Honda welcomes Racing Blue Civic Type R

HONDA has become the second Japanese manufacturer in as many months to introduce a heritage inspired blue paint option to its local sportscar range.

The highly sought-after FL5-series Civic Type R is now available in a striking Racing Blue hue, the new addition joining carryover colours including Championship White, Crystal Black and Sonic Grey. Rallye Red appears to have been dropped from the range.

While it appears there are no other changes to the 2025 Honda Civic Type R range – besides a $4900 increase in price – the introduction of Racing Blue to the colour palette is one Honda Australia director of automotive Robert Thorp says is well matched to the model’s performance credentials.

“Civic Type R has captured the imagination of Australians for generations and continues to represent the pinnacle of performance in small cars,” he said.

“We’re pleased to welcome the new Racing Blue colour providing a genuine performance model halo presence.”

The Honda Civic Type R is now available from $79,000 driveaway with an optional carbon-fibre spoiler adding $5300 to the ticket. The new price places the Honda Civic Type R considerably above the Toyota GR Corolla (from $67,990 plus on-road costs) and Volkswagen Golf R (from $70,990 + ORC) – both alternatives offering all-wheel drive.

Producing 235kW at 6500rpm and 420Nm from 2600-4000rpm, the Civic Type R is the most powerful yet and is offered as standard with a six-speed manual transmission. A lighter flywheel and revised rev-matching system is said to ensure “hyper precise” shifting.

The front-wheel drive hot hatch boasts a redesigned turbocharger and more efficient exhaust system to offer improvements of 7kW and 20Nm over the previous model.

Honda says it has retuned the Civic Type R’s dual-axis strut front and multilink rear suspension to improve straight-line stability and steering feel. While two-piece front rotors reduce unsprung mass and improve braking performance.

The Type R rides on 19-inch matte black alloy wheels shod with 265/30 profile Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres.

On the equipment front, the Honda Civic Type R will offer individual drive modes, an active exhaust valve, 10.2-inch digital driver display, a 9.0-inch infotainment array with wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless phone charger, Honda LogR telemetry system, sat nav, folding door mirrors, and ambient door and footwell lighting.

The Civic Type R shares much of its safety equipment with the Civic VTi LX including a full complement of airbags, blind-spot information system, rear cross-traffic alert, speed limiter, driver attention monitor and more.

Inside, the cockpit includes the Civic Type R’s iconic red seats, carpet and trim, a redesigned aluminium shift knob and a serialised Type R build plate affixed to the dashboard.

All-new Honda vehicles are backed by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with included roadside assistance and capped-price schedule servicing.

2025 Honda Civic Type R pricing*:

*Pricing excludes on-road costs.