| Pros | Cons | ||
| ✓ A fantastic experience, period. | ☓ The $46,000 price tag may smack a bit high for a Civic | ||
| ✓ More refined to look at and drive | ☓ Tiny fuel tank means you’ll be stopping a lot | ||
| ✓ Shifter throws are perfect | ☓ Road noise is an issue | ||
| ✓ Surprisingly comfortable seats | ☓ This or an Integra Type S? |
2024 Honda Civic Type R Review: A Boost Blue grip machine
You know how the old saying goes: can’t improve on perfection. That hasn’t stopped Honda from trying with the FL5 Type R, though, and as spring finally arrived in Colorado’s High Country, I finally had a chance to check out this new version on some satisfyingly twisty mountain passes.
At it’s core, the Type R based on the eleventh-generation Honda Civic is an evolution on what the tenth-gen model brought to American drivers. You get a powerful 2.0-liter turbocharged engine kicking out 315 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels through a 6-speed manual transmission. When it’s sitting on summer tires like the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S we have here, the grip is nothing short of astonishing. Every other aspect of Honda’s hottest hatchback improves over the past car, to the point where most folks in the review game agree it’s one of the absolute best compact cars you can buy for the money.
Since we’re just coming off the Type R’s initial debut, no major changes are in store for the 2024 model year. The only thing that’s changed (predictably) is the price, which is now $1,000 higher than it was for 2023. The starting price now kicks off at $45,890.
Honda doesn’t offer too many customization options for the Type R, creating a more comprehensive what-you-see-is-what-you-get package. Colors like Championship White, Sonic Gray Pearl and Boost Blue (my personal favorite, go ahead and fight me) are $455 extra, while 19-inch forged alloy wheels are a $3,164 premium over the standard 19-inch matte-black alloys. A few accessory packages can bump the price up even further, and right past the $50,000 mark if you select the R Performance package that includes the forged wheels and a larger rear wing.
Let’s get right to it: How does the Civic Type R drive?
I could waffle and make you scroll on longer to bring in more ad hits — the Internet’s great, isn’t it? — but here’s the simple truth. If you’re looking for a fun, track-worthy daily driver, pull the trigger on a Honda Civic Type R. To paraphrase a certain iconic (and trademarked) phrase: Just go for it.
Under the hood, that 320-hp K20C1 engine absolutely loves to rev it out to peak horsepower at 6,500 RPM, while also delivering that hearty 310 lb-ft of torque between 2,500 and 4,000 RPM. Even when you do eventually have to upshift, aided by a helpful range of yellow and red LED lights above the instrument cluster, the shift action and throttle tip-in make doing so a joy.
On paper, the Type R is indeed a little bit slower to 60 at 5.5-ish seconds than the all-wheel drive Toyota GR Corolla and Volkswagen Golf R. However, it is significantly quicker than the 6.4-second Hyundai Elantra N, and the latest Type R’s lighter flywheel and unflappable rev-match system make Honda’s offering a blast when you want to get a move on.
Factor in the tire package, Brembo brakes, dual-axis front strut suspension, laser-accurate steering and a limited-slip differential that kills frustrating torque steer when you are pushing it hard, and I pretty much have no notes on the Type R’s performance chops. My only slight gripe is that the clutch feels a bit too light, and I have the same complaint with the Civic Si. On the flip side, that does make it more user-friendly, which is helpful for some enthusiasts considering there is no automatic option here: You have to take the 6-speed manual or leave it.
Being a hardcore hot hatch must make for an uncomfortable everyday experience…right?
If you’re shopping a 2024 Honda Civic Type R, it’s tough to argue against it from a performance-to-value perspective. It also sports a bright red interior from the carpets to the heavily bolstered seats, which looks great, but…those seats coupled with 30-profile high-performance tires and more-than-1-g cornering capability must make the Type R an absolute nightmare as a daily driver.
Surprisingly, no. On the comfort and practicality front, Honda has done a remarkable job of tuning the Type R to the extent that it loses little of its Civic-ness in the transition from normal economy car to blistering hot hatch. Despite the tightly bolstered seats looking like they’ll squeeze the life out of bigger drivers, they’re also comfortable and supportive as you settle into the drive.
