The Toyota GR Corolla should be the car I prefer for its special sauce, the all-wheel drive plus a mechanical handbrake. That combination allows it to do things the Honda Civic Type R simply cannot, like donuts and handbrake turns. If I needed one car to cover every possible form of performance driving, the GR
The Toyota GR Corolla should be the car I prefer for its special sauce, the all-wheel drive plus a mechanical handbrake. That combination allows it to do things the Honda Civic Type R simply cannot, like donuts and handbrake turns.
If I needed one car to cover every possible form of performance driving, the GR Corolla would make a very convincing case for itself. But if I were to remove that requirement from the equation, the answer becomes surprisingly clear: I would take the FL5 Civic Type R.
There you have it, end of comparison. If you are curious why, allow me to explain.
The GR Corolla is deeply capable, but it is also oddly difficult to get it to behave the way I wanted. For a car with all-wheel drive and configurable power distribution, I expected it to feel more adjustable. Instead, on the road at least, I found myself trying to get it to not understeer. It felt almost unstickable and not particularly willing to rotate on power in a consistent way.
It’s strange because the GR Corolla has the hardware that should make it the more adjustable car, yet the FL5 was the one that felt easier to place, easier to rotate and easier to flow with.
The Civic Type R is front-wheel drive, so there is no escaping its fundamental limitation. There is only one way to go properly fast in a front-wheel drive car. You don’t wire your brain to the rear axle in the same way you would in a rear-wheel drive car. You cannot steer it on the throttle in that beautifully adjustable way. In that sense, front-wheel drive will always be more one-dimensional.
But within that limitation, the FL5 is exceptional.
It feels like a scalpel through corners. The front end is sharp, the rear is willing to help when you get near the limit, and the limited-slip differential does a superb job of pulling the car out of corners without making it feel like it is simply washing wide. Like any properly set up front-wheel drive performance car, the rear helps rotate the car into the corner, then the front axle pulls it out.
There’s a sense of balance that makes it feel less blunt than many fast front-wheel drive cars. Both the GR Corolla and FL5 can achieve rotation through trail braking, but I found it easier and more natural in the Honda.
The FL5 also has an ability to disappear around you. That sounds like a cliche, but it is the best way to describe it. It allows you to focus on driving rather than constantly thinking about what the car is doing, almost a jinba ittai quality if one wanted to borrow Mazda’s favourite phrase.
High-speed stability is where the FL5 really stood out to me. I struggle to think of many Japanese performance cars, short of things like a Lexus GS F or Nissan GT-R, that feel this planted and confident at serious speeds. The Civic Type R feels like it could sit above 200 km/h on an autobahn all day without any nerves.
The GR Corolla is secure too, of course. But there is a difference between feeling secure and feeling settled. The latter is not present in the GR Corolla. Over larger compressions, the GR Corolla can buck and rob the driver of confidence.
That said, Honda hasn’t got every mode right. +R mode is far too stiff for normal roads. It makes the car hop and skip over bumps, which is not what you want when trying to drive quickly on an imperfect surface. Comfort mode is the one I would leave the suspension in permanently, even when driving spiritedly. Thankfully, Individual mode allows you to keep the suspension in Comfort while sharpening the rest except for the steering too.
In Sport, it is too heavy and too tightly wound, to the point where it feels like you are wrestling the car rather than flowing with it. Comfort steering is lighter, more natural, and more in tune with other controls like the gearshift and pedals.
This is one area where the GR Corolla still has an advantage. Its control weights are lovely. The clutch, throttle, steering and overall tactility have a slightly modified-car feel to them, and I mean that as a compliment. There is a mechanical transparency to the Toyota, with its clunks and chatter, that the Honda does not possess.
The FL5’s clutch is lighter, but the whole car is incredibly easy to shift smoothly. It does not punish sloppy clutch and throttle timing as much as the GR Corolla does, and that makes it very natural to drive quickly and cleanly. You do not have to compensate for the car or think too much about being smooth. You just drive.
In terms of engines, the Toyota’s three-cylinder is the more characterful unit. It sounds fruitier from factory, the exhaust has a proper presence at idle, and it does not rely on fake noise being pumped into the cabin. It has that old-school boosty character, which makes it feel more special in many ways.
