleration, turning and straight-line driving.

A combination score is then generated from these parameters, and drivers can then compare their results against the same expert driver baseline that is built into the app. The Auto Score mode is meant to encourage smoothness of inputs to help improve routine daily driving, rather than seeking faster lap times.