Why the Honda Civic Type R should NEVER be AWD _ 2018 Type R - A Masterclass in FWD

**The 2018 Honda Civic Type R: A Masterpiece of Front-Wheel Drive Engineering**

The 2018 Honda Civic Type R is more than just a hatchback; it’s a testament to the art of front-wheel drive engineering. Since its arrival in North America, this car has sparked intense debates among enthusiasts, with polarizing opinions on its design and performance. While some critics question its styling and whether it lives up to the hype, one thing is undeniable: the Type R delivers an unforgettable driving experience that sets it apart from competitors like the Subaru WRX STI, Focus RS, Mustang, and Camaro.

### Design: Red Details and Racing Aesthetics

The Type R’s exterior design is a statement of intent. The front end is largely agreed upon as sleek and purposeful, but opinions on the rear end remain divided. Despite its controversial looks, Honda has gone all out with red accents to make sure there’s no mistaking this for a regular Civic. From the red seatbelts and steering wheel trim to the red badges and race-mode lighting, every detail screams “Type R.” The interior is designed with functionality in mind, offering comfortable and supportive seats that are both stylish and practical.

### Performance: A 2-Liter Turbo Powerhouse

Under the hood lies a 2-liter turbocharged VTEC engine producing an impressive 306 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. This engine is paired with a 6-speed manual transmission, delivering power to the front wheels in a way that feels anything but ordinary. The Type R’s driving dynamics are nothing short of exceptional. It handles corners with precision, offering a level of control and responsiveness that surpasses many rear-wheel drive competitors.

### Handling: Front-Wheel Drive at Its Finest

One of the most notable aspects of the Type R is its cornering ability. Unlike traditional front-wheel drive cars that often understeer, the Type R naturally oversteers on entry, allowing for a smooth and controlled drift. This characteristic makes it a joy to drive on both back roads and racetracks. The limited slip differential and sophisticated suspension geometry ensure predictable power delivery, while the steering feels incredibly precise and engaging.

### Track Performance: A Machine for Speed

The Type R’s track performance is nothing short of impressive. In a head-to-head comparison with a Subaru WRX STI, the Type R left the competition in its wake, showcasing superior lap times and handling. Even when equipped with minimal upgrades like new tires, the stock Type R can hold its own against heavily modified competitors. Its ability to generate downforce and grip is a testament to Honda’s engineering prowess.

### Daily Driver: Practicality and Comfort

Despite its high-performance credentials, the Type R remains practical as a daily driver. The hatchback layout provides ample cargo space, and the interior offers comfort for both long commutes and city errands. The car’s fuel efficiency is also noteworthy, with the author achieving 8.3 liters per 100 kilometers during mixed driving.

### Criticisms: Infotainment and Styling

No car is without its flaws, and the Type R is no exception. The infotainment system, while functional, leaves room for improvement. A touchscreen interface lacks intuitive controls, and Siri’s deafening voice announcements can be frustrating. Additionally, some may find the Type R’s styling too bold or unconventional, though this only adds to its unique charm.

### Conclusion: A Modern Classic

The 2018 Honda Civic Type R is a car that defies expectations. It combines the practicality of a daily driver with the excitement of a track machine, offering an unmatched driving experience. While it may not appeal to everyone, there’s no denying the impact this car has on the automotive community. Whether you’re a fan of front-wheel drive engineering or simply looking for an exhilarating ride, the Type R is a modern classic that continues to set standards in its class.

