10 Ways the New Honda Civic Type R Lives Up to the Hype

Fed up to 23.2 psi of boost, this engine cranks out 306 horsepower at 6500 rpm and 295 lb-ft of torque from 2500 to 4500 rpm, and it revs to a mere 7000 rpm, measly by historical hot-Honda standards. This is the type of engine that is making us all lazy drivers. You don’t have to work for the power here, as much of the time you needn’t bother downshifting, the engine pulling strongly at low revs where an earlier Honda performance engine would leave you hanging. Partisans and purists beware.

The odd center-exit exhaust isn’t just styling. The fat outer two pipes are the primary exhaust routing. The smaller center pipe connects to a resonator tucked just behind the bumper cover. At relatively low engine speeds, air flows through the outer pipes and the resonator/center pipe, which adds some raspiness to the engine’s note. At high engine speeds, exhaust air flows almost exclusively through the main pipes, bypassing the resonator and reducing, says Honda, any booming noises. This is done without butterfly valves in the exhaust. Exhaust pressure alone effects the change.

This much twisting force in a front-wheel-drive car should result in epic levels of torque steer, but it doesn’t. Instead of limiting torque or deadening the steering to prevent or mask torque steer, Honda went for a mechanical solution, pictured above on the left. Out goes the conventional front-axle strut suspension of standard Civics, as seen on the right. In its place Honda bolts a more complex (and no doubt more expensive) arrangement similar to Ford's RevoKnuckle and GM's HiPer Strut suspensions.

This being a car with a capital R at the end of its name, the springs are stiffer than a standard Civic’s by a seemingly crazy 200 percent up front and 160 percent in the rear. The anti-roll bars are 170 percent stiffer up front and 240 percent in back. Add in stiffer bushings all around and you have a recipe for the worst ride quality this side of pretty much every tuner car we’ve ever driven. But ride quality actually is quite good.

The Type R never reminds you that it’s the most highly tuned version of a lesser car. Helping in this regard are electronically adjustable dampers that can be switched in combination with the three driving modes: Comfort, Sport, and +R. There’s a subtle but meaningful difference among the three settings, but overall the ride-and-handling balance is kept within a pretty tight spectrum. It never goes floppy but also never goes into spouse-annoying stiffness.

Honda apparently knew what it was doing since you don’t once think about the steering while driving the Type R. The variable-ratio, dual-pinion steering rack uses beefier tie-rod ends and a thicker steering shaft. The amount of steering assistance also varies with the driving-mode selector, but the differences in the three modes are not dramatic. Any of the three settings of this electrically assisted steering yields excellent response and fidelity and even a touch of feel. It simply feels natural.

By our measurements, the Type R’s model-specific seats are one million times more comfortable than the Recaros that Ford bolts into its high-performance Focuses. Because visual subtlety is not really the Type R’s bag, these seats are available only covered in bright-red cloth, no matter the car’s paint color.