2023 Honda Civic Type R

　　

Honda Civic Video Shorts

by zzdcar Test Team

　　

2023 Honda Civic Type R Review

byMark TakahashiCorrespondent

　　Mark Takahashi has worked in the automotive industry since 2001. He has written thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Mark has also contributed to Motor Trend, Auto Aficionado, Chevy High Performance and several motorcycle magazines in various roles. Mark is also a juror on the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards and can be seen regularly on the zzdcar YouTube channel and sometimes representing the company in media interviews.

　　, rating written byMark TakahashiNews Editor

　　Nick Yekikian has worked in the automotive industry since 2019. He has written close to a thousand car-related articles and tested and reviewed more than 200 vehicles over the course of his career. Nick is the News Editor at zzdcar and has also contributed to MotorTrend, Automobile Magazine and Super Street. When Nick isn't zipping around town in his latest used-car find, he's probably making digital art in Photoshop or playing disc golf with friends.

　　The Honda Civic is already our favorite small car thanks to its practicality, fun-to-drive nature and appealing set of technology features. But what if your priorities trend toward sports car performance and track-day thrills? That's where the 2023 Honda Civic Type R comes in.

　　We got our first taste of the Type R in the U.S. with the last-generation Civic in 2017 even though prior models were sold overseas since 1997. This latest Type R adopts the current Civic hatchback's styling as a foundation, making it less flashy and garish than the previous generation. Under the hood is the same turbocharged four-cylinder engine, but this time around it makes 315 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. That's a marginal increase of 9 horsepower and 15 lb-ft of torque over the previous Type R. But there are subtle improvements, including an updated transmission that has a lighter flywheel and revised gate shift pattern and shift lever for cleaner and snappier shifts.

　　Combine that powertrain with a sport-tuned suspension and Brembo brakes and you've got a pretty serious performance car. The Civic Type R is incredibly fun to drive on a racetrack or your favorite twisty road, yet it's relatively affordable and easy to live with as a daily driver. It also competes with a rather small class of sporty compact cars that include the Volkswagen Golf R, Toyota GR Corolla and Hyundai Elantra N. Check out the Expert Rating below to get our test team's full report on the Type R's performance, comfort and more.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Great

　　8.6

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

9.0/10

　　How does the Civic Type R drive? Compared to the previous generation, power is up, the wheels are smaller and lighter, the chassis is stiffer, and the wheelbase is longer. All of these changes aren't grabbing headlines, but what they amount to is a car that's more capable in almost every way. At our test track, the Type R sprinted from 0 to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, which is 0.2 second quicker than the previous-generation car. That's nearly a second quicker than a manual-equipped Elantra N's 6.4-second sprint to 60 mph, but all-wheel-drive rivals like the Volkswagen Golf R and Toyota GR Corolla can both do the same deed in 5 seconds or less.

　　Hauling it down from 60 mph took just 108 feet, a standout number for a hatchback even on a relatively chilly testing day. It also bested the previous model with its 1.07 g of grip on our skidpad, which is a number cars costing twice as much can struggle to achieve.

　　Numbers aside, the new Type R is a joy to get behind the wheel of. It's more grown-up than before, and it handles with a confidence and planted nature the previous car lacked. Its combination of chuckability and face-warping grip makes it a joy to drive at any speed. All the input points are sharp and direct, too, and the steering, shift action and throttle calibration all have a coat of polish on them. The new Type R is grown-up in all the right ways, but it's lost none of the joy that made the old one such a hoot.

　　

Comfort

8.5/10

　　How comfortable is the Civic Type R? Big wheels, a stiff suspension and a stiff body should make for an awful ride, but the Type R's ride is more than acceptable given this car's sporting pretenses. It'll jostle you around a bit over rutted roads and expansion joints, but the Type R's Comfort setting helps keep things relatively supple while maintaining excellent body control.

　　The seats are the real highlight. They are at once both comfortable and incredibly supportive. But the most jarring part of the Type R experience is the amount of tire roar that makes its way into the cabin. It's noticeable at almost any speed and forces you to speak up if you want to have an in-car conversation.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below