Honda is also expanding the availability of Civic's optional six-speed manual transmission to the hatchback's top Sport Touring trim. Inside, there are a few new features in different trims (a power-adjustable driver's seat in EX trims, for example) plus additional sound insulation, which should help quell some of the road noise complaints we've had with this current model. This year, the Civic hatch gets front and rear styling updates that include revised foglight housings and blacked-out front trim accents. It makes a trip to Hell heavenly.While most Civics stay par for the course in 2020, the hatchbacks get a host of updates - several of which debuted on other body styles last year. As the ’Ru moves toward a 2022 model with an estimated 400 horsepower, the Type R will be challenged.įor now, though, there’s no beating a hot hatch for convenience. With all-wheel drive (a $2,000 value), the Subie puts the power down better in slick conditions while offering similar horsepower and interior room. Sure you want a smaller 306-horse Audi S3 for $10,000 more? Subaru STI, however, will match Type R’s price, while also packing impressive standard features. The notchy, manual box is the best thing this side of a Porsche, and the tranny automatically rev-matched on downshifts so I didn’t fuss with heel-and-toe.Īll this capability in a $38,000 package. Its 295-pound feet of torque might have ripped the front tires out of their fenders were it not for modern electronics and clever suspension engineering.Įxiting slippery turns in second gear, I could easily get wheelspin, but R never felt out of sorts. I had dialed the mode-select switch to Race (what did you think R stood for?) and the 2.0-liter turbo-4 roared with hunger. But when the road surface unexpectedly changed from concrete to greasy asphalt - briefly causing the R to skitter laterally - there was no nervous tail wag like a rear-wheel drive car.įlattening the throttle onto Route 23, the heretofore quiet cabin erupted. As I dialed in more throttle, the front-wheel drive system predictably pushed. 23 South.ĭespite roads slicked by spring rain, Type R danced around the 180-degree downhill turn, its chassis flat as a pancake. The Type R’s lightweight 3,121 pounds was evident as I assaulted the Exit 148A clover leaf upon exiting I-96 for U.S. But the Type R rocket ship has 1.5 inches more rear legroom than a midsize Acura TLX luxury sedan, for goodness sake, while weighing 500 pounds less with 16 more horsepower. My first hot-hatch was a cramped two-door VW GTI. That thoughtfulness is matched up front by a configurable console of sliding cupholders and cubbies. It adds sub-cargo storage and a pull-across shade to conceal items in the cargo bay that makes the common snap-on shade seem needlessly complicated. The hatchback’s utility is self-explanatory (a big reason SUVs are so popular today), but Civic goes a step further. Who needs a fancy-pants premium navigation system? I plugged in my phone and told Google Assistant to take me to Hell. Payne found the R’s roomy, thoughtful interior a laudable travel companion (even as she feared how quickly it could turn, Hyde-like, into a highway heathen).Ĭivic’s infotainment commands trail recent segment entries like the Nissan Sentra and Subaru Impreza, but standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto neutralize that advantage in a jiffy. And while the ride is expectedly firm, Mrs. Adaptive cruise is standard, even with a manual transmission.Īt stoplights I had to blip the engine a couple of times to make sure the engine hadn’t stalled, so quiet is the idle. (I’ll get to other, more aggressive modes in a bit). Despite a hungry bark at startup that exhales through a trio of center-mounted exhaust pipes, the Type R is quite civilized to drive in Comfort mode. Yet as I set out on my journey to Hell, the Type R felt more Civic than R-rated. Open the door and the red bolstered seats warn this thing is devil’s spawn. Type R telegraphs its road-carving abilities. Sharp angles were everywhere from its front splitter fangs to its rocker panels to the twin shark-fin endplates that held the rear wing. My black ’n’ Championship White menace looked like it had been assembled from a drawer-full of knives.
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