Which hot hatch is your favorite red-badged?
The Civic TypeR is America’s forbidden fruit. It has a cult following all around the globe. Although it is regrettable that four generations of this iconic Japanese hot hatch were missed (thanks Honda), Civic Type R is undoubtedly the best hot hatch on the market. Which of the five generations is the best to drive around the track in?
Cars.co.za was able to gather all generations of Type Rs at a Cape Town race track. There were the EK9, EP3 “minivan”, Euro-released FN2, 306-horsepower FK2, as well as the FK8 (now available in the U.S.). The lineup also included the four-door Japanese sedan FD2, which was not available elsewhere. Although we can’t deny that we are jealous, we do have this video to show how the deathmatch went.
This is not a race to determine which car is the fastest. It’s more likely that the fifth generation of the Civic Type Rs will win this race because of technological advances and, you know, more horsepower under the hood. The gathering is not about comparing which Civic Type Rs is best to drive in or most fun to have, but rather, it’s about deciding which Civic Type Rs is the best.
It is important to remember that the first three generations Civic Type R were naturally-aspirated instead of the turbocharged FK2 or FK8. Although Ernest Page and Ciro De Siena had differing opinions at the end, they both chose the naturally-aspirated models. This one is a real sleeper, and it made us wonder how much fun it was to drive. We might be able to get it one day.
We won’t reveal the winner, so make sure you watch the entire video.