Honda Spills More Details on 2023 Civic Type R

Chris Teague
by Chris Teague

The new Civic Type R is one of the most anticipated Honda vehicles in decades. Besides a few teaser images, the automaker has been characteristically mum on specs and details. That changed late yesterday when Honda dropped a load of new information on the car, including horsepower and engine specs.


The 2023 Civic Type R comes with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 315 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque, which bests its predecessor’s output by 9 horsepower and 15 lb-ft of torque. Honda achieved those improvements with a redesigned turbocharger and upgraded air intake and says that the turbo now offers better, more efficient pressure across a wider range. The K20C1 four-cylinder pairs exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive, the classic Type R formula.


Honda based the new Type R on the 11th-generation Civic Hatchback. The car features a longer wheelbase than the previous generation, and a wider track gives it better stability and handling. Brake updates include a revised cooling system and updated brake booster tuning for a more precise feel and consistency.


Four drive modes allow the driver to tailor settings for suspension firmness, engine sound, steering feel, and more. The individual drive mode can be set to the driver’s desired feel, but there are also preset modes for comfort, sport, and R+.


Honda developed the Type R with input from the HRD Sakura Super GT race team’s aerodynamic engineers. The automaker says the car’s bodywork generates better downforce and high-speed stability. Overall, the 2023 Type R is 0.8 inches longer, 0.5 inches lower, and 0.6 inches wider than its predecessor.


A new nine-inch touchscreen comes standard and runs wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The car also comes with Qi wireless charging and a Bose audio system. Honda LogR Performance Datalogger comes built in, which brings a lap timer, vehicle performance statistics, and more. Drivers can also share their data with other Type R owners, and the new system no longer requires a smartphone app.

[Image: Honda]

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Chris Teague
Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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  • Sgeffe Sgeffe on Sep 02, 2022

    At least they’re including dual-zone climate control. But no foglights! Gotta save something for the Acura Civic Si Hatch..oops..INTEGRA Type-S, dontchaknow!! 🙄


    • BetterOne BetterOne on Sep 02, 2022

      I'm actually kind of glad to see manufacturers gradually phasing out extraneous lighting. Few know how to correctly use "fog lights" anyway.


  • MaintenanceCosts MaintenanceCosts on Sep 02, 2022

    Really like this more subdued and functional styling. If it were painless to buy one of these I would probably give it a test drive. But I have no interest in fighting to be the one guy who gets the privilege of paying our local butt-head Honda dealer $10k over sticker.

  • Daniel J Cx-5 lol. It's why we have one. I love hybrids but the engine in the RAV4 is just loud and obnoxious when it fires up.
  • Oberkanone CX-5 diesel.
  • Oberkanone Autonomous cars are afraid of us.
  • Theflyersfan I always thought this gen XC90 could be compared to Mercedes' first-gen M-class. Everyone in every suburban family in every moderate-upper-class neighborhood got one and they were both a dumpster fire of quality. It's looking like Volvo finally worked out the quality issues, but that was a bad launch. And now I shall sound like every car site commenter over the last 25 years and say that Volvo all but killed their excellent line of wagons and replaced them with unreliable, overweight wagons on stilts just so some "I'll be famous on TikTok someday" mom won't be seen in a wagon or minivan dropping the rug rats off at school.
  • Theflyersfan For the stop-and-go slog when sitting on something like The 405 or The Capital Beltway, sure. It's slow and there's time to react if something goes wrong. 85 mph in Texas with lane restriping and construction coming up? Not a chance. Radar cruise control is already glitchy enough with uneven distances, lane keeping assist is so hyperactive that it's turned off, and auto-braking's sole purpose is to launch loose objects in the car forward. Put them together and what could go wrong???
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