Thanks to the Civic Type R coming as one fully loaded model, you won’t want for much in terms of technology, either.
The digital gauge cluster helps, as does the 9.0-inch infotainment setup that’s refreshingly straightforward to use, if not as large or flashy as some other cars in the Type R’s price bracket. Dual-zone automatic climate control comes as standard fare here, as does a 12-speaker Bose premium audio system and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto support.
Only two factors work against the 2024 Honda Civic Type R as an everyday driver. I’m not even talking about having a manual in traffic, either, as the light clutch does actually make stop-and-go far more tolerable. You do pay a price for those grippy summer tires with noise. At pretty much any speed, the Pilot Sport 4S rubber on this car make their presence known in the cabin. The aluminum shift knob also looks awesome, but the obvious drawback is that it is extremely hot to the touch during the summer months.
Fuel economy isn’t typically your strong suit for performance cars, but the 2024 Honda Civic Type R isn’t too bad. While the EPA officially rates this model at 22 City / 28 Highway / 24 Combined mpg — definitely making it the least efficient Civic in the range — you can try to shoot for a bit more efficiency if you keep your foot out of it and stick in higher gears. In mixed driving that included spirited cornering through the Rockies, I landed right on that 24 mpg combined mark. That’s acceptable in my book, though the 12.4-gallon fuel tank means you’ll rarely crack 300 miles between fill-ups, which is a bummer.
Even with the bright red accents, Honda’s top-dog Civic still passes the livability test.
With 37.4 inches of rear legroom, the 2024 Honda Civic Type R hauls around four adult passengers just fine. You do lose a bit of practical space by way of center storage and a fifth passenger on the middle seat. Here, the cupholders integrate into a small hump between the outboard seats and you get no center headrest or seat belt. Up front, there is much more space for storage thanks to a decent center console, fairly large glovebox, well proportioned door pockets and a little bit of space underneath the climate controls.
At the back, the Civic Type R loses none of its space from the more pedestrian hatchback models. Since it is a hatchback, you get 24.5 cubic feet of volume with the seats in place. That’s far more than the Hyundai Elantra N sedan’s 14.2 cubic feet, and it also beats out the Toyota GR Corolla hatch’s 17.8 cubic feet and even the Volkswagen Golf R’s 19.9 cubic feet. Folding the 60/40 seats down opens up even more space, naturally.
Apart from the styling flourishes and harness-ready bucket seats, the Type R’s interior copies over from the other eleventh-gen Civics. It works well ergonomically, and you also get wireless smartphone charging as standard equipment. The 2024 Civic models still use USB Type-A ports if you actually want to plug in, which is annoying if you’re using the latest devices that have switched over to USB-C. That and the Google built-in infotainment system are quality-of-like updates Honda made for the 2025 Civic sedan, so expect that to feature on the list of changes that will make their way to the Type R in the next several months, if you’re looking for the absolute latest.
Verdict: If you want the best, you’ll probably want the Civic Type R.
Against the likes of the previous-generation Type R, this model focused on relatively small tweaks to make it a more grown up and refined option. It’s still every bit as capable a track machine as ever, and the gotta-go-fast looks are sure to appeal to those who want something a bit spicier than the Golf R. Standard tech like automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control are among the host of driver aids offered up through the “Honda Sensing” suite, though you can (crucially) turn it all off with the push of a couple buttons.
If your budget can stretch to it and you’re good with no automatic option, I wholeheartedly recommend testing out a 2024 Honda Civic Type R yourself. Even better, we largely seem to be over the days where these cars are egregiously marked up, and a cursory search shows hundreds of examples are available nationwide at MSRP right now. Honda offers industry-standard warranty coverage of 3 years/36,000 miles under the limited (bumper-to-bumper) coverage, and 5 years/60,000 miles for the powertrain. Your purchase also includes 2 years or 24,000 miles of complimentary maintenance, which helps take some of the bite out of the initial ownership costs.
There’s another option if you’re not looking for such a racy hot hatch and can afford to drop even more money on your next new car: the Acura Integra Type S. Essentially, the impressions boil down to “see above”, while Acura’s version gets a bit more power (320 hp) and brings a classier image to the mix. If you want to go that route, the Integra Type S will run you at least $52,995, or just a shade over $7,000 higher than the Civic Type R.