In conclusion, the Honda Civic Type R is more than just a car; it’s a statement of passion and precision engineering. It challenges preconceptions about front-wheel drive vehicles and proves that fun behind the wheel doesn’t have to come at the cost of practicality or performance.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is the 2018 honda civic type-r and it is not just a hatchback it is not just a hopped-up civic this is a master class in front-wheel drive the Honda Civic type-r has been here in North America for a year now and it's still making quite a big stink I've never seen so many people with opinions on a car in fact when I asked you all on Instagram if the looks of the Type R have grown on you only 55% of you said yes that's barely a win for the record the front end I can get on board with when I look at the rear end I still see this and the exhaust noise is kind of a bummer too anyway as usual after you drive one of these literally nothing else matters flick it over into plus R mode the dampers firm up the steering weights up the engine becomes incredibly responsive and the Type R will genuinely surprise you a 2-liter turbo motor with VTEC pumps at 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque which is pretty much all you would ever need in a hatchback and after spending a week in this car I was reminded of why the Type R will never ever need to be anything more than front-wheel drive yes it's just a Honda Civic as many of you like to tell me but let me explain first of all everything is really really red I've got red seatbelts I have red are badges everywhere when I'm in race mode with everything when the dials lights up in red I've got red trim on my steering wheel my Honda badges are red and there's red accents all around the car oh and the seats are red you get the idea the point is is that Honda has done everything they can to make sure that you know you are not in a regular Civic you are not in an SI you are in the Type R and that actually matters please do not think that this is just a regular Civic with a better engine it is not that it is so not that this car defies the laws of physics and I don't say that lightly I really don't this car does not turn in to a corner like a Focus RS it does not turn into the corner like a Mustang it doesn't turn in like a Camaro it turns in like a supercar the way that this car turns in to a corner fast is unbelievably good it's phenomenal it's by far and away the best part of this car and only people that have driven these cars on the track can truly understand what I'm talking about you may roll your eyes and go oh I don't care it's only front-wheel drive no you don't understand you truly do not understand until you have driven a Honda Civic type-r fast as many of you know I did a track test last year which put this against a Subaru WRX STI and it well it completely roasted the STI in almost every respect and so many comments that I got were all oh I don't care I still rather have the all-wheel drive or I don't care it's no fun because it's not rear-wheel drive no you don't understand front-wheel drive cars can still be massively fun and incredibly impressive here's the thing that a lot of people don't understand about front-wheel drive is that it's not that the power goes to the front wheels that matters it's the way that the car is set up here's the thing any well set up front-wheel drive car will rotate into a corner will oversteer on entry or will drift like you like to talk about better than many rear-wheel drive cars I've been in front-wheel drive cars where you simply turn into the corner and the car will spin they're so aggressive to oversteer ok this car is very much like that when you snap it into a corner the rear trails it behind you get this um easing rotation on quarter entry that you honestly do not get in many rear-wheel drive cars and a lot of all-wheel drive cars so that is why I liked this car last year on the track more than the WRX STI is the STI would understeer very badly everyone's like all you have to flick it in all you're doing it wrong oh you're not driving it properly that wasn't my point my point was that the Type R will easily naturally oversteer on corner entry and the advantage to that from a track perspective is that the car will rotate towards the apex which means that as you turn it continues to head towards the apex and it does not wash out wide that allows you to carry more speed into a corner therefore better overall lap time and it's more fun by the way now the type r specifically is special because everything about it has been hardened ok so the car does feel very light when it the way that it dances through the corner and on a back road like this but all the controls feel like they have more weight added to them the steering in the Type R is absolutely fantastic and it does not feel like the steering in the regular Civic or even the si the si is like a 5 out of 10 and this is a 10 out of 10 when it comes to steering feel weight engagement and accuracy this steering rack is so fast it just darts into the corner and there's a lot of weight to the steering when I'm in a race mode everything is just really strong feeling in the front end and a lot of that is down to the setup of the suspension in the front it's very sophisticated we've a limited slip differential up front which means there's almost no torque steer as long as it's dry and you're in mostly a straight line and we have very sophisticated suspension geometry which means that as you apply power in a corner it just puts the power to the ground it doesn't argue with you it doesn't try and spin an inside wheel or an outside wheel or whatever wheel it wants to spin it just puts the power down and it whips you through a corner you can plant your foot turn the wheel and this thing will just pull I know I said that exact same thing about the civic SI hfp and it does that too but this does it just more and better as for the rest of the controls the the shifter is I okay so I had a problem with the shifter in the SI I complained about it and a lot of people call me out and said oh you're wrong I stand by what I said but for some reason the shifter in the type-r and honest it's