Honda Civic Type R: Everything you need to know

Read our guide to Honda's hot hatch.

Updated Aug 25, 2020

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Here's everything you need to know about Honda's hot hatch, the Civic Type R, including the new Type R Limited Edition.

Honda Civic Type R key statistics

Model	Engine	Power	Torque	Body styles	Rating	Drive-away price
Honda Civic Type R	2.0-litre turbo VTEC four-cylinder	228kW	400Nm	Hatch	Not yet rated	$57,709
Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition	2.0-litre turbo VTEC four-cylinder	228kW	400Nm	Hatch	Not yet rated	Not yet announced

Honda Civic Type R

Quick Honda Civic facts

Honda launched the Civic Type R in 1997 as a Japanese market-only hot hatch based on the EK9 Civic. Honda has described the Type R as a race car for the road.

In April 2017, Honda set a lap record for front-wheel-drive cars at the infamous Nürburgring Nordschleife track.

As one YouTube commenter noted, the Civic secured the record with the "reliability of a Swiss watch" and the maintenance costs of an "economy car".

What to consider when buying a Honda Civic Type R

Wanting to buy a Civic Type R or Type R Limited Edition? Here are some of the key things to take note of.

Honda describes the Civic Type R as a road-going race car. Its motorsports-inspired components and features are numerous:
- A rev-matching gearbox helps improve traction in corners thanks to weight transfer caused by downshifting. Honda also says it makes the gearbox seem razor crisp.
- A front splitter, rear diffuser and side skirts.
- Centre triple exhaust.
- Black rear wing spoiler, with colour-matched end plates.
- Rear roofline vortex generators are small bumps that help improve the blending of fast-moving and slower moving air around the car's bodywork, directing a cleaner flow over the rear spoiler.
- Front vertical air ducts direct air into the wheel arches, providing brake cooling and aerodynamic benefits. You can see a video of the super clean streaming air in this video from Honda, showing a 2015 model:
These aerodynamic features are said to be "track-tested".
- A functional bonnet scoop feeds the engine bay with cool, flowing air.
- Limited slip differential (LSD) can improve cornering and grip by tightly controlling the amount of interplay between the two sides of the car.
- The agile handling system uses brakes to enhance cornering and control yaw (turning).
- The massive disc brakes are huge on the Type R. The fronts are 350mm vented types, while the rears measure 305mm. Honda fits giant Brembo four-piston aluminium brake callipers on the drive wheels. This thing should pull to a stop quite nicely.
- Race-like dials like a G-Force meter, a stopwatch for timing laps and a boost meter let you know it's not just a typical daily driver.
- Drilled alloy pedals look the part.
- Just like every performance and racing car, the Type R has bucket-style sports seats.
- The suspension system uses a MacPherson set-up at the front, with the addition of dual-axis struts. These less common damper fork designs help reduce torque steer. Their usage also helps improve cornering feel and straight-line stability. At the rear, Honda opted to use a multi-link rear suspension, giving improved handling and comfort. If that were not enough, the Civic Type R has adaptive dampers. Internal solenoids alter the flow of shock oil, allowing the driver to pick precise (but less forgiving) response or comfort settings.
- The 20-inch alloy wheels have been sized and selected to complement the suspension set-up to further ride dynamics.
Car enthusiasts know that VTEC engines, with their variable timing, are hard-revving, with some joking Honda stands for "Hold On Not Done Accelerating". The Type R gets a 2.0-litre VTEC, four-cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine.
Max power roars in at a wailing 6,500 rpm. 400Nm of torque is on tap between 2,500 and 4,500 rpm. Apparently, Honda targeted a 272 km/h top speed. 0-100km/h should take only 5.7 seconds. Car reviewers described the acceleration as never-ending and gratifying.
In the opinion of motoring journalists, the six-speed manual gearbox shifts cleanly.
Honda describes this model as the ultimate Civic Type R. Things that differentiate it from the standard Civic Type R include the following:
- Lightened 20-inch BBS alloy wheels with performance Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres (road-legal treads that are suitable for track use).
- Honda modified the suspension and damping to suit the new wheel and tyre combo as well as tweaking the steering.
- New and exclusive paint colour, Sunlight Yellow, with a black-chrome Honda badge at the rear. There's also contrasting black body panels, like the roof, wing mirrors and bonnet intake.
- Red-accented Alcantara steering wheel, with a different gear knob.
- Engineers ditch the heavy soundproofing out of the car, specifically from the following areas:
  - Roof
  - Rear hatch
  - Front bumper
  - Dashboard
- Limited quantity production, each model having a build number plaque
- Unlike other track-based hot hatches, Honda says it has kept the rear seats – holding on to some everyday practicality.
- The Type R Limited Edition model gets Honda's LogR. It's made up of a Performance Monitor (relaying vehicle information to the driver on the central screen, like the current gear, fluid temps, oil and atmospheric pressure readings and the engine intake temperatures). The Performance Monitor also has a G-meter showing the force of acceleration, braking and cornering. Log Mode is a track-focused feature. Combining GPS location info along with internal sensors, the app is designed to help the driver lap smoothly. Honda believes it will improve the driver's skills. There's also a lap time saving function. Auto Score rates how well you're lapping a track, based on acceleration, braking, turning and straight-line driving. Auto score will also work on public roads for generally bettering driving aptitude. You can see a video of LogR app here:
There's no pricing information for the Type R Limited as yet. It is coming to Australia in the first half of 2021.
For a performance model, the Civic Type R has a very reasonable spec list, including the following:
- AM/FM radio with DAB+
- Apple CarPlay with Siri Eyes Free mode
- Android Auto with Google Voice search
- Bluetooth connectivity
- One HDMI and two USB ports
- 160W, four-speaker, four tweeter sound system
- Speed-sensitive Volume Compensations (SVC)
- Cruise control with speed limiter
- LCD driver information interface with colour display
- Steering wheel-mounted controls
- Dual-zone climate control
- Drilled alloy sports pedals
- Electric parking brake with holding function
- Auto up/down electric windows
- Cargo area privacy glass
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
- Remote keyless entry
- Keyless, push-button start
- Black and red leather-bound steering wheel
- Red seatbelts
- Suede door trims
- Carbon fibre effect panels
- Tonneau cover
- Shark fin antenna
- Body colour, power-folding door mirrors with integrated LED indicators
- Rear window demister
- Auto-sensing wipers
- LED fog lights and headlights
- Dusk-sensing, auto-levelling headlamps
- LED daytime running lights (DRL)
- LED taillights
- Continental SportContact6 tyres
- Tyre repair kit
The Civic Type R has a pretty long list of safety assists and tech:
- Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
- Agile handling assist system (AHAS)
- Brake assist system, (BA)
- Electronic brake-force distribution (EBD)
- Hill start assist (HSA)
- Honda Sensing:
  - Forward collision warning (FCW)
  - Collision mitigation braking system (CBMS)
  - Lane departure warning (LDW)
  - Lane keep assist system, (LKAS)
  - Road departure mitigation system (RDM)
  - Adaptive cruise control (ACC)
- LaneWatch
- Traction control system (TCS)
- Vehicle stability assist (VSA)
- Tyre deflation warning system (DWS)
- Two ISOFIX anchors
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Multi-angle reversing camera with dynamic guidelines
- Security alarm system
- Walk-away door locking
- Airbags:
  - Front
  - Side
  - Full-length curtain