The Civic Type R’s engine is less characterful at low speeds, and without artificial sound enhancement, there would not be much drama in the cabin. But once the FL5 gets past 4,000 rpm, there is still a bit of that VTEC-like sensation where the engine wakes up and really starts to haul. The top end is more satisfying than the Toyota’s, even if the Toyota has the more interesting sound and personality overall.
As daily cars, the Honda pulls further ahead. Comfort is no contest. The FL5 rides better (in comfort mode), feels more refined and is simply easier to live with. Both are perfectly daily-drivable, but the Honda’s lighter clutch, more expensive-feeling ride quality, and more refined engine make it less effortful day to day.
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Tyre noise is not great in either car, but the FL5 still feels like the more premium product. It is more spacious, better built and has nicer materials. The driving position in both cars is excellent, but the Honda makes you feel more cocooned with its superb seats and relatively low hip point.
The infotainment system is better integrated in the Honda too, whereas the GR Corolla’s unit feels aftermarket. Audio system is disappointing in the FL5. Some markets get Bose, but without it, the sound quality is below average. Surprisingly, the GR Corolla’s audio system is more acceptable. Not great, but more dynamic than the Honda’s.
Let’s get really nitpicky about the FL5. The electronic parking brake does not automatically disengage when throttle is applied. The fake engine noise doesn’t sound good at all. There is no middle rear seat and no rear air vents, but neither does the GR Corolla. The suede steering wheel will not age gracefully with use. The headlight beam is not as even or nicely spread as the GR Corolla’s projectors. And yes, there is still a boy-racer image attached to the Civic Type R, whether fair or not.
On the topic of price, the FL5 Civic Type R is officially priced at RM 399,900, while the GR Corolla is RM 368,950. On the grey market, both can now be found in the RM 250k range. In other words, if you can afford one, you can probably afford the other. So this becomes less about value and more about what kind of performance car you actually want.
Neither car is a proper teaching tool to drive. To me, only a rear-wheel drive car can properly teach you about balance, throttle control and what the rear axle is doing. But between these two, the Civic Type R feels more willing to work with you in pursuit of speed, while the GR Corolla can sometimes feel like it is simply preventing you from yourself.
The Civic Type R is not some raw, intimidating machine either. In fact, it is just easy to drive quickly. It is so capable and so refined that you could argue it flatters the driver just as much as the GR Corolla. But it also has a precision and completeness that the Toyota does not quite match.
The GR Corolla is the more versatile toy because it can do things the FL5 simply cannot. If gymkhana is a major part of your life, or if you regularly drive on loose and low-grip surfaces, the Toyota has a set of tools the Honda simply does not offer. In those scenarios, the GR Corolla would really shine.
Perhaps that is the answer. If you want the car that can do more silly things, buy the GR Corolla. If you want the car that feels better almost every time you get in and drive, buy the Civic Type R.
For me, that makes the FL5 the better car. And this is coming from someone who still thinks the rear axle should be doing more of the work.
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Honda Civic Type R FL5 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre VTEC Turbo inline-four
Power: 319 PS
Torque: 420 Nm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Drivetrain: Front-wheel drive
Price: RM 399,900
We like: Exceptional precision, superb high-speed stability, refined ride, better cabin quality, lighter clutch, easier daily usability, more spacious and practical
We don’t like: FWD remains one-dimensional by nature, fake engine noise, +R mode too stiff for Malaysian roads, no middle rear seat, no rear air vents, poor standard audio, expensive through official channels
Toyota GR Corolla MT Specs
Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder
Power: 300 hp
Torque: 400 Nm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Drivetrain: GR-Four all-wheel drive
Price: RM 368,950
We like: AWD versatility, mechanical handbrake, fruitier engine character, lovely control weightage, more interesting trick set, compact size, strong security and traction
We don’t like: Less refined than the FL5, feels reluctant to rotate, suspension bucks over larger compressions, less spacious and premium inside, engine feels more at home in the GR Yaris, infotainment feels slightly aftermarket