probably the same shift linkage I don't know it feels more solid to me it feels more positive when you snap it into a gear and it feels less cheap I don't know if they change anything if they didn't I'll eat my words but I swear that the shifter in this feels better and the clutch feels heavier as well there's more clutch filled speaking of the clutch there's a very aggressive anti-stall feature so if you're just kind of floating in traffic you can literally just roll this car forward by releasing your foot on the clutch you don't need any gas it's really weird it's almost difficult to stall this car unless you snap your foot off the clutch pedal anyway on a back road like this we put it in third gear power just puts down to the ground and we can just whip it into a corner it's just phenomenal we are turbocharged and the power while there's a minimal amount of leg below 3000 once you're up about 4000 this cartas opens up and it makes a really good engine noise and it really hustles it really genuinely hustles it puts the power down and it pushes you back in the seat and it is exciting not many cars are genuinely exciting to accelerate in this is one of those cars and with the 6-speed manual transmission I'm able to snap through the gears because there is no Rev hang so Honda regular Honda Civics in the manual form have a lot of Rev hang this car does not have a lot of Rev hang I don't know why we can't do similar engine tunes on the lower civics and the SI but this one in between gears the revs fall and you catch the next gear and off you go and everything is perfect and you're happy and you're smiling I don't know why we can't do that with the other Honda Civics but here we are in the Type R everything maybe they just saved it for the Type R to make it feel even just that much more special but powers going down this is just a ridiculously fun car and there's no fault with it once you get in it and drive it you're like oh I will I'm a rear-wheel drive person I'm an all-wheel drive person just Shh just Shh and go drive at I part honestly okay before you literally before you even write anything in the comments oh all-wheel drivers better I'll take my sube I'm a Subaru fan I really am but you got to drive one of these things it's still just as fun as it was the first day that I drove it though we are on a 240 treadwear tire I think which is pretty sticky if you know your tread wears 200 is the level that you get out when you're in competition is doing Time Attack and stuff 200 and below this is a 240 tread where it is a sticky tire it is not the best tire in my opinion I would have picked something different however it is quite a grippy tire and it really does add to the turn in on this car if you put cup twos on this car or something even more aggressive even I can't even imagine how fun this car would be at the track it just darts around the steering is so good and it changes directions just like up like a housefly it's a it's so fun oh my god can you tell that I'm excited I'm excited because the tie bar is just a really really good car that doesn't mean that it's not still a civic though and there are parts about it that I absolutely hate and I'm allowed to say that because I just told you that the tie bar is basically the best hatchback on sale today now let's go back to the infotainment is so it's all touchscreen we've got a volume button tapped slider and a volume tap button here there's no volume knob anywhere which means that I got in a situation today where I was for some reason in my iPod playlist on my iphone party rock by LMFAO was on there I don't know why I don't know how it started playing it started playing as I was rolling up to a red light and everybody's windows were down and my windows were down and my music was very loud so here's what I did I and instead of just changing the song or turning off the radio instinctually I went to turn the volume down but the only way to turn the volume down is to use this little volume slider on the screen so I started tapping it but I was frantic and it was bumpy so I kept missing it I actually turned the volume up as I was rolling up so then I was like oh yeah I got another volume button it's on my steering wheel so I started clicking and I didn't have the volume down at all so what I ended up doing instead of just going like this flick volume down I ended up with crushing embarassment at a red light because I was in a ostentatious bright white Honda Civic type-r blaring party rock that's why in a nutshell I really don't like the infotainment mostly because of the fact that everything is touchscreen it's fairly leggy I do not like the interface and for some reason this happens in other cars too not just the Honda Civic when I'm an apple carplay which works fine other than this fact a call will come in and Siri will announce it to me with the voice of the gods it will be the loudest thing you have ever heard in your life because previously you were on a call and you couldn't hear it so you turned the volume up so you could hear the person talking but then you didn't turn it down and the volume is the same for the call volume as it is for the series volume so in Syria tries to tell you there's a call coming in or ask to who you would like to call when you click the phone button you are deafening your passengers to start crying immediately so those things I do not like they also the climate makes no sense and you have to push a climate button to be able to turn the fan down also not cool the dialer gauges in the center here are fantastic and in our mode we get an hour plus and the bright lights come up on the top that tell me when to shift I like the digital dash I love the look of this I love the look of the steering wheel I think it's fantastic the bright white speed and the tack and the top looked great and I've also got all my screens to tell me some track data and some temperatures and boost and how hard I'm pushing the brake pedal speaking of the brakes the brakes are really in this car really really good it actually has one of the firmest pedals I have ever felt in any car anywhere including some racecars you just you just got it you just lay into it and the car just dives from speed