New Honda Civic Type R review: Is it really better?

The time has finally come for Mat to get his hands on the new Honda Civic Type R!

So let’s take a look at what you get with Honda’s all-new hot hatch. In terms of the design, it’s easily recognisable as the Type R instead of the regular Civic. Up front it comes with a vent in the bonnet, red Honda badging across the grille, more vents and wider wheel arches. Around the back, you’ll find a massive rear wing, coupled with a deeper bumper and even a diffuser!

On the inside, the Type R is pretty damn striking. It comes with red carpets, red floor mats, red ambient lighting, and red sports seats! It also comes with bespoke digital dials with LED shift lights, and you’ll find a steering wheel covered in fake suede and red stitching. There’s metallic trim around the centre console, and of course, it comes with a brushed aluminium gear knob.

So with so many changes to the looks and interior, you’d expect a whole lot of changes under the bonnet, right? Well, not exactly. The new Type R is equipped with the same 2-litre 4-cylinder turbo as its predecessor. However, it at least comes with a new turbocharger and straighter exhaust, which all-in-all helps it produce 329hp - 10hp more than before! But that’s not all, you’ll also get 420Nm… 20Nm more than before.

One other thing has increased compared to the predecessor. It’s the price, with the new Civic Type R starting from £47,000 - £12,000 more than its predecessor!! So is it worth it? You’ll have to join Mat for this all-new review and see for yourself!

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:37 Engine
01:11 0-60mph
01:29 Chassis
03:13 Country Road Driving
05:15 Design
07:20 Price
08:06 Interior
09:13 Back Seats
10:05 Boot
10:35 5 Annoying Things
12:13 5 Cool Things
13:55 Motorway Driving
14:50 Town Driving
15:44 Verdict

[vibhasreddykatta]

This is by far the most mature looking type R in my opinion.

[arronhorwood]

Had an EP3 Type R since I was 20. And for the past 17 years it’s served me impeccably well. This is the only one since I’ve liked the look of.

[Kataru.]

Hearing Mat compare a car to something random at the beginning of a video makes my day.

[Tokyuuu]

I actually caught one of these on the road earlier today, and no joke....it's a good looking car!
I'm not normally a big Honda fan, but I'm a fan of this new build!

[renllanfair]

I have waited for this review for months! Happy that Mat said 'I f**king love this car' (expected though).
I am so lucky that I can buy the Type R for ￡31k in Japan. The price in the UK is outrageous.

[josephwalker]

Love the comedy that comes along with great information. I enjoy the few laughs that come with each episode.

[Gandalf]

I've long (secretly) wanted a Honda Civic Type R. I like the fact that Matt loves this version. I am tempted. Very.

[djc]

I remember buying a Type R in 2005 & paid 17k (it had air con so was 1k more), it was a ridiculously fun car & a good price. This thing looks good & is obviously a good car (I definitely take Mat's word on that), but the price is, in my opinion, way o.t.t.

[Tommah]

It's more expensive because they stopped building them in Swindon so we pay the export premium now, the engine's made in the US and final assembly's in Japan. Got the FK8 myself and still adore it but with a price jump that significant is pretty painful.

[VarunSrinivas]

finally a Type R which looks mature... this generation will age really well.

[okithdesilva]

The new Honda Civic Type R looks so cool, sporty and aggressive!

[photosmithy]

I used to have a Dc2 type R as a daily driver for 16 years. Love the grown up look of this one so much.

[LexPlayzMC]

I've never really cared that much for the type R, but I actually really like this one!

[DontReadMyProfilePicture]

The Type R has never been my favorite but this video lowkey changed my mind!

[jmzflem]

can't understand why the old one gets so much stick. I think it looks absolutely great!

[tomwilliams]

Agreed, far too expensive compared to FK8. I like the distinctive looks of my 19 reg FK8 in which the body coloured wing does not look too out of place in Polished Metal colour. I like the car even more now the original oem Continental Contact 6 tyres, all with 3m tread depth at 15k miles, have recently been replaced with Michelin Pilot Sport 4s tyres. The Michelin tyres have a more dampened steering feel, which I prefer, they are quieter, more comfortable & do not chunk when turning in cold weather. Michelin do not recommend their use below 5 deg C but I had to use my car today when temperature was minus 3 deg C & car felt secure driven sensibly. I have a Honda space saver spare fitted which does not reduce the boot space by much. Rather pleased the FL5 is much more expensive than FK8 as it will help my car retain its value. Being a mature driver I prefer the muted exhaust sound of my FK8 to a raucous anti-social sound.

[yissibiiyte]

That thing's enormous. It's supposed to be a compact hatch, now it's a full-size sedan

[Bmontepeque]

I know this is unbelievably expensive but this is my favorite Hot Hatch. Honda Civics are just amazing <3

[manishkalla]

As always superb review..was waiting for it

[doctordryan]

Honda engineers are undoubtedly some of the auto world's best.