You cannot buy a faster, more powerful Honda than the Civic Type R. From the roots
of sensible Civic transportation a performance tree has blossomed, lovingly
nurtured by a mighty 2-liter turbocharged engine, a thoroughly
reworked suspension, three-mode adaptive dampers, Continental summer performance
tires, and robust four-piston Brembo brake calipers, the cumulative result of
Honda's tuning effort is a quick and sophisticated expression of vehicular
bliss offered at a reasonable sum. For a driving aficionado and ex-S2000 owner like
me the Type R should be a slam-dunk. Except, when I was picking up the car before I
even sat in the driver's seat a little kid walked by wearing a spider-man
backpack and screamed "look mommy, a race car" To be fair, that
kid was both correct and adorable but it made me wonder, is the Type R designed
for full-grown adults or preteen Hot Wheel fanatics and Johnny Tran wannabes?
More succinctly, am I getting too old to drive something so ludicrously styled?
What do I mean? Well, like layers of frosting on a
hatchback cake, the Type R is slathered with faux carbon-fiber front and side
splitters, a conspicuous rear diffuser, three exhaust tips for some reason,
vortex generators, matte black 20-inch wheels wrapped in low-profile tires
housed in wide vented fenders, and, like a cherry on top, a novelty sized wing. Does
the most powerful of Honda's need to look like this? I'm guessing not but the
air scoop does help cool the engine and the hood it's mounted to is made of
aluminum saving, 11.7 pounds versus the Civic's regular steel hood. The wide
fenders are necessary to accommodate a track that's 2.1 inches wider in front
and 1.2 inches wider in the rear, vortex generators help guide air to the wing,
and the wing does create handy downforce when exploring the Type R's roughly 170
mile per hour top speed. So while it might look ridiculous there's enough
purpose in the Civic Type R's design that you have talking points when your
clients ask "why did you show up to the meeting in a race car?"
Inside, the racy theme continues with red accents galore and a neat serial
plate found on every Type R but function takes priority. The thick,
flat-bottom steering wheel is satisfying to grip and the manually adjustable
front seats accommodate shoulder harnesses for serious track duty and are
brilliantly supportive without resorting to the super beefy lower torso side
bolsters that some performance cars have that impede my arms when I steer.
Thankfully the Type R isn't nearly as abusive as it looks.
Employ the comfort drive mode and you'll enjoy reasonable steering efforts, easy
throttle response, and a ride that's firm but thoroughly tolerable. As you expect
sport mode tightens the suspension and steering but if you want to drive like a
madman or madwoman consider R mode. It's the absolutely right choice if you
need to lose Dom Toretto on your way to the spark and firework factory.
R mode makes the ride racetrack stiff, heavies up the steering, and alters the
automatic rev matching feature for even reviier rev matching. On that note every
Type R comes with a delightfully precise manual transmission. Think of the
shifter and clutch pedal as velvet ropes guarding the Type R. If you want to party
you got to do the manual dance. Upstream from the transmission is the Type R's
2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. If you're curious
here's the fuel economy numbers. And moving on, to make sure all that power isn't
wasted through the sound of one wheel spinning there's a limited slip diff.
Because two spinning tires are better than one or at least they would be if
the Civic Type R didn't hold its revs in a very specific spot and not allow me to
do a sweet burnout, which is why I'm going to leave quickly
instead of dramatically. This is the thing I was talking about. When I floor
it, the revs stay at 3,500 rpm. That's probably good for the drivetrain but
it's not so good for smoke burnouts.
As the most powerful production Honda to ever grace North America the Civic
Type R has the moxi to blast from stoplight to stoplight with real purpose
but it's important to set expectations. The Type R's sub six second 0-60 spirits
are quick but choose your battles wisely. All-wheel drive competitors like
the Ford Focus RS, VW Golf R, and Subaru WRX STI are notably quicker off the line
but are also somewhat more expensive. I've also noticed that if you accelerate to
redline, after the up shift, it takes a short beat before full thrust kicks in.
It's kind of exhilarating but it sort of makes me miss the high-rev linearity of
my old s2000. Nonetheless the Civic Type R is a fine tool for stoplight
shenanigans. And for some drivers that'd be enough but some of us like to turn.
How does the Type R turn? Like this!
Huh. Yeah, I just drifted the Type R. I really did too! The Type R's variable
ratio steering is slower on center, making it more stable on straights and
quicker off-center allowing you to negotiate corners with less steering
lock. In R Mode efforts are a little heavy but overall the steering feels
wonderful. But perhaps the best part of the Type R is the brakes. The pedal
has essentially zero dead space and just like the steering it feels amazing. Brake.
With 13.8 inch front rotors the brakes return consistent powerful deceleration
and look, the four piston front calipers are already red so ya don't have to
paint them yourself. What's remarkable to me is the general lack of torque steer.
Apparently, the Type R's unique front suspension reduces steering axis offset
and apparently that helps.
Look, virtually no torque steer.
Not bad for 306 horsepower. And now I should steer, there's a corner. In a track
environment the Civic Type R is fast, fun, and exceptionally well sorted. Yeah
understeer is still a thing but it's not nearly as bad as you might expect. If I
was looking for a track day car and I felt like driving the front wheels this
would be the one. Applied to a race track the Civic Type R's technical
prowess and comparatively light curb weight shine and yet it's equally at
home on the streets, supported by an odd measure of practicality. After all,
underneath all these pointy bits hides a Civic hatchback with abundant cargo
space and spacious rear seats, though I wish there were three instead of two.
For a little less than $35,000 the Honda Civic Type R includes LED
headlights and fog lights, smart key access with push button start, dual-zone
climate control, and a seven-inch touchscreen offering Apple CarPlay and
Android Auto but not a volume knob. The Honda Sensing suite of active safety
features found on most Civics is sadly not included on the Type R but you never
know what the future might hold. Despite its competitors lures the Honda
Civic Type R is a neat proposition. Spawned from a superb foundation, this
little guy is fast, engaging, reasonably-priced, and oddly sensible.
It's a glorious be-winged ball of fun. So what can we learn from the Civic Type
R?
One lesson is that from simple beginnings greatness can emerge.
Perhaps another more important lesson is that if you're going to look ridiculous
you better have a good reason.