The 2023 Honda Civic Type R will be priced at AUD72,600 (RM220,049) drive-away in Australia, with the start of order-taking set to take place on December 1 and deliveries will begin from February next year, according to a report by Drive. Since its global debut in July, Honda Australia has received more than 4,000 registrations of interest for the FL5-generation hot hatch.

It should be noted the asking price for the new Civic Type R is AUD12,000 (RM36,373) more expensive than its predecessor, which sold for AUD60,000 (RM166,672) drive-away. Compared to the previous FK8-generation Civic Type R Limited Edition, the price differential is smaller at AUD2,600 (RM7,882).

Customers will get more for the higher price tag, including an updated version of the KC20C1 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that now makes 320 PS (315 hp or 235 kW) and 420 Nm of torque – up by 10 PS (9 hp or 7 kW) and 20 Nm. The new figures are still less than what Japan-spec models get, largely due to Australia’s fuel quality.

A six-speed transmission continues to send drive to the front wheels via limited-slip differential and the FL5 gets wider tyres (265/30 instead of 245/30), 19-inch wheels, an active sports exhaust, electronic rev-matching, adaptive suspension, Brembo brakes, improved cooling as well as a more matured design.

Standard equipment for Australia includes red and black suede upholstery, red carpets, an aluminium shift knob, Honda’s LogR track data recorder, a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system, dual-zone climate control, a wireless charger, ambient lighting and the Honda Sensing suite (autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, traffic sign recognition).

Four colours will be made available, namely Championship White, Rally Red, Sonic Grey and Crystal Black, although Boost Blue (also known as Racing Blue Pearl in Japan) will not be offered in Australia. In Japan, the Civic Type R retails for 4,997,300 yen (RM162,337), also higher than what it previously was at 4,500,360 yen (RM146,203).

Are you hoping for the new Civic Type R to be launched in Malaysia? We did get the FK8 previously (but not the facelift), which sold for RM320,000 OTR without insurance when it went on sale in November 2017 during the GST era – it increased to RM330,002 when SST came back into play. Considering the FL5 costs more in both Australia and Japan, interested parties could be paying more if, and only if, Honda Malaysia confirms its availability.

GALLERY: 2023 Honda Civic Type R (Japan market)