Pick of the Week: 2015 Honda Civic Type R 2.0 VTEC Turbo

Honda’s ‘Type R’ moniker needs little introduction among most of us. Even though the first Civic Type R was introduced only in 1997, it achieved cult status and garnered the respect of the automotive movers and shakers, as well as petrol-heads around the world in less than a decade.

But if you happen to be one of those who are not very familiar, the Civic Type R is the highest performance version of the Civic which features a lightened and stiffened body, specially tuned engine and upgraded brakes and chassis.

This model also comes with a generous dosage of red trims and accents in the interior to give it a special sporting distinction and to separate it from other Honda models.

Currently in its fifth generation, one of the reasons why the Civic Type R became an iconic model is because it came fitted with a few of the craziest engines Honda has ever made.

For instance, the first-gen Civic Type R (EK9) was powered by the B16B which boasted one of the highest power output per litre of all time for a naturally-aspirated engine, producing a maximum output of 185 PS.

And then came the second-gen EP3 which was powered by the K20 engine, which produces between 200 and 215PS. The third-gen FD2R on the other hand, was powered by a tweaked version of the K20 which kicked out up to 225PS.

Well known and well received for its performance, the Civic Type R, regardless of model year, became a collector’s item. The best part is that this car still has massive demand for it. Believe it or not, the third-gen Civic Type R FD2 which was launched back in 2006 with a price of RM199,800, still asks for about RM150,000 in the used car market.

While many are still waiting for the third-gen Civic Type R’s price to drop, Honda has already launched the fourth-gen model which once again took the world by storm, and guess what?

A few units have already landed on our shores discreetly, and you’re looking at one of them that were advertised on Carlist.my

Being the first factory turbocharged Civic Type R, the FK2, which is based on the previous-gen Euro Civic, competes directly with cars like the Golf R, Ford Focus RS, and the Renault Megane RS, is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged VTEC engine which produces 306hp and 400Nm of torque. Paired to the engine is a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission with LSD.

List of standard features include Alcantara bucket seats in front, Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control, multi-info LCD instrument cluster, Type R racing mode, Push start ignition, keyless entry, as well as a reverse camera.

In case you’re wondering where we found the beast, it was going for sale at Drive Me Auto at the Sri Petaling Auto City.

Priced at RM288,800, this unit you’re looking at has just been grabbed by a customer. However, the guys at Drive Me Auto mentioned that more units will be coming in in the future.

It is also worth mentioning that this unit is one of the first few FK2 Type Rs to be sold in Malaysia.