SO LONG, BUT NOT FOR LONG
January 19, 2023 – I was practically on the floor as sunlight gave way to night.
The trendy Karrera Café in Alabang, which had long showcased some of the most desirable metal to hit tarmac, was where Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) decided to launch the latest chapter of a decades-long legend that had first been written in “The Land of the Rising Sun.”
Earlier that day, photos spread like wildfire of this mythical beast on the back of a flatbed truck. Its muscular form, which had already made waves around the world, was unmistakable (despite the best efforts of the thin sheet to shield it from prying paparazzi).
As that sheet was pulled off, we scrambled to send photos of the Honda Civic Type R FL5 (its Championship White paint gleaming under the spotlights) to our respective newsrooms. I was one of many journalists who ran out into the street when the internet connection cut out immediately after the debut.
“Tonight, we welcome 2023 with the launch of the most powerful Civic Type R,” then-HCPI president Masahiko Nakamura said in a press statement nearly four years ago.
“It embodies Honda’s DNA, demonstrating the brand’s strong determination for crafting machines that attain the ultimate in speed and the joy of driving,” he added.
A drive like no other
Although I wasn’t able to join the media trackday at Clark International Speedway, I eventually got the chance to drive the FL5 when HCPI lent me the press unit for an entire week.
I have written at great length about this Civic’s driving unequivocal prowess – an intoxicating blend of heart-racing power and immense practicality. But what I had not been prepared for was the instantaneous celebrity status that even temporary possession of this hot hatchback wielded.
In an era before “aura farming,” a simple Facebook post led to a gaggle of car enthusiasts messaging me for a chance to behold the FL5. And so off I drove in this turbocharged ego-pump, meeting friends within and outside of Metro Manila who were electrified by its mere presence (as passengers, of course).
Perhaps the most memorable drive was when my best friend and I took the FL5 to Subic in the dead of night for one of our infamous “all-nighter” dinners. The poorly lit and pockmarked tarmac of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway were no hindrances to a truly spectacular evening of great food, fun conversation and empty roads.
With some envy, I found out that he eventually bought his own FL5 in what turned out to be one of the wildest car-buying goose chases that I ever heard (that’s another story for another time).
It’s all coming back
The FL5 left my mind for quite some time as the years of seemingly endless car launches and media drives carried on in the Philippines.
When I was among the motoring media that HCPI brought to this year’s Japan Mobility Show, the centerpiece was the global debut of the Honda 0 a (Zero Alpha) battery-electric prototype crossover. But our time at Honda’s Tochigi Proving Ground following the show was nothing short of a revelation.
The last prototype we tested that chilly day was the “Next Generation Mid-Size Platform,” which looks like a current-generation Honda Civic FE with a blocky front end. Although I wasn’t expecting much out of a hybrid-electric sedan wrapped in dark camouflage and with an interior that was dominated by black duct tape, it absolutely blew my mind on the track.
Besides being 90 kilograms lighter than the Civic FE, the prototype has more flex in the firewall, strut towers and front subframe to allow for more tire contact in spirited driving. This is augmented by Honda Car’s new Agile Handling Assist system that supports smoother cornering.
It turned out to be the best car I drove in 2025 – not only because of its exciting technology, but also because it elevated the FL5’s scintillating sensations to levels that I thought would never be possible. And this isn’t even the Type R version yet.
The test of time
I borrowed the FL5 again sometime after HCPI announced this year that it would discontinue sales of the Civic Type R as global production winds down.
Much has happened to both of us since that January night – I moved to Inquirer Motoring by the end of 2023 after the publication that I had worked for shut down unceremoniously. Meanwhile, this Championship White warhorse was beginning to show the strain of dozens of motoring scribes taking it around (some with, perhaps, less mechanical sympathy than others).
But even with over 28,000 kilometers on its odometer, the FL5 remained as viscerally spectacular as ever, whether it was just eating out at my favorite restaurant or picking up my other best friend from school. It truly is a testament to the engineering prowess of Honda Cars, particularly since this is very likely the highest-mileage Civic Type R in the country.
As Kuya Al (HCPI’s ever-trusty company driver) took hold of the FL5 from me one last time, I took a quick glance at its big rear wing and triple exhaust pipes. But I just know this goodbye isn’t forever.
A camouflaged Honda sedan that I drove in Japan showed me even greater things in store.
