Honda Civic Type-R FL5 Is Now The Fastest FWD Car to Lap Nurburgring!

The 2023 Honda Civic Type-R FL5 now has a new record at its disposal. Aside from being the most potent Type-R model ever made (so far), this Japanese hot-hatch has broken the Nurburgring lap time record for a front-wheel-drive (FWD) production car.

Clocking in 7 minutes and 44.881 seconds around the 20.8 KM-span ‘Green Hell’, the Civic Type-R dethrones the Renault Megane RS Trophy-R to claim the FWD king title. For the past few years, the battle for the Nordschleife’s FWD king title has always been a tug-of-war between Honda and Renault, with the previous-gen Honda Civic Type-R FK8 setting the record previously, before the Megane hot-hatch reclaiming the title.

However, it is important to note that the old Type-R set its record on the old Nurburgring layout, which only spans at 20.6 KM. With the new Type-R’s record-breaking time almost equal to the old one’s on the shorter track layout, it goes to show how much faster the new Type-R is –  a testament to Honda’s hard work in improving its hot-hatch performance.

In charge of achieving this feat is the Euro-spec Honda Civic Type-R FL5, which is bestowed with a higher power output of 325 HP and 420 NM compared to its North American twin’s 315 HP output. Nevertheless, both models carry the same 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbocharged K20C1 mill – making it the most powerful Type-R model ever made.

While the rest of the car’s setup remains the same as its road-going twins, the record-breaking Type-R rides on a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect performance tyres instead of the standard Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. Should you want to experience the record-breaking feat on the new Type-R, Honda now offers the special Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect for customers in North America, purchasable via any Honda dealers.

However, the Type-R’s momentous lap time record around the ‘Green Hell’ is still relatively far off from the best compact car time record, which was set by the 2022 Audi RS3. Thanks to Audi’s proprietary Quattro all-wheel drive (AWD) system, the RS3 managed to lap around the Nurburgring in only 7 minutes and 40.75 seconds – more than four seconds faster than the Type-R.

Aside from the Nurburgring, the FL5-gen Type-R also holds the record for the fastest lap around the Suzuka circuit in Japan. Clocking in 2 minutes and 23.120 seconds, the FL5 managed to beat its predecessor’s lap time of 2 minutes and 23.993 seconds.