When was the last time there was quite such a U-turn in design direction as this? The new FL5 Honda Civic Type R is here and if not for the red badges, Championship White paint and triple-exhausts, you’d be forgiven for wondering how this could possibly be the successor to the outgoing FK8. Nevermind in-family contrasts, though. This is a time for celebration, as the Civic Type R celebrates 25 years, while the Civic in general celebrates 50 years.

The new Type R is of course a development of the elegant new Civic, albeit with a dusting of performance accoutrement. It’s lower and wider with flared wheel arches hiding 19-inch wheels shod in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres. The lower vent at the nose channels cooling air to the 2.0-litre VTEC Turbo engine, while the bonnet vent and vents aft the front wheels funnel it out. Flanking air curtain vents at the nose guide air past the wheels down the side of the car. There are small vortex generators ahead of the rear wheels, a functional-looking rear wing and a proper diffuser, all working together to generate meaningful downforce. In all, there’s no doubt this is a Type R, but it has to be said it’s so much better for losing the fakery of its predecessor.

The engine is a revised version of the outgoing car, which features an upgraded turbocharger with a more compact housing and optimised blades for increased power and efficiency. The exhaust has also been fettled, while there’s an upgraded radiator for improved cooling. Power and torque are yet to be revealed but expect a mild increase over the 320PS (235kW) of the outgoing car, with improvements in delivery too.

As ever the car’s character is controlled via performance settings with Comfort, Sport and +R modes, though happily the addition of a new ‘Individual mode’ should add some customisability to the experience. “Comfort suspension, +R everything else,” is something we very much look forward to trying on our smashed British roads. Crucially, the excellent six-speed manual transmission lives on almost unchanged in the new car. There’s revised auto rev-matching software and an upgraded gate for improved precision in shifts. The brakes carry over two – a Brembo system with two-piece disks. Definitely worth noting is the claim that this new Civic Type R’s body is supposedly lighter and more rigid than the FK8, so we expect the suspension has been revised in concert.

On the inside its all change too, with the garnish of Type R now glazing the classy cabin of the latest-generation Civic. That means, dare we say it, a somewhat retro dash wearing a crisp display on which the Honda LogR data logger returns in a heavily updated form. It features a stop watch, tyre friction circles, a 3D vehicle motion display and a scoring function for helping the driver to improve their skills. There’s a high-def driver’s display too with the kind of Type R visual upgrade you’d expect – revs front and centre with a red highlight and as we can see in the images, a G meter.

As for the bits you touch, the fantastic lurid red bucket seats return almost entirely unchanged, as does the delectable teardrop shift knob. What is new is the steering wheel, which has a slimmer central hub and a nicer array of button controls. All-in, this is the nicest Civic interior yet and therefore, we can expect the nicest Type R interior yet.

In absolutely the best possible way, we read the new Type R as largely the old Type R, with a deliciously refreshed look inside and out. Nothing that didn’t need to be changed has been changed. The FL5 seems to be more an FK8 glow-up than an all-new car and that, to us, is the ideal outcome. This will surely be one of the most exciting cars of the coming 12 months.

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