Honda Civic Type-R Wins 2023 Performance Car of the Year Award

The Japanese marque Honda today is ubiquitous with a bristling lineup of utility vehicles such as MPVs and SUVs, fun-to-drive and practical sedans and economical hatchbacks. However, auto-geeks associate the brand best with performance as in the yesteryears, we have seen coupes and convertibles that drove on the tar of history pages such as the S2000, NSX and the CRX. However, the car that really shook the planet with its blisteringly quick acceleration and tight handling was the Civic Type-R. Over the two decades that it’s been, it defied the boundaries of performance, technology and innovation and became the desire of all the ravenous hard-core driving fanatics. Automotive journalists have given approbation for each generation of the Civic Type-R as it evolved dramatically over the upgrades tinkering with numerous body styles in the process such as hatchback, sedan and currently, in a notchback façade. 

Being already crowned with a bevy of laurels, it recently added a feather on its cap by winning the 2023 Performance Car of the Year Award by TopGear. The notchback stood straight and unfazed against some healthy competition now existing in the market such as the Hyundai Veloster N, VW Golf R and the Renault Megane RS Trophy R. It is likely that the car’s tough chassis, reliable engine, fruitful electronics and handling prowess would have clinched the win for Civic Type-R. 

A major reason it was chosen over its contemporaries is because it struck an emotional chord with the journalists. Chris Harris, BBC TopGear presenter comments, “I’m so happy that Honda has had the courage to make a new hot hatch, nobody seems to want to build them anymore, but I’ve been reminded just how well suited this type of car is to UK roads. I love the nods to its heritage; the red Alcantara, the little metal gear lever, it’s a car that makes me smile. It’s the right size; in a world where everything is excessive and overpowered it just hits the spot, and when I drove it at Dunsfold, I found myself behaving badly and that’s what really matters.” 

The car in its current form is available with a single but the most powerful engine option, the Civic Type-R has ever got- a 2.0-litre turbocharged VTEC mill that unleashes a stonking 315 hp and 422 Nm of torque in fury. It sprints from nought to a ton in a respectable 5.4 seconds. This is despite the fact that it bears a front-wheel drive configuration and a 6-speed manual transmission. 

To create an engaging driving experience, the car sports suede-effect bucket seats, sporty Brembo brake calipers and a functional exhaust that provides downforce for better traction and confidence to the driver. For enhanced aerodynamics, it also features a hood scoop. A delectable addition to the body would be the chrome-tipped exhaust pipes that add to the car’s aggression. It also gains a 20-percent weight advantage over a steel hatch as it uses an all-resin theme for the interior. The Civic Type-R while being dangerously fast couldn’t miss out on safety. Hence, it gets vehicle stability control which prevents the car from going haywire under intense work. When on a race track, the car’s LogR mode can train the driver to become skilled by showing real-time performance data through a dedicated tachometer. 

Coming in a 4-door form, the Type-R ticks practicality as it can be the car for grocery runs or school-home drops and transform into a beast on a weekend to compensate the driver with frills and grin for his everyday grind. 

Raj Johal, GM of PR department at Honda Middle East office commented: “We are thrilled that Top Gear have awarded the Civic Type R Performance Car of the Year in the 2023 awards, following its double scoop at the 2022 Top Gear Awards - Hot Hatch and Car of the Year Award. The team at Honda have worked tirelessly to deliver a car that further evolves, matures, and refines technologies that have been developed over six generations. The result is that the latest generation is the fastest and most capable Civic Type R ever. To be awarded the top spot against tough competition proves that this car is truly living up to its expectations and after 25 years, is just as popular as ever.”