At long last, the highly-awaited 2023 Honda Civic Type R FL5 has now finally made its way into Malaysia. The souped-up enthusiast hot hatch is priced at RM399,900 here in Malaysia, although you’ll have to jump through a few hoops to even have a chance to buy one – more on that later.
The FL5 might look just like any other Civics on the road (aside from the hatchback body style of course, which we don’t get here in Malaysia), but Honda says that most of its exterior body panels are actually specifically designed for the hot hatch. The fenders are flared out significantly in order to fit the wider tracks on both axles, and there are also a lot more aerodynamic surfaces on the Type R’s exterior, including more intakes and vents to cool the powertrain and brakes, plus a massive fixed rear wing at the back that just looks business.
Here in Malaysia, the all-new FL5 Honda Civic Type R will only be available in the Championship White at launch, although it’s probably the best colour option here since it contrasts well with the blacked-out elements all around the exterior, and of course, the red Honda badges.
The Honda Civic Type R is all about performance, and the all-new FL5 generation certainly doesn’t disappoint in that aspect. It’s still the same 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four engine, but it’s now been uprated to make 319 hp and 420 Nm, 9 horses and 20 Nm more than its predecessor. As per Type R standard, power is routed to the front wheels only via a six-speed manual gearbox.
In performance terms, the all-new Civic Type R is able to sprint to 100 km/h from a standstill in 5.5 seconds, onward to a top speed of 272 km/h. Pair that to its improved handling characteristics, it’s no surprise that it’s now the front-wheel-drive track record holder for not just the Suzuka Circuit, but the Nurburgring Nordschleife as well.
Intrigued? Well, so is almost everyone. And with only 19 units available at launch, Honda Malaysia had to implement a ballot system in order to give everyone a fair chance. To enter into the ballot, all you have to do is place a booking at a RM3,500 fee. Your details will then be vetted, before being placed in the final ballot pool that will be drawn on camera and announced publicly.
Unsuccessful buyers will be refunded the full 100% of their booking fee, although those who are successful in the ballot but declines to proceed with the purchase will only have 75% of their booking fee refunded.
