Used 2017 Honda Civic Type R

The 2017 Honda Civic Type R is much more than just a faster Civic. Honda took the Civic, arguably the best car in its class, and thoroughly reengineered it into a performance thoroughbred. Under the hood is a 306-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine connected to a rev-matching 6-speed manual transmission. The Civic hatchback body has been modified with structural adhesives for better rigidity, and a unique front suspension to reduce torque steer. All that wild bodywork actually increases downforce. While it’s true the Ford Focus RS is quicker in a straight line and boasts all-wheel drive, the Civic Type R costs considerably less and is far more comfortable on a day-to-day basis.

Honda’s 2017 Civic Type R is one of those rare cars that lives up to the hype of being equally adept at the daily commute and a racetrack. Around town, with the adjustable suspension set to Comfort, the Type R feels a lot like a very quick Civic. The engine offers excellent torque delivery from low revs, meaning you don’t have to constantly shift the 6-speed just to get the car moving; instead, you’ll do it just because it’s a joy to use, especially with the quick rev-matching feature. The triple-pipe exhaust system is maybe too good at its job, as there’s very little exhaust noise even at full throttle. At the track, with the drive mode set to +R, the Type R fulfills its track-ready promise. The rev-matching speeds up, the suspension stiffens, and the engine pulls strongly as the car begs you to push it harder through each corner.

The new Civic Type R steps up the interior accommodations with red-stitched Alcantara trim on the center console and doors, and red trim surrounding the vents and other areas. The Type R’s signature red Honda "H" is on the steering wheel and key fob, along with a numbered Type R plate on the center console behind the aluminum-knob shifter. The Type R gets unique manually adjusted sport seats with stiff side bolsters, but not quite enough lumbar support. Yet it’s still a Civic: There’s lots of cargo space, the back seat is big enough for adults, and it’s comfortable and thoughtfully designed.

Honda swears up and down that the gigantic wing, roofline nubs, deep front and side extensions, and other wild-looking styling elements on the Civic Type R are functional. The wing, for example, is said to help create downforce at speed to help with cornering, and the winglets at the edge of the front bumper and side skirts help route air around the wheels to reduce drag. There are openings in the front bumper to help cool the brakes, and the vent on the hood feeds air into the engine compartment to cool the turbo. We’re not going to call it pretty, though.

ADJUSTABLE DRIVING MODES
We like that the Civic Type R has three driving modes: Comfort, Sport and +R. We like even more that they’re immediately distinct from one another, with Comfort providing a smooth ride, +R perfectly suited to the track (but still acceptable on the street), and Sport a happy compromise between the two.

IT’S HERE
The Civic Type R has been around in various forms for 20 years…in other countries. This is the first time it’s been available in the U.S., and we can thank the one-world 10th-generation Civic platform for the honor.

The 2017 Civic Type R is based on the Touring grade of Civic, which means it comes pretty well loaded: navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on the 7-inch touch-screen infotainment system, a 12-speaker premium audio system, USB input and Bluetooth phone and audio compatibility. It also includes “power everything” and cruise control, plus dual-zone automatic climate control. Unique to the Type R are heavily bolstered front seats, a drive-mode switch that includes a racy +R mode, and a unique gauge-cluster display that changes with the drive mode, and includes cool touches like a lap timer and racing-style redline-warning light. 

Aside from color, there are no options on the 2017 Honda Civic Type R. And, of those colors, the one to get is Championship White. This off-white color is a historical play by Honda, reflecting the same color on its first Formula 1 effort from the 1960s. Note that even though the Type R boasts Touring levels of equipment, Honda’s excellent HondaSensing suite of safety features – lane-keeping assist, active cruise control, collision mitigation and so on – is not available on the Type R. Honda says that the tech isn’t available on any manual-transmission Civic, regardless of model.

Honda has made choosing an engine for the 2017 Civic Type R simple by offering only one drivetrain combination: a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder connected to a 6-speed manual transmission, all of it powering the front wheels through a helical limited slip differential. The engine puts out 306 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, enough to make torque steer a concern. Torque steer, if you’re unaware, is the tendency for a powerful front-wheel-drive car’s front wheels to turn left or right when under a load; it’s annoying and not very fun. However, the Civic Type R uses a clever front suspension setup that incorporates a special steering linkage that’s different from the rest of the Civic lineup, helping reduce the effect of torque steer to practically nothing.

2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4
306 horsepower @ 6,500 rpm
295 lb-ft of torque @ 2,500-4,500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 22/28 mpg

Note: Due to changes in EPA testing to more effectively reflect real-world conditions, some 2017 models show slightly lower fuel-economy scores than their 2016 versions.