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In Japan there is a special kind of dedication – a discipline characterized not by spectacle but by patience and the pursuit of technical perfection and craftsmanship.
It’s the kind of dedication that goes into creating the “Japan-only” GLOBAL-IST (sharper and more balanced) line of kitchen knives, folding paper in a teahouse, or shaping an aluminum billet into a gear knob that looks absolutely bespoke.
It is a culture where mastery is not an event, but a lifetime. The Honda Civic Type R in its latest sixth generation form belongs to this world.
You notice that even before you drive it. On a clear Melbourne morning, the Racing Blue FL5 Civic Type R sits on display at the Kamikaze Garage Cafe – part cafe, part shrine to Japanese automotive culture, part love letter to technology, written with pride rather than bravado.
The new Racing Blue paint shines under the headlights and the car looks just as at home there, at least as good as the TopSecret R35 that previously occupied the same front row spot.
Inside, every corner is curated. The typical Japanese tuner Liberty Walk illuminates the back wall, in neon no less.
Spoons are also included and the napkin dispensers on the table niches are NOS canisters. And I can confirm that the coffee is also of high quality.
It’s a space created by people who care – the same kind of people who would buy this car and really understand it.
Australia got it early. When the sixth-generation Civic Type R first hit the market in 2023, the allocation disappeared almost immediately, even though the sticker price was $79,000.
It wasn’t hype – it was the recognition of the cohort best described as “If you know, you know.”
The Type R has long been a hallmark of people who not only enjoy driving, but live it. People who can feel the geometry beneath them instead of just reading about it.
When Racing Blue arrived in August 2025, the same thing happened again. Gone before most would ever see one.
The Type R is not a mass-market performance car. It is an intentional object.
I first drove this FL5 generation car at its global launch at the Estoril Circuit in Portugal, a former Formula 1 venue whose curbs, camber changes and blind apexes very quickly reveal the truth about a chassis.
Something rare happened that day: more than one experienced journalist and one German professional racer/instructor went straight from the pit lane to the Honda representatives to make deposits.
The consistency from lap to lap, the insanely late braking into turn one, the cooling elasticity, the clarity through the steering column, the feeling that the car wanted to be pushed harder than you were willing to push it – it was unmistakable. And defining.
But driving on the racetrack only tells part of the story.
A great performance car must express its brilliance everywhere: on the racetrack, on winding country roads and even on the daily commute, on surfaces that undulate and bend, on crashes not designed for racing, on traffic, on the weather and on the quiet moments between corners.
It must bring serenity into the real world. And so the Civic Type R and I left the cafe and climbed towards Olinda, winding our way into the Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne – roads that dip, rise and twist in long, elegant arcs of asphalt between cedar and eucalyptus. Also very, very large.
The Civic Type R fits on these roads like they were designed for it. There’s a certain subtlety to the way the car communicates – the steering is precise and unfiltered, but never nervous. The turn-in is razor-sharp, but with a lot of feeling.
I turn into an extremely tight right-hand bend going uphill, a full meter behind the chasing car, which happens to be a very capable 3 Series Coupe and is clearly on the right track.
The Type R’s standard Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires offer nothing but limitless bite and grip on the front axle, despite the Type R’s all-front-wheel drive architecture and countless trips over the same mountain section – never causing a loss of traction.
Each one provides the same detailed feedback as the last – even down to the millimeter.
In the sub-$200,000 segment, there are few sports cars that can tackle tight mountain roads like this with the same precision and consistency as the Type R.
And I don’t say that lightly. The Alpine A110 comes to mind, as does the 911 GT3 RS. That’s the kind of comparison I’m talking about here, regardless of the different results.
The suspension breathes with the surface, not against it. Of course there is tension, but no harshness. The transmission remains one of the best manual shifts of any car available today: short, crisp, mechanical and extremely satisfying.
Every change feels predictive, but can also be accelerated using the auto-blip function rather than manually shifting, which is particularly relevant when a well-driven Ducati Panigale V4 appears behind you.
And then there is the engine. The 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder does not overwhelm the chassis with histrionics. It works with that. The power comes across clean and confident, without artificial drama or electronically constructed theater.
For this sixth-generation Type R, the single-scroll turbocharger has been further refined with redesigned turbine blades to improve airflow and response.
