{"id":30115,"date":"2022-11-27T20:41:45","date_gmt":"2022-11-28T00:41:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=30115"},"modified":"2022-11-27T20:41:45","modified_gmt":"2022-11-28T00:41:45","slug":"payne-give-thanks-the-honda-civic-type-r-hot-hatch-gets-hotter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/payne-give-thanks-the-honda-civic-type-r-hot-hatch-gets-hotter","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Give thanks, the Honda Civic Type R hot hatch gets hotter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sonoma, California<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Cresting Turn 3\u2019s blind hill at Sonoma Raceway, I pressed to keep up with IMSA Pirelli Pilot Challenge champion Ryan Eversley. In chilly conditions my 2023 Honda Civic Type R skittered across the apex in a controlled slide. Like a cat landing on its feet it found grip on its Michelin Pilot 4 tires, and I floored the throttle downhill into Turn 4, snatching fourth gear at 7,000 RPM.<\/p>\n

It will also fetch groceries and take three of your six-foot pals to the movies.<\/p>\n

Long live the hot hatch, long live the Honda Civic Type R. \u201cI want one,\u201d smiled a smitten Eversley after a week in the car on track and public roads.<\/p>\n

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In only its first generation on American shores, Honda\u2019s performance halo established itself as a serious contender in what I believe is America\u2019s most versatile segment. Hot hatches bring performance, utility, and sex appeal to the affordable compact car. A legend overseas for its blinding performance, Type R invaded America in 2018 like a samurai superhero. With styling straight out of Batman comic book (one wag compared its design to a \u201cdisheveled knife drawer\u201d), the Civic was impossible to ignore with its huge gills, scoops, and scorpion-inspired rear wing.<\/p>\n

It also cost a mere $37,000, making it competitive with segment icons like the VW Golf GTI and Ford Focus ST. My motorhead sons fell in love with it \u2014 though trying to find one to buy was tricky. On a 2020 spring weekend, we hunted for nearby Type Rs for under $35,000 but came up empty. Even used models were selling at \u2014 or above \u2014 sticker.<\/p>\n

For its second act, Honda has rewarded its fan base with a Type R that is more mature in every way \u2014 from digital gauges to upscale interior to improved horsepower to a more timeless design.\u00a0Ahem, now that we got your attention with the 2017 model, America, we\u2019ve designed the second-gen with a pen, not a crayon.<\/em><\/p>\n