Despite the subdued styling, the second Civic Type R to hit U.S. soil is even better than its predecessor.
Alanis KingAs Formula One rolled into Austin’s Circuit of The Americas—a $300 million Grand Prix palace—last week, I was about 30 miles down the road at a small club track called Harris Hill Raceway, awaiting my turn to drive the new 2023 Honda Civic Type R. A group of us stood near Harris Hill’s front stretch, watching lines of Type Rs zip by in hypnotizing rhythm.
“It kind of looks like an Accord, doesn’t it?” someone nearby quipped. I laughed—not because it was necessarily true, but because it underscored how subdued the new Type R looks, particularly. For a car meant to be tracked, shifted, and shown off.
But when I got in the driver’s seat, I realized I’d been looking at it the wrong way.
The outgoing Civic Type R (left) and new one (right).
Honda
The 2023 Type R is the high-performance take on the current, 11th-generation Civic. It’s only the second Civic Type R model to come to the United States, and it packs 315 horsepower, 310 lb-ft of peak torque, a six-speed manual, a standard limited-slip differential, and a lighter flywheel, with oddly mature exterior styling. The new Type R’s soft, smooth lines blend into traffic rather than screaming through it—a major departure from the last model, which looked like a sharp, angular child’s toy waiting to cut your hand open if you picked it up.
To me, the outgoing Type R’s adolescent looks made it special. It leaned into the “hot hatch” identity, unafraid of what adults thought. So when the new car appeared looking like an adult, I worried it might lose its magic.
Alanis King
I strapped on a white, faceless helmet and walked up to my Type R for the day: a “Championship White” model that I’d get to drive for a total of six laps around Harris Hill’s swooping 1.8-mile layout. My mind raced with the thought of whether I’d like it, love it, or even have enough time to decide.
But when I got in, those worries vanished. I no longer saw the car around me, only the track in front. I sunk into the car’s deep red seats, which Honda calls “racing inspired” because they look like racing seats but aren’t. Racing seats are hard, uncomfortable, and pinch my hips, while these racing-inspired ones were thick, cushy, and hugged me instead—the perfect combination.
Honda
Last week was my first time in any Type R model, and it was a breeze to drive. When I turned the car on and nudged the shifter slightly out of neutral (which I was aiming for) to look for sport mode on the options menu, I didn’t even notice that the car stalled. It was undetectable—no lurching, no intense feedback when I took my foot off of the clutch. Just a quick, silent, non-jarring death.
I turned the Type R back on and set off, analyzing the track I’d seen for the first time that morning. I eased through the opening few corners, surprised at how instantly comfortable it was.
Honda
Every shift was smooth and easy, and as I sped up, the Type R adapted. The steering was weighted but not particularly heavy, gliding into all of my inputs instead of twitching with them. It wasn’t the stir-crazy hot hatch I pictured; it was the kind of smooth ride I could take on a road trip and not regret.
Alanis King
The Type R stayed steady through every move—hard braking, hitting a corner a little too hot, flooring it on a straightaway—because I was the least of its worries that day. Red Bull Formula One drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez had made about a dozen hot laps in the cars just minutes earlier, and even when they were on the edge to impress passengers like me, the Type R was calm. From a front-wheel-drive car on the cheaper end of the performance spectrum, the Type R’s composure was as impressive as the drivers’ talent.
When I got out of the car, I looked at it again—really looked at it, unlike before.
It was different this time. I noticed more detail: the little wing tips on the outer corners of its headlights; the sharp snout just above the Honda logo on its front end; and the body lines flowing toward its elegant rear wing, which arches into the same shape as its curved taillights.
Honda
The more subtle styling began to make sense, given both the Type R’s market placement and how it drove. While the old car debuted in 2017 with a base price of $33,900, this new one is $42,895—a fair evolution given inflation and rising living costs, but still a major investment for a buyer. Car prices that start with a “4” are for grown-ups with grown-up jobs, and they have to look the part. Adults.
When I realized that, I no longer felt like comparing this car’s appearance to the outgoing one. I knew the two could coexist: the old, more juvenile version, insisting that its looks aren’t just a phase; and the new, more mature one, valuing timeless fashion over timely trends. The magic of the old car wasn’t gone. It just grew up, like we all eventually must.
Alanis King
I came into the day thinking the new Type R looked too ordinary, and I think the people around me did, too. But the Type R reminded me that if you think anything is ordinary, you’re just not looking at it hard enough—and that’s a problem only you can fix.
Alanis King Contributing Editor Alanis King is a transportation editor at Business Insider, and she previously worked as a staff writer and editor at Jalopnik.
Keyword: The 2023 Honda Civic Type R Has Grown Up