The car is undoubtedly fast. The mid-range pull is significant, but when you put it on the ground it gets really fast.
But the key feature isn’t speed. It’s about connection, consistency and feedback. Plus, it’s undeniably comfortable – more on that shortly.
This is where Honda’s engineering philosophy is revealed. The Type R doesn’t rely on short-term stimulation – bangs, pops, excessive weighting or digital tricks.
It depends on the feeling. Everything has been thought through, calibrated and refined by hand and mind.
The individual decisions are small – a lighter tailgate here, a shorter axle ratio there, a redesigned brake cooling system that can survive ten laps of full throttle without fading – but together they create a driving experience that feels unified, effortless and completely purposeful.
The road to Olinda becomes narrower as the altitude increases, the air cools and the smell of pine comes through the window more strongly. And finally we reach the Chojo Bonsai Nursery.
It’s quiet here. Quiet. Bonsai trees arranged like living sculptures, each one the result of years – sometimes decades – of gradual shaping, pruning, wiring and waiting.
Bonsai is an art form characterized by restraint. Everything happens slowly and consciously. The practitioner does not strive for perfection in one moment. They chase it through time.
Standing among these trees, the connection to the Civic Type R becomes obvious.
Both are acts of compulsive refinement. Both are guided by the belief that major transformations are the result of small, disciplined adjustments repeated over and over again.
Both require patience. Both require humility. And both require the understanding that perfection is not a single state but a pursuit.
Honda has been in Australia for more than 55 years. During this time, the company’s reputation has always been focused on technical integrity.
But the Type R is something more personal – it is the part of Honda that is driven by ambition, the part shaped by the same minds that dream of Formula 1 and that see cars not as consumer goods but as mechanical expressions of human ability.
As the afternoon turns golden, the Civic Type R and I leave Chojo and head back to the mountains. The car moves with the same confidence as it did on the Estoril track – but there’s something different here now.
A softness. A calm. The feeling that the Type R has something resembling a soul beyond precision. You can feel the work behind it – the quiet stubbornness of the engineers who refused to ignore standards. You feel the intention.
I’ve already said that what reminds me most of all is not other hot hatches, but Porsche’s GT cars – vehicles designed not just for performance, but also for purity of interaction.
The Civic Type R doesn’t try to be theatrical. It’s not about chasing trends. It’s about being driven well, often and with attention. It is a car for people who value the path to championship.
The sixth-generation Honda Civic Type R now stands alone. There are faster cars. There are more expensive cars. There are more powerful cars. But there are none that offer this special blend of clarity, control, communication and restraint.
It’s a car designed not to impress from a distance, but to reward behind the wheel like no other in its class. It stands alone.
But this piece simply wouldn’t be complete without high praise for the Type R’s seats. First of all, they are all red and upholstered in a combination of high quality fabric and Alcantara, but with very aggressive padding from the seat to the shoulder.
These are true racing seats, but while Porsche and BMW use a far stiffer design that makes getting in and out a real chore, the Type R’s bucket seats offer excellent comfort on and off the track.
It’s the same with the Type R’s suspension setup. The car’s balance is better than ever, even at high speed in the most demanding corners. It drives straight and doesn’t deviate a millimeter from the line, no matter what the surface condition is or how hard you push.
But here’s the thing: it’s a lot softer than a Porsche 911 GT. It’s firm yet compliant, and Honda’s ability to suppress bumps and potholes is, in my opinion, simply unmatched.
Braking is also exceptional. The Type R features 350mm two-piece floating front brake discs and four-piston Brembo calipers – and just like on the track, there’s incredible resistance to fade while maintaining brilliant pedal feel.
This sixth-generation Civic Type R isn’t just designed for performance – it’s tailored to those looking for a completely upscale and, frankly, obsessed driving experience, just like Porsche does with its 911 GT cars.
That’s the best comparison I can make. Every bolt, every surface, every shift… you feel the people behind it. The obsession, the pride, the craftsmanship – that’s what Honda is all about.
I said it during my track test and I’ll say it again: you get a real sense that the latest Type R was developed by up-and-coming F1 engineers – how else can you explain this level of obsession?
MORE: Discover the Honda Civic showroom
