Overview

The regular Honda Civic is such a good car – spacious, efficient, great to drive – that we crowned it the Parkers Car of the Year in our 2023 awards. We like it because of how well put together it is, how comfortable it is, and how good it is at doing a long journey.

Well, the new Civic Type R takes that formula and pumps it up with more steroids than your local gym to make a pumped-up, hardened, rip-snorting hot hatchback out of the practical family car we love.

Its main rivals are other front-wheel drive hot hatches such as the Ford Focus ST, Volkswagen Golf GTI, Hyundai i30N, and BMW 128Ti. Then there are the all-wheel drive mega hatches like the Toyota Yaris GR, Audi RS3, BMW M135i and AMG versions of the Mercedes A-Class too.

Can the Type R add driving dynamism but keep the things we love? Or does it completely change the DNA and make it different?

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What’s it like inside?

The new interior is a handsome and neatly executed space. There’s not too much difference compared with the regular Civic’s interior, save for red seats, an alcantara steering wheel and a manual gearbox.

AMG versions of Mercedes’ A-Class feels more expensive, if also busier and more glitzy, but the materials and execution in the Civic don’t let the side down.

The seats are very good indeed. They’re heavily bolstered and firm, so you’re held tightly in place during even spirited cornering. But they’re not so narrow and restrictive that larger drivers will be uncomfortable. It’s a shame, though, that they aren’t heated. The driver sits 8mm lower in this Type R than in its predecessor, and it’s a great place to be.

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Of particular note are the buttons mounted on the steering wheel. A key touch point, they were a huge let-down in the last-generation Civic, but this time around they’re far better executed.

We’re also big fans of the feel of the major controls. The steering wheel for example, is a perfect size and the Alcantara finish adds a real premium touch. Meanwhile, the cold metal gear lever is perfectly judged in size and shape and sits in just the right place. You might need gloves for the first half hour of a winter drive, though…

The 9.0-inch touchscreen and digital dashboard display aren’t quite as polished as some rivals, yet they’re simple to use and offer decent graphics. As well as the usual luxuries such as wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, there’s even an app within the infotainment system (and available on your smartphone) that provides analysis of your on-road and track driving.

What’s it like to drive?

The main highlight here is the 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. It develops 329hp, catapulting the Type R to 62mph in 5.4 seconds. It’s a superbly fun car to drive at speed, but where it really makes us smile is in the way it feels.

The feedback through the brake pedal, the wheel and the seat of your pants delivers pure magic. Without conscious effort you’re able to brake and steer, and with a little lock and lifting of the throttle mid corner you can elicit a bit of oversteer, something not easy for a front-wheel drive car.

Getting back on the power is an entirely transparent process, the front only washing wide if you’re greedy with the throttle. And even then, the standard-fit limited-slip differential helps manage the power to the front wheels, effectively pulling you around the corner.

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The car as a whole is such a sharp and precise tool that in order to find anything comparable, you’d need to either spend three times as much on an exotic supercar or look for a heavily compromised track-focused racer.

One big improvement over the previous Civic Type R is the addition of a customisable drive mode. There’s still the Comfort, Sport and +R presets, but now Individual mode allows you to tweak various elements of the car – such as steering weight, engine sound, throttle response and dampers – to your preference.

You also get automatic rev-matching, which brings the engine revs up to meet you as you downshift. Unlike some other cars, this is active in all driving modes, not just Sport, and while some may miss the more mechanical feeling of heel-and-toeing their way down the gears it’s really well implemented here, making for a smoother experience when driving normally as well as one less thing to think about when hoofing it.

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The Civic’s ride quality in Comfort mode is miraculous. The adaptive dampers shrug off roadworks, cobbles and roadwork-scarred junctions, making it no harder to drive in town than the regular Civic. It’s exceptionally good on a long cruise, too, where the ride comfort, reasonable levels of refinement and adaptive cruise control make the miles go by with ease.

It’s also an effortlessly driveable car, too. The operation of the clutch and gearbox is super smooth and not at all spikey or hard to manage – like you might find in some performance cars – while fuel economy in the low 30s (miles per gallon) is achievable. Just be aware of the small fuel tank, as it does make for a compromised range.

What models and trims are available?

Honda’s consolidated the Type R range meaning there’s only one trim level on offer with this latest model. It comes with gadgets such as LED headlights, 19-inch alloys, a rear view camera, wireless Apple CarPlay (and wired Android Auto), a wireless phone charger and automatic high beam to name but a few. There’s also a suite of safety aids, including blindspot monitoring, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control.

What else should I know?

It’s not cheap. Prices start from around £47k, or £500-ish a month with a £11k deposit, which is roughly the same money as an all-wheel drive mega hatch or a base model Porsche Cayman.