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First drive review: Honda Civic Mugen

Tuesday, 2 August 2022

We only get the one Civic for 2021 - the Hatch Sport.
The special Civic Mugen edition does have some stylistic changes, but you need to look for them.
The special Civic Mugen edition does have some stylistic changes, but you need to look for them.
These awesome wheels are one of those changes, although they’re an optional extra.
These awesome wheels are one of those changes, although they’re an optional extra.

The new Honda Civic Type R is still a few months away at least, so Honda is offering an in-between option for those who want a sportier Civic but don’t want to wait in the form of the Civic Mugen.

Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?

Let’s rip the bandaid off early – Mugen isn’t what it used to be. Well, not really. It was established by the son of Soichiro Honda as a tuner and parts manufacturer. Despite the family ties, it’s not officially a part of Honda, but the two are very closely related.

**READ MORE:

* First drive review: Subaru WRX

* Honda reveals the crispy new Civic Type R

The exhaust and wheel combination does look pretty fantastic.
The exhaust and wheel combination does look pretty fantastic.

* The reborn Acura Integra has been revealed

* Road test review: Honda Civic Type R

Mugen badges dotted around the car are a nice touch.
Mugen badges dotted around the car are a nice touch.

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Mugen has built a number of vehicles over the years, all of which based on existing Honda models. There were the one-offs like the 1984 CR-X used to develop aftermarket parts, race-spec NSXs, weird concepts like the very orange Mugen Fit Dynamite, and rolling advertisements like the Mugen S2000.

The exhaust is a $3630 optional extra, on top of the Mugen price uptick.
The exhaust is a $3630 optional extra, on top of the Mugen price uptick.

Occasionally, it built cars to sell to real people, like the FD2-generation Civic Mugen RR, of which only 300 were made with carbon fibre trimmings inside and out, an aluminium bonnet, forged wheels, and a power bump courtesy of an engine remap, a new camshaft setup, a new intake system and a custom exhaust.

Mugen also created the RC20GT, a special tenth-generation Civic Type R that rocks an Audi-like grille, an even more intense aero package, new headlights, and revised engine and exhaust parts that up power by an unconfirmed amount. Back in March 2020, Honda NZ did say it put its hand up for some RC20GT packages, but it’s unclear if anyone bought one.

As good as the car is, it’s hard to get around that price.
As good as the car is, it’s hard to get around that price.

It did offer ten ‘Mugen Equipped’ Type Rs, which got a unique front splitter, rear diffuser, a carbon fibre spoiler, CF wing mirror caps and dots of Mugen badging. The tuner also added its own floor mats and a carbon fibre gearknob to the interior. Optional extras included performance upgrades, but the one we tested a few years ago only had the visual changes.

That brings us to the newest Civic, and the latest to get the Mugen treatment. It’s not based on the Type R, so it’s really a Mugen-lite at best.

It gets a similar parts-catalogue treatment as the Mugen Equipped, which means it has special front, side and rear underspoilers, a small bootlid spoiler, door handle protectors, and Mugen emblems dotted around the interior and exterior.

Buyers can also option on a Mugen-specific exhaust system and special forged alloy wheels, which drop 4kg of mass per corner. These do bump the cost up again though, with the exhaust adding $3630 (fitted) and the wheels a rather painful $7369. If you ticked every Mugen box, the whole thing would cost $62,999 plus on-roads. And that’s a lot for a sort-of-fast hatchback with a CVT, regardless of how good it looks or drives.

Where did you drive it?

The usual Waitakere/central Auckland gauntlet, which didn’t really tell me all that much considering the bones of the car are almost identical to the regular Civic Sport. It’s still remarkably well-sorted through corners, and the engine is a really healthy little thing.

I love this chassis, it bodes very well for the incoming Civic Type R. It’s happy as running around the roads, equally so in the middle of town.

Then there’s the transmission which, in the world of unassuming hatchbacks, is fine. It’s still a CVT, but it’s a pretty good one, as far as they go. Bit of droning and surging but nothing major.

All of that won’t be news if you’re familiar with the current Civic. It remains a fantastic $50k-ish car, and by that measure, the Mugen should only add to the package, right?

Almost. The special exhaust definitely changes the engine note, particularly at idle, but it’s still not a particularly grunty sound. To be fair, the 1.5-litre turbo isn’t exactly an engine you might want to make louder, but most of that is because of the transmission. After all, this is the same engine that Acura use for the reborn Integra over in North America, but that one gets a manual transmission. Word on the street is it goes pretty well, and a quick look on Youtube reveals it doesn’t sound half bad either.

Mugen has done a good job of ironing out the worst of the drone at speed, but that seems to have come at the expensive any roar at the top end. I’m not sure it’s added any power either… Doesn’t feel like much from the driver’s seat. Honda doesn’t claim any either.

It looks good though, as do the wheels. In fact, the whole car looks great. The standard Civic wasn’t unattractive and the Mugen bits and pieces only make it look better. Worth the $16k price bump over the standard Civic Sport, if you include the wheels and exhaust? Well, consider that price gulf and also consider the fact that Honda hasn’t priced the new Civic Type R yet.

If the Type R gets a similar $15k to $20k hike over the Mugen – which was the case back in 2020 with the older generation – does the Mugen suddenly look like better value? That’s some pretty hardcore speculating, no prices have been confirmed yet, but it pays to think about.

What’s the pick of the range?

Well, taking the “range” as the Civic Sport and the Civic Mugen, that would be the Civic. It’s largely the same car, although the Mugen’s visual additions are quite tasty. But would you go for the Mugen and not get the exhaust/wheels? I probably wouldn’t.

But also consider how bonkers the second-hand market is, especially for special editions. Used tenth-gen Civic Type Rs are selling for their as-new price, if not more, so there’s a good chance that investing in a genuine Mugen edition will pay off in the future, if you’re that way inclined.

Why would I buy it?

You love the standard Civic and want something a bit more special, and also aren’t interested in the much more sporty nature of the Type R.

Why wouldn’t I buy it?

You’ve already put a deposit down on the Civic Type R, already own a Civic Sport, or are put off by that price tag.