Mugen Type R is a racier Honda Civic

This is thin ice that’s being traversed, even for a company as storied with hopping up Hondas as Mugen. See, the FL5 is the first Type R we’ve celebrated for, well, toning things down a bit. Happily, the rise in aggression is in appearances at least, more to a functional end than the frankly egregious design of the previous-generation FK8 car as standard.

Yes, there’s a whacking great carbon bonnet with vents enough to give a TVR Sagaris a run for its money. But the rest is a bit more considered.

There are wider vented fenders, a deeper chin spoiler, carbon mirrors, side skirts, a big motorsport-inspired wing, a chunky diffuser and a single central exhaust. That’s the exit point for a full titanium system too.

There aren't downforce figures to speak of but as above, it all looks a little more meaningful than simply stick-on aesthetics.

That’s on the crazy ‘Group B’ version, mind. On the ‘Group A’ version, things are a bit tamer, with only a mildly more aggressive chin spoiler joining the mix from the front. There are skirts, the BBS wheels and that wing too but it’s all bit more… digestible. The exhaust is also on the cheaper side being made from stainless steel rather than titanium.

Chassis tweaks are also basically a given though there’s no word beyond the exhaust on whether engine performance is up. Our two cents? Power really isn’t the point of the FL5 so 330PS (243kW) should cut it.

Your thoughts? The Group B is a bit much for us but the Group A looks delightful. More as we have it from this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon.