ICONS: Honda Civic (FK8) Type R Sportline

Compromise: the art of reaching an agreement between two or more parties that is satisfactory to all involved, but not necessarily the outcome or final goal that you wanted.

A word that’s thrown around a lot in today’s world of financial turmoil, political instability and high-level negotiations, compromising on our desires, goals or style is something that far too many of us are perhaps familiar with, or are - at the very least - aware of in this day-and-age.

Let us give you a scenario you’re no doubt familiar with as a petrolhead; You’re wanting a fast car, but don’t want the imagery, styling and stereotype that’s (unfortunately) associated with such vehicles. Or, perhaps you’re wanting something that’s fun to drive, but you still need a vehicle with four doors, enough room for all the family, a strong safety rating for the kids and more luggage space than you’ll likely need for 360 days of the year.

The current-generation Civic Type R - designated the FK8 - certainly ticks the box from the performance and practicality side, but the exaggerated styling of the standard model is… divisive at best.

Personally, I love it, but I can entirely understand why it’s not quite everyone’s cup of tea, as the exaggerated wing, aggressive front end and large 20-inch wheels certainly give an air of ‘hot wheels’ car about the design, but there’s no denying that its a true ‘Marmite’ design - you either love it, or hate it.

Thankfully, however, Honda seems to have listened to their customer base, and unveiled the ‘Sport Line’ variant of the FK8 in 2021. Keeping all of the power, performance and trick underpinnings as the standard model, the Sport Line is designed to fly under-the-radar by comparison with its more outlandish stablemate, having done away with the OTT rear wing, large alloys and bright colour schemes.

The red pinstriped details of the OG FK8 have also been removed, yet the fake carbon fibre trims remain, largely hidden by the metallic grey paintwork of the test car you see here (and all the better for it, in my view!) The controversial triple-pipe exhaust remains, however.

Inside, the cabin has also been given a good whack with the toning-down stick, with the seats now covered in black Alcantara, though the red trimmings, badges and half-red steering wheel remain, leaving the occupants of the cabin in no doubt that this ‘hatch is still very much a performance machine.

It’s almost as if the original FK8 has grown up, gone to college and settled down a bit, but kept its rebellious streak hidden just below the surface…

As I quickly discovered, however, that thin veil of sanity, normality and conformity is very thin indeed. Think rice paper-thin, then halve that. Insanity is just a switch away thanks to an easily-accessed driving mode toggle next to the gearstick, allowing the driver to swap from the default ‘sport’ mode into ‘comfort’ (more on that shortly) and the all-important ‘R’ mode, which - I will confess - was the default setting for my week with the car, fuel costs be damned.

That said, however, the ability to turn off the full-bore performance mode was certainly welcomed during longer motorway slogs, when the softer suspension (and additional pliability from the smaller 19-inch wheels) was most welcomed, making the ‘R’ an impressively refined tourer, with the ability to bring back the fun once the road opened up, or went from a multi-lane motorway into a twisting, winding B-road where the chassis felt right at home.

It was on these B-roads that the Type R really made a name for itself. R mode engaged, clear roads and a manual transmission that deserves a place in the automotive hall of fame in its own right, and the FK8 feels like it really could take on the big guns of the car culture world.

That transmission has to be the absolute crowning highlight of the FK8. Rifle-bolt accurate in its precision, wonderfully tactile in its use and with a wonderfully light clutch, it is nothing short of an absolute joy to work your way through, especially when pressing on at a decent pace.

The steering is also worthy of a mention, being wonderfully easy around town and when driving in a laid-back manner, yet once the pace is increased the steering and differential appear to suddenly find grip out of nowhere and ‘dig in’ to the road, providing impressive feedback for a modern system and inspiring confidence. It really is a case of gear, steer and go in the Type R, and the chassis is deeply, deeply impressive.

Under the bonnet, the turbocharged inline-four engine at the heart of the car is absolutely wonderful. Providing plenty of low-end grunt when mooching around town but rising to a wonderful crescendo as the revs increase and the boost builds, it encourages the driver to push further up the rev range, though it does feel as if the power tails off towards the very upper echelons of the tachometer, unlike in the old-school n/a Type Rs where peak power is accessed almost at the redline. The way the turbo is set up is wonderfully old-school in its nature, however, with a distinct feeling of low-end lag and then full boost coming on with a healthy shove, just like millenium-era turbocharged engines used to behave.

To call it a ‘hot hatch’ feels almost as if you’re underselling the CTR, if you ask me. That moniker conjures up images of Golf GTI’s, Megane RS’ and Fiesta ST’s - all of which are excellent vehicles in their own right, but none of which feel as if they could hold a candle to the performance, enjoyability or outright driving experience offered by the Type R. Even Top Gear compared the Type R to a front-wheel-drive Porsche GT car, which is high praise indeed.

That all said, it’s not all hardcore performance thrills on offer, oh no. The cabin is still just as spacious, well equipped and practical as in the standard Civic, with its seemingly incomprehensibly gargantuan boot allowing all but the most impractical of day-to-day loads to be carried. Trips to the garden centre with the CTR are a whole lot of fun, let me tell you.

The downside of that wonderfully practical Civic interior, however, is that the Type R still shares the same god-awful infotainment system that plagues the standard cars. Admittedly, this is a system that is now significantly outdated compared to its peers, so some leeway is allowed, but the display and interface were obsolete the moment that they left the factory, with even the instrument panels ahead of the driver feeling like somewhat of a relic.

Despite its dated graphics, I have to say that the interface itself was generally fairly responsive in comparison to the ‘standard’ Sportline Civic I tested a while back, whilst the instrument binnacle is lovely and clear without any un-needed ‘gumf’ clogging up the screen. Speaking of un-needed and annoying features, the lane-keep assist system (which, if you ask me, is a ridiculous invention - if you need a system to keep you in a lane, you probably shouldn’t be driving) is wonderfully easy to disable, which is always a welcome feature on any car.

Back to that opening statement then; Compromise. Is the FK8 Sport Line just one big compromise designed to open up Honda’s customer base, or is it an individual model in its own right with its own set of USPs?

Well, like everything, it’s a matter of perspective. For those that were unable to get one of the exceedingly rare hardcore ‘Limited’ models, it probably is a compromise. However, unless you were looking for a hardcore, no-frills FWD rocket, I’d argue that the Sport Line is certainly a model in its own right, and may well even represent the ‘sweet spot’ of the FK8 range.

Sure, its looks are pared-back, so if that’s a deal-breaker for you, then it won’t be your pick of the bunch. That said, if you’re still reading at this point, having already decided you want an all-out, over-the-top looking car, then you’re probably reading the wrong article! But, this slightly ‘softer’ look - with its smaller wheels - arguably plays to the Sport Line’s advantage, as the ride is more pliable and forgiving. The less in-your-face interior may not have the trademark red Type R seats - a key feature of Honda’s ‘hot’ cars - but it is, undeniably, a nicer environment for day-to-day use because of it, not least as there won’t be acres of red fabric that needs cleaning after just being shown some blue jeans or dirty shoes…

Finally, and - arguably - the most important point of all, the Sport Line is subdued in the looks department only. Fire up the four-cylinder turbocharged engine, engage ‘R’ mode and you’ll be left in no doubt that this is still, very much a full-fat Type R FK8 underneath, which means it is still an award-winning performance car, one of the greatest front-wheel-drive cars ever built, and still housing a manual transmission that is sweet enough to help you achieve pure four-wheeled nirvana.

Frankly, it’s the one I’d choose…