KUALA LUMPUR: The new Honda Civic Type R arrives priced at RM399,900 on-the-road without insurance, and only a limited 19 units will be offered in Malaysia in 2023.
The new hot hatch has opened for bookings, and Honda Malaysia will conduct a ballot for buyers.
Booking for Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak is RM3,500 while that in Langkawi and Labuan is RM2,000.
Customers who booked their units through Honda Malaysia showrooms by Oct 15 stand a chance to be among the 19 owners.
Balloting will be held on Oct 20 while unsuccessful buyers will be retained for next year's Type R allocation.
In a statement, the company said more units of the Civic Type R will be coming in 2024.
Honda Malaysia provides a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty as well as free labour service (up to five times within 100,000km or five years).
The most powerful Civic Type R ever created has a 2.0-litre VTEC turbocharged engine that produces 319ps at 6,500rpm and 420Nm of torque at 2,600rpm to 4,000rpm, which is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox.
It sprints from 0 to 100km/h in 5.5 seconds, and has four driving modes - Comfort, Sport, +R and Individual.
It is offered with 265/30 ZR19 tyres, and a temporary tyre repair kit.
Kerb weight is 1,428kg and boot capacity is 410 litres.
The new Civic Type R’s aerodynamic design strives to achieve a ground-hugging, solid and sturdy racing car-like presence.
There's a front grille opening for airflow, front fender outlet that reduces pressure in the wheel to allow air to flow smoothly to the sides and a side sill garnish which enhances efficiency of air flow in front of the rear tyre.
A redesigned rear aluminium spoiler and a new rear diffuser provides high stability, increases downforce and minimises aerodynamic drag.
Other notable exterior features include Matte Black 19-inch wheels, and Type R badges with red Honda logo on both the front grille and tailgate.
The interior combines red and black colours, with red carpet flooring and red racing-inspired Type R sport seats.
An aluminium centre console and shift knob add sportiness while a serialized Type R plate at the interior air-conditioning vent offers exclusivity.
A feature unique to the new Civic Type R and a first for Honda Malaysia is the Honda Log R application which is specially designed for this model for the driver to achieve significant improvements in lap times in a closed-course setting.
Honda Log R is embedded in the vehicle and gains exclusive access to the on-board computer and sensors to monitor a variety of performance parameters.
Other features include a 9-inch advanced display audio system with Apple Carplay (wireless) and Android Auto, wireless charger, multi-angle reverse camera, eight airbags and front and rear parking sensors, as well as two USB ports, and an eight-speaker audio system.
There are also Honda Connect as well as Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies, with eight advanced features.
The new Civic Type R is offered in the iconic Championship White colour for Malaysia.
“The Civic Type R embodies Honda’s core DNA which is the racing spirit while at the same time leveraging our deep roots to constantly exceed ourselves in everything that we do and create. The Civic Type R is not new in Malaysia as we introduced it back in 2007. There are currently more than 600 proud owners of the Civic Type R in the country,” said Honda Malaysia managing director and CEO Hironobu Yoshimura.
