2023 Honda Civic Type R Performance

Honda has made a big deal of the fact that the latest Type R is the most powerful production Honda vehicle ever to grace US showroom floors. New outputs are 315 hp at 6,500 rpm and 310 lb-ft from 2,600 rpm, which is nine hp and 15 lb-ft more than the outgoing model. As before, power goes to the front wheels, but there is also a lighter flywheel and a new rev-matching system. All of this should help the Type R be quicker than before. The outgoing Honda Civic Type R, with inferior specs, had a 0-60 mph time of 5.5 seconds; independent tests with the 2023 Type R suggest around half a second can be shaved off this time. That would mean that a drag race between this and the Toyota GR Corolla would be a neck-and-neck affair, as Toyota claims a 0-60 time of as little as 4.92 seconds for its GR Corolla Morizo Edition.

The award-winning V-TEC engine is more powerful than before; while the 2.0-liter four-pot isn't new, it benefits from a turbocharger that has been upgraded to generate pressure more efficiently and in a wider range. The flow rate for the air intake has been increased and there is a more efficient exhaust system, too. The result is more power, up from 306 hp to 315 hp. There's more torque too, with 310 lb-ft over the previous model's 295 lb-ft. This is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission and a helical limited-slip differential.

Honda says it's also improved the gearbox to optimize the experience for the driver, and the rev-matching system has been tweaked for the perfect downshift when taking on a set of S's. The Type R has always excelled at being an ideal driver's car, and the refinements for the latest gen will only cement its iconic status further.

Fuel consumption for the Civic Type R is 22/28/24 mpg on city/highway/combined cycles, which is naturally not as efficient as the 26/36/29 mpg the regular Civic 2.0L hatch manages with the six-speeder. With a 12.4-gallon fuel tank, the Civic Type R has a theoretical range of just under 300 miles, but if you're driving this car the way it was designed to be driven, you won't see that. The Civic Type R's gas mileage is unlikely to deter a true enthusiast.