Honda Civic Type-R: Reviews and more
The 2020 Honda Civic Type R is the latest in a lineage of high-performance hatchbacks that dates back to the Japanese automaker’s first foray into motorsports. In the late 1980s, Honda built its first racing car from scratch and immediately began dominating against rivals like Porsche and Nissan. That car was dubbed the “Type R,” and it marked a turning point for Honda as it became one of the most respected sports-car manufacturers on Earth. It has remained so ever since, even if it hasn’t always been easy to buy one Stateside (until recently). With all this history behind its newest creation, can this latest version live up to those legendary expectations?
Can the Honda Civic Type R go back to its racing roots?
Most people consider the Honda Civic Type R to be a high-performance version of the popular compact sedan, but that’s not exactly true. The Type R was actually first introduced in 1997 as a dedicated race car for the European market.
It was later modified for road use, which is why it has four doors and can easily fit five passengers—but it still features no back seat. The original concept car had two bucket seats up front, each with its own harnesses so that drivers would feel more connected to their vehicle on track days.
The 2017 model year continues this tradition by offering only one key fob for its owner: if you lose yours, you can’t open your car door because there isn’t another way inside!
Are you ready for the 2020 Civic Type R?
The 2020 Civic Type R is a performance car. Boasting the fastest and most powerful Honda ever, it’s meant to be driven hard, not just admired from afar. Here are some of its key features:
- 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque
- Manual transmission with rev-matching technology and paddles
- Aluminum hood scoop that channels air into ducts under the front bumper for improved cooling and reduced drag
How's the powertrain for the Civic Type R?
The Honda Civic Type R is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 306bhp and 295 lb-ft of torque. This power is sent to the front wheels through a six-speed manual transmission as standard, but there’s also an optional 10-speed automatic transmission available.
The engine itself is based on Honda’s Earth Dreams technology, which means it uses direct injection, variable valve timing, and cylinder deactivation to make it more efficient than other engines on the market with similar outputs. The result is impressive: the Type R returns 34 mpg in combined cycle driving (32 mpg for manual cars) and CO2 emissions of 169 g/km (168g/km for manuals).
What about the handling of the Civic Type R?
The Civic Type R’s handling is excellent. It’s very responsive and has a lot of grips, which makes it fun to drive. In fact, the car’s most impressive feature may be its ability to corner at speed without any body roll or loss of grip. The steering is also quite responsive and offers good feedback—it feels great when cornering at high speeds because you’re always aware of what’s happening with the front wheels as they move around on their suspension mounts. You also have plenty of power at your disposal when accelerating out of corners; not only does this make you feel like an F1 driver, but it also gives you confidence as you approach each turn knowing that your car will perform well even if you push hard through it. You’ll enjoy how much torque there is when exiting corners too—this makes it easy for drivers who aren’t used to driving fast cars like this one to get up to speed quickly while maintaining control over the vehicle’s movements (and avoiding spin-outs!).
Will Honda sell me a Civic Type R?
If you’re interested in buying a Honda Civic Type R, there are two ways to go about it. You can buy it from a Honda dealer or you can buy it from a used car dealer.
As a limited-edition vehicle with only so many on the road at any given time (and since they’re pretty expensive), the Civic Type R isn’t available at every dealership across North America. The best way to find one is by doing some research online and going directly to your local dealer and asking if they have one for sale—you’d be surprised how many times that works out!
How does the latest version of this iconic car compare to its predecessors?
The latest version is the fastest and most powerful Civic Type R to date, with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. This makes it faster than some high-end sports cars like the BMW M3/M4 or Corvette ZR1 as well as many other performance sedans such as the Mercedes C63 AMG S and Audi RS5. In fact, it’s even faster around our figure-eight test track than the Porsche 718 Cayman S, which costs more than twice as much!
However, if speed isn’t what matters most to you, then perhaps the value is more important—and for that reason, we’d recommend looking at an older model instead. The previous generation Type R came in both hatchback and sedan body styles but was discontinued after 2017; however, it still offers plenty of performance at an affordable price tag thanks to its naturally aspirated 2-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine making 306 horsepower along with 280 lb-ft torque on tap while returning up to 30 combined MPG highway EPA estimated mpg rating (which means less expensive fill ups). In fact, our own tests found it could accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 4 seconds flat making this model just as fast off-road course handling yet also offering better fuel economy during daily driving situations despite having similar power output numbers when compared side by side against last year’s model year units.
Conclusion
For those of you who have been waiting for a new Honda Civic Type R, you’re in luck! The latest version of this iconic car is here and it has some pretty big shoes to fill. We think that the 2020 model will do just fine though, as it looks like a great blend of performance and comfort that drivers will love.
