Be careful. You don’t want to poke your eye out or something.
This is the new Honda Civic Type R, a machine that arrives to us at long last, marking perhaps the apogee of the golden age of performance compact car. The Type R designation arrived with the Acura NSX, came to our shores with the raw-as-heck Integra Type R (dear collectors: buy one immediately), and now we finally get a full-strength Civic.
As the current Civic hatchback already looks like an earthquake at an anime convention, the Type R variant has exactly zero subtlety. It looks like getting stabbed feels.
However, if you can get past the boy-racer looks, this is an absolutely excellent car. After a few years of wandering in the wilderness with cars that lack that certain unidentifiable zip, Honda is back.
Just, y’know, watch out for your eyeballs.
Design
Like a masterful jazz solo, any great design is more about the notes you don’t hit than the ones you do. However, in the case of the Type R, what we have is an orchestra falling down a staircase.
Make that several staircases. And off a cliff.
In addition to a massive front spoiler, widened bodywork, and a huge rear wing, the Type R also gets roof vanes, a hood scoop, sideskirts, extra vents, and a triple rear exhaust that’s a bit like that of a Ferrari F40. There is literally nothing else Honda could have added to make this little car more aggressive, short of a rocket launcher.
On the plus side, the Fast and Furious crowd will probably love it. I drove this week’s tester around Montreal for a week, and the number of average people who liked it was surprisingly high.
Just a couple of colours are available in Canada, and I highly suggest you don’t bother trying to hide the styling by buying a black one. Embrace your inner Dom Toretto and go for the Championship White. It’s the traditional Honda racing colour.
Environment
Because the Type R is based on the standard Civic hatchback, it’s surprisingly practical. They’ve removed the middle seat in the rear, but you still have all the usefulness of a rear hatch and a clever rear luggage cover that retracts to the side.
The seats are heavily bolstered, as much as the Ford Focus RS or more. However, they’re also much more comfortable than in the Ford. I put a couple of 1,000-plus kilometre days in the Type R, and it was never a chore.
The infotainment is the same as in the mid-grade Civic, and that means you’re going to rely on Apple CarPlay or Android more than the onboard controls. It works fine, it’s just not as slick as, say, Hyundai’s setup.
Of course, you don’t buy a Type R for the onboard entertainment, but for how entertaining it is to drive. And on that note, I have some very good news.
Performance
The Type R remains front-wheel drive, which is an immediate no-no for many performance enthusiasts. I get it: I drive an all-wheel drive machine and in most cases, a front-driver is a lot less fun than AWD or (even better) rear-wheel drive.
However, Honda has done a couple of things to address the tendency of a front-wheel-drive machine to understeer and spin tires coming out of a corner. The suspension geometry up front has a dual axis, the better to improve traction.
Further, front-wheel drive has an ace up its sleeve compared to AWD and RWD: there’s less parasitic power loss without driveshafts and extra driven tires. Independent dyno tests also seem to show that the Type R’s power has been underrated.
Officially making 306 horsepower at 6,500 r.p.m. and 295 foot-pounds of torque from 2,500 to 4,500 r.p.m., the Type R’s 2.0-litre turbocharged engine seems to be making more like 300 h.p. at the wheels. That makes it fast enough to put down some serious trap speeds in the quarter-mile.
However, where it really shines is the track. There’s just so much grip – more than a g’s worth. Getting on the power early is easy, and the VTEC surge as you approach redline means you get to enjoy both the torque from boost, and a high-rev pull.
It’s exhilarating. Add in excellent steering and brakes that perform lap after lap, and you’ve got the makings of a fresh-out-of-the-box track rat.
The problem is, most track-oriented cars are complete garbage when you put them on the road. Despite the standard 20-inch wheels, the Type R bucks the trend, and is just as comfortable as the base Civic. The secret is in the adjustable dampers, something you’d expect to find on a Porsche, but perhaps not a Honda.
With three driving modes to choose from, the Type R works just as well as a commuter as it does a screamer. It’s an utterly fierce Honda, but it’s still a Honda.
Features
At $40,890, the Type R is a lot of money for a front-wheel-drive hatchback. However, do the currency conversion, and it’s actually cheaper up here than it is in the U.S. Further, down there, dealers are trying to upcharge as production is limited. Maybe it’s not a totally sensible choice, but rarity means it’ll hold its value.
Fuel economy figures are 10.6 (litres/100 kilometres) in the city and 8.3 on the highway, with premium fuel required. You’ll burn a lot more when you’re boosting it, but the highway mileage is achievable.
Green light
Blisteringly fast; a weapon on the track; still relatively comfortable and practical.
Stop sign
Crazy styling; pricey; weirdly quiet exhaust.
The Checkered Flag
The ultimate Honda Civic, now available in Canada.
Competitor
Ford Focus RS ($48,418): Until Subaru decides to grace us with a hatchback variant of the WRX/STI again, the Focus RS is the hottest hatch on the block. With 350 h.p. and a clever all-wheel-drive system, it can put the hurt on dedicated sports cars at the track.
However, the Focus is getting a little long in the tooth, and the RS is really quite expensive. It’s a great car, and bound to be a legend after Ford discontinues it.
