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We’re now six generations deep in the line of the Honda Civic Type R, but the first one you could buy here in the UK was the EP3, which first rolled off the production line in Swindon in 2001. It was a small and sporty looking hot hatch that took the premise of the standard Civic and made it exciting. The Type R introduced things like the red Honda logo, red bucket seats and perhaps most importantly the 2.0-litre VTEC engine.
Video: Honda Civic Type R EP3 vs FL5
More than 20 years later, the newest version of the Civic Type R is now on sale, the FL5, and while those distinguishing elements from the EP3 remain, pretty much everything else has changed.
For the better? Sometimes. There’s more power now than ever before, and the chassis has been engineered to deliver more grip, better balance and better feel to the driver. The FL5 Civic Type R is also much bigger, heavier, and some might even say less fun than now than it was back in the days of the EP3.
The Civic Type R has become an institution for a broad demographic of car enthusiasts, many now consider it the ultimate hot hatch, we were certainly left in awe when given the chance to drive it on track, which its credentials on the road remain right up there with the other very best performance hatchbacks. Which one do you prefer? Has the Honda Civic Type R changed for the better?
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