For those who want to customise their Civic Type R, Honda sells a number of optional packages:

Pack	Features	Price
Deluxe Pack	Carbon mirror caps, wing spoiler, luggage tray with divider, carbon sill trims, carbon interior kit, red front footwell light, carbon diffuser and ten-spoke forged alloy wheels	Not listed
Carbon Deluxe Pack	Carbon mirror caps, wing spoiler, luggage tray with divider, carbon sill trims, carbon interior kit, illuminated Type R sill, red front footwell light and carbon diffuser	Not listed
Exterior Pack	Carbon mirror caps and wing spoiler	Not listed
Interior pack	Luggage tray with divider, carbon sill trims, carbon interior kit, red front ambient footwell light, Type R illuminated sill	Not listed

Price

The Honda Civic Type R starts from $57,104 in NSW postcode 2000 when going for Rally Red. Premium colours cost $605 extra.

For the Type R Limited, Honda is yet to release pricing information.

Trims

Toyota GR Yaris interior shot

Currently, there's one trim grade available, the Type R. A Limited Edition model is coming in 2021, with more performance features.

Recent car reviews

Picture: Supplied

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Ben Gribbin

Ben Gribbin is an experienced automotive writer and life-long car enthusiast with a passion for restoring classic vehicles. He brings many years of experience working with and writing about cars to Finder.

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Honda Civic Type R: Everything you need to know