to nothing in no time it's super fun however that makes it hard to downshift because I'd like to heel-toe even on the road the pedals are fairly far spaced and you end up kind of having to really lay on the pedal to be able to get to a spa where you can comfortably heel toe so you can't heel toe comfortably on the road at low speeds you can to the track it's fine there but this comes with an auto rev-match feature which I hate which I don't think should exist to be perfectly honest I've talked about this before and people disagree with me I do not think the rev-match Auto rev-match feature should be a thing that exists in not just this car it's in lots of cars so it's not the Honda's fault but I don't think that it should exist because you need to learn how to heel toe properly if you're going to do proper track driving because you're gonna get in a car that does not have auto rev-match and you will have absolutely no idea how to downshift without tripping your rear tires and sending you into a slide as you brake into a corner that said you can turn off the auto rev-match but it is not easy to do you have to go in through a couple menus and select Auto rev-match driver assist off thankfully that stays off after you select it but the Veloster end which is coming out soon has a button on the steering wheel for rev-match on and off I like that better now these seats are very comfortable and they come on the Type R they've actually been designed properly which means that they've done bolsters correctly most manufacturers for some reason decide to start the bolster in the center of the seat and it ends up just digging into your leg and not holding you in any more effectively than a flat seat would these actually have vertical bolsters on the edges so there's a long flat section for your butt to sit on so you're comfortable and the bolsters come up vertically and hold you into the seat it makes a massive difference and these are actually very comfortable seats and they look incredibly cool and by the looks of this I'm not sure if this is certified or not but you would be able to put a four point or a six point harness this car with the proper roll cage in the back so it's ready for the track in that respect speaking of being ready for the track these cars are literally as they are ready to go to the track today that is the best part about the type are you do not need to modify them if you have a tie part you do not need an engine tune you do not need better suspension maybe upgrade the brakes in the fluid and if you want to get competitive new tires but the rest of this car is genuinely just ready to go on a track and have a good time inset really fearsome lap times put it this way there is a Honda Civic type-r in my class at time attack right now this year I'm driving a BMW 330 that is fully stripped out with really expensive suspension it has a roll cage there is no interior it has a racing seat I've tuned the motor it's got headers and it has upgraded brakes and it's got wide sticky tires and I am getting absolutely smoked by a Honda Civic type-r in my class just smoked he's beating me by full seconds at the track and all they have done is upgrade tires yep that's it just new tires and this car stock is completely obliterating my full winter long BMW track car build yeah yeah that's happening what is this car like to live with well the news there is also good it is mostly just a civic overall it's very practical the hatchback actually has a ton of space the rear seats while they feel a little bit cheap with the cloth and they're spacious enough that someone could sit back there everything's really genuinely fine with this car you're not actually going to find a reason why you would justify saying anything bad about the practicality of this car for the level of performance don't forget that you can get a fully loaded Honda CRV that costs more than this hatchback and I would have this any day of the week I honestly would this is a fantastic car it is a fantastic daily driver it's fun to drive almost all the time it's practical and it's fairly good on gas I'm getting 8.3 liters per hundred kilometers which you can get better than that that's what I'm a virgin with a little bit booting around on a back road here and there so for the level performance that's pretty impressive I'm not gonna lie now could the car do with a little bit less aggressive styling yes I think that it could however I've been thinking about this all week and I would genuinely own this car I would purchase this car as my daily and I would probably have a separate track car but I would use this on the weekends just for the occasional track day just for fun because it does everything very very well it's comfortable it's economical it it does look cool it does grow on you a little bit but it still looks a little ridiculous I can get over that but it is most certainly special this car turns heads very effectively people go what is that or oh sweet it's a Honda Civic type-r those are the reactions that I get and that doesn't get old it is cool it generates controversy it generates conversation in the car community and I like that more than anything so the Honda Civic type-r this is still an absolute win for Honda this is a wonderful amazing sensationally fun vehicle it is pretty pricey but you are getting a lot more than a regular s I do not forget that so thank you for watching throttle house I've got lots more car reviews like this coming at you all summer long you need to subscribe right now because not only am i bringing you more road tests like this of cars just like the Type R I'm also doing a lot of track tests this summer I do a one track mind series where I review cars on the track with the pinnacle driving Academy Colin sets the lap times and we drag race them in every episode you need to subscribe if not just for these car reviews then you need to subscribe for the track reviews so leave a comment tell me if you like the Honda Civic Type R I genuinely would like to know what you have to say would you own one of these would you buy one do you think that they're silly I don't know I want to hear from you subscribe turn on notifications and I will talk to you next time bye\n"