The Honda Civic Type R has been a major source of euphoria for gearheads right from its launch in 1997 till now. Also, with the release of the newly upgraded version of the car, America finally gets the best hot hatch the market has to offer. The Civic Type R is famously known to possess extremely high-performance capabilities while also remaining relatively affordable.
Notably, the evolution of the Honda Civic Type R is awash with several upgrades and improvement updates which has seen the car evolve from being a predominantly Japanese high-performance sport compact car in its early production times to one of the most iconic and revered hot hatch currently being produced in the world. Like others before it, the new Type R uses a front-wheel-drive system and undisputedly remains the best Type R ever for its incredible combination of some of the awesome features listed here.
10 Powertrain
The new Honda Civic Type R retains the awesome powertrain from the preceding model – this strong and powerful engine has performed admirably well over the years, hence, Honda has left it unchanged for its newly upgraded Type R. The engine is an amazing 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder that is good for a massive 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque.
The engine made the Type R lineup for 2017 when the car was made available in the American market. The immense power generated through this engine is supplied to the car’s front wheels through a 6-speed manual transmission.
9 Gearshift
Honda is leaving no stone unturned in making the Type R as sporty as possible and this can be seen even in the fabrication of the gearshift. The car’s gearshift is made with aluminum and molded in an attention-grabbing teardrop shape. This makes transitioning between gears a smooth and soothing process with short delightful throws.
Also, covering the gear compartment is a piece of Alcantara material sewn neatly together with a red thread. The teardrop-shaped aluminum gearshift is like how they were designed back in the days and has a 90g counterbalance weight.
8 Optional Drive Modes
The Type R is preprogrammed with three different drive modes suitable for different moods while ensuring a top-level driving experience. They are the Sport, Comfort, and +R drive modes. The Sport mode is the default. In this mode, the dampers are firm – which is great and handy for flat cornering, traction-control is fully engaged, and the response from the drive-by-wire throttle is powerful and direct.
The Comfort mode provides a more subtle and sane ride while +R is the meanest, operating with a complete hands-on approach and also has the firmest damp setting.
7 Steering Wheel
Steering wheels aren’t features that elicit euphoria in car owners and that’s due in part to how crafty and comfortable they are generally built across boards in modern cars. However, in the Civic Type R, the steering is built even way better. Honda crafted the Type R’s steering in an immaculately sporty design which is then wrapped in Alcantara – a cool upgrade on the leather steering from earlier models.
The feel is amazing and the grip is awesome. The Alcantara-laden steering wheel is then adorned in black and red color combinations.
6 Wheels And Brakes
The new Type R is so cool even to the wheels. The hot hatch is fitted with relatively big 20-inch aluminum-alloy wheels featuring 245/30ZR20 high-performance Continental SportContact 6 tires elegantly wrapped around it. These tires are special designed to handle enormous pressure even during great speed while also providing an adequate amount of road grip.
Great speed requires great control, hence, for effective braking, the Type R uses a new 2-piece floating disc which does a better braking job than the Brembo brakes in the older models.
5 Infotainment
Premium infotainment is almost non-negotiable in modern automobiles and even be a deal-breaker for some enthusiasts. Although the new Honda Civic doesn’t have the most awesome infotainment package obtainable in modern cars, however, it’s simple and quite efficiently designed. Highpoints of the infotainment include the red-themed 7.0-inch touchscreen with a special appearance for each drive mode.
Also, the interface features a volume knob and a plethora of other physical buttons used in navigating through features like the Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, stereo, and integrated navigation.
4 Honda Sensing
Driving for quite a long time often leads to fatigue and low mental alertness which could result in an accident. To mitigate such, Honda has introduced a host of driver assistance and collision-averting technologies into most of its newly released cars – it’s called Honda Sensing.
This technology which is programmed to call drivers’ attention to things they might have missed while on a trip is available in the Civic Type R and it includes features like lane-departure warning, Collision Braking System, and adaptive cruise control among others. Honda Sensing is a standard feature in the Type R.
3 Honda LogR
For the new Civic Type R, Honda has introduced an all-new data logging app called the Honda LogR™. This app helps the driver record day to day driving activities and also provides driver’s assessment through scores or ratings. The app is downloaded on the phone and accessed through the infotainment screen.
The app can be engaged through the Performance Monitor on the infotainment screen, the Log Mode with records of lap times, as well as the Auto Score which is an algorithm-backed driving assessment by Honda. LogR™ is available for Apple and Android phones.
2 Racy Seats
The Type R seats are extremely comfortable and sporty. The driver’s seat is set up pretty nicely for the best vantage point needed for safe driving. Also, for the driver and passenger, the Type R features racy seats with manual controls and firm but comfy bolsters which make the seats suitable for everyday or long-distance driving.
The backseat has plenty of space comfortable enough for adults of all sizes. Notably, the backseats are available in black while the front racy seats are a mixture of black and red. Also, all the seats are fitted with red seatbelts.
1 Red Badge
While it doesn’t add any functionality to the car, the red Honda badge featured on the Type R is just as important as the performance-oriented features that make the car one of the hottest automobiles around. Depicting performance, the red badge has a huge significance on Honda cars and its origin can be traced back to the company’s first Formula One participation in the 1960s.
The Honda race car used in the competition had the red badge which has since become a regular feature in Honda performance cars as a tribute to the company’s racing heritage.