![]() ![]() The Alcantara steering wheel is great to the touch, softer in the right places yet still easy to grip. ![]() The Type R’s new gear knob has to be the best on any production car, fitting beautifully in the hand and connecting you to a short and delightfully mechanical shift. The experience is enhanced by the choice upgrades in the cabin. We’d be inclined, in fact, to keep the car in Sport, which offers that fruitier engine noise and suspension that is more dialled in than Comfort, but is still just about compliant enough for most situations. Of course, the Honda can’t offer the Golf’s myriad levels of personalisation - just a trio of factory-prescribed presets. The first of those settings feels a little firmer than where the latest Golf GTI is positioned, whereas the second seems to more than match the body control of the VW’s most extreme setting but with, if anything, less of a trade-off in overall compliance. And as for the ride, there’s a reassuring band of firmness between Comfort and +R. The steering is beautifully weighted and the nose is keen to respond to inputs - more so than any front-drive hot hatch, we’d argue. The re-profiled chassis continues the good work of the pre-facelift model, meanwhile. The sound actuator’s levels are well judged too, with a snarling note in +R mode, restraint in Comfort and an excellent halfway house in Sport. The engine feels just as strong as it’s always done, with wallops of torque once you get beyond about 2,500rpm and plenty of pull at 6,000rpm. On the road in the continued GT edition driven here, there’s really only good news - assuming you like what the Type R offered before. Due in showrooms in January, it’s designed as a slightly more subtle, accommodating version of the car, but one which shouldn’t really be any slower in a straight line - although it costs the same as the conventional GT model that we’re driving here, so it’s not as if removing aerodynamic adornments actually saves you any cash. If you don’t want the more extreme elements of the Type R’s styling, incidentally, there’s now new variant called Sportline that does without the big rear wing, swaps the red-trimmed interior seats for more sombre black-only versions, and gets 19in alloy wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres that should have softer sidewalls. The audio system also incorporates an Active Sound System, which uses the speakers to enhance engine sound in the Civic’s more focused driving modes - and dial it out when you’re pootling along in Comfort mode. Inside, there are tweaks to two of the main elements: a new Alcantara steering wheel, and a teardrop-shaped gear knob, which Honda claims improves shift accuracy because it now contains a counterweight. There are new ‘floating’ brake discs that save 2.5kg of unsprung mass and, Honda claims, resist fade more effectively than before. There are some changes to the chassis, though, with a fresh software profile for the Civic’s trick adaptive dampers, along with different suspension bushings and ball joints. Honda Civic Sport: long-term test review.Honda Civic vs Toyota Corolla vs Vauxhall Astra: 2022 group test review.Honda Civic Type R vs Volkswagen Golf R 20 Years: 2023 twin test review.Toyota Corolla vs Honda Civic vs Kia Ceed: 2023 group test review.But with a fresh (and more extreme) VW Golf GTI fast approaching, it’s time for a facelifted version of the Type R. It’s been that way pretty much since the current generation of the car hit the road - the point when we all discovered that engineers had managed to dial in some everyday usability alongside the model’s trademark hardcore nature. Honda may not have too many class benchmarks in its line-up right now, but the Civic Type R is definitely the king of the hot hatch class where drivers are concerned. So you end up with a car which may not necessarily attract fresh custom, but one that has even more allure for anyone who just wants the best-driving fast hatchback on the planet. ![]() But the updates do add yet more driver appeal to a vehicle recognised as the enthusiast’s choice at this price point. This facelift has not broadened the Civic’s talents to the point where it can outdo the Golf GTI as the best all-rounder on the hot hatch market (we’re keen to try a new Sportline on more forgiving 19in wheels, because it may come close). ![]()
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