There is plenty of strong competition right now in the world of hot hatchbacks, with choices coming in both two and all-wheel drive configurations – all with enough power to rival almost anything else out on track. However, one nameplate still stands proud as perhaps the best all-rounder, and it needs little to no introduction: the 2024 Honda Civic Type R. As ever, it packs a potent inline-four engine, which sends power to the two wheels up-front. Inside, a smattering of performance-focused accessories, including track-ready data-logging equipment, famously red sports seats, and those all-important three pedals, await eager drivers. Join us as we learn more about the latest Honda Civic Type R, highlighting its 0-60 time and some of the other important numbers that make this hot hatch king of the hill in 2024.
Related How important is the Honda Civic Type R’s 0-60 time?
The prowess of a sports car is measured in how quickly it accelerates, but in hot hatches this isn’t the only important factor – driving pleasure and the car’s responsiveness are just as important. Still, the 2024 Type R dispatches the benchmark sprint in under five seconds and has set a lap record in 2023 for being the fastest front-wheel drive car around the Nurburgring. Is a 0-60 time the only thing that matters when you’re buying a performance car?
4.9: A Dazzling 0 – 60 Time
Honda
While Honda claims a 0 – 60 mph time of 5.3 seconds, still worth boasting about, actual road test data from Car and Driver reveals the 2024 Honda Civic Type R is capable of even more still. Almost cutting the claimed time down by 10%, the Type R has been clocked rocketing from 0 – 60 in just 4.9 seconds.
While sky-high top speeds are certainly impressive, it’s blistering acceleration that makes a hot hatch feel alive. Thankfully, Honda has prioritized the latter. By setting up the Type R so that it can launch from 0 – 60 mph in under five seconds, Honda ensures the latest hot Civic will feel lively powering through corners, lurching from one to the next. It’s this agility and lower-speed performance that makes a hot hatch so engaging, especially in ‘real-world’ driving scenarios.
315: The Most Powerful Type R To Date
Honda
The 2024 Honda Civic Type R has big shoes to fill. Ever since 1997, when Honda released the EK9 Type R, the humble hot hatch has been in constant evolution, in a battle with itself to constantly ‘one-up’ the previous generation. As a result, Honda turned to turbocharging technology in 2015 in order to ensure peak output continued skyward. The latest iteration is no different, as the mighty K20(C1) continues to use boost, and the result is a sinister 315 horsepower, in partnership with 310 lb-ft of torque. Not to worry though, Honda engineers are more than skilled enough to ensure that power is delivered efficiently, via a helical limited-slip differential, to minimize understeer.
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Six: A Proper Manual Transmission, For Proper Drivers
Honda
Modern automatic transmissions are incredibly clever, and awfully quick. What’s more, most hot hatches with such a transmission have paddle-shifts mounted exactly where your hands are, meaning the driver need not let go of the steering wheel. Everything points toward this smart, modern tech being the way forward, especially if lap times are your thing. However, Honda, in addition to an overwhelming number of enthusiastic drivers, prefers to prioritize another metric – fun. While paddle-shift auto ‘boxes may be quicker, nothing beats shifting through the gears manually, especially in a nimble and well-sorted hot hatch. Driving enthusiasts can relax, then, as Honda continues to equip the latest Civic Type R with a playful six-speed manual transmission.
2:23.120: A Record-Breaking FWD Hot Hatch Around Suzuka
Speed and performance are still very much at the center of what Honda’s beloved Type R must offer. While impressive engine outputs and fancy suspension components are all well and good, nothing earns bragging rights quite like an immense lap time.
Honda knows this, and so, in an effort to demonstrate the performance available with the latest generation of Civic Type R, they sent their latest hot hatch out to the iconic Suzuka circuit in Japan. Not satisfied with simply setting a hot lap and calling it a day, Honda actually cracked the FWD track record at Suzuka, with a boastful time of 2:23.120 minutes. Evidence, then, that all the tweaks and updates made to the latest Type R had certainly worked in the car’s favor.
28: Economical Enough To Justify For Daily Driving
Honda
The point of a good hot hatch, though, is to offer so much more than just blistering on-track performance. A hot hatch must also deliver on the road, with practical luggage space, room for the family, and respectable running costs too. Here, the Type R continues to impress. Packing room for four and a spacious trunk, the Type R ticks those family-friendly boxes. Furthermore, with up to 28 mpg available from the ferocious Type R, it won’t break the bank to commute in either. That’s the highway figure; Honda quotes 22 mpg in the city, for a combined figure of 24 mpg.
265: More Grip Than Previous Generations
Honda
Back to performance, though. This is the most powerful Civic Type R developed, with 315 horsepower on tap. Sure, it’s full of trick pieces of tech, like that impressive limited-slip differential, but how else does Honda ensure the power is delivered to the road effectively?
With the only thing separating the car from the road being the tires, you’d surely hope that Honda equips the Type R with some seriously grippy, low-profile rubber. No fear, they certainly do, as the Civic comes standard with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires equipped, and they are even wider than ever before. The cross-section of these performance-orientated tires is 265 mm, a full 20 mm wider than the previous generation Type R. Yet another example of constant evolution.
3,188: Lighter Than The Competition
Honda
Some performance cars are powerful enough to almost forget about their weight. Take the latest BMW M5, for example. There isn’t a single review out there that doesn’t make note of the overwhelming curb weight of 5,390 lbs, but with 717 horsepower under the hood, it’s hardly going to be a slouch.
The Civic Type R cannot get away with such careless consideration for curb weights, though. Hot hatches are supposed to be feather-light and chuckable, and, fortunately, Honda have taken pride in prioritizing this.
Honda engineers have again delivered on our goal to create the most rewarding driving experience in the performance hatchback segment.
– Tom Gardner, Senior Vice President, Honda Motor Europe
Lightweight materials such as carbon-fiber for the spoiler, resin for the hatch, and an aluminum hood, all work together to bring that curb weight down. The hard work pays off, too, as the Type R comes in at just 3,188 lbs – significantly lighter than any of the Civic’s fiercest hatchback rivals.
2024 Hot Hatch Comparison: Weight
Hot Hatch
Base Curb Weight
2024 Honda Civic Type R
3,188 lbs
2024 Toyota GR Corolla
3,252 lbs (Core trim)
2024 Volkswagen Golf R
3,397 lbs (manual)
Four: Brembo Provides Ample Stopping Power
Honda
Ever-increasing performance means the hardware of Honda’s Civic Type R will also need to be updated, so that the power can be used safely and effectively. Between the first-generation and the latest Type R, engine output has swelled from 182 to 315 horsepower, and so stopping power has become more and more important.
This need has not been overlooked by Honda, as the 2024 Type R boasts Brembo-branded stopping power, with four-piston calipers up front, clamped upon 13.8-inch, two-piece rotors. A focus on impressive stopping power means drivers can brake harder and later, inspiring confidence on track, which is exactly what you’d like to find in a top-tier hot hatchback.
12: Audiophiles Can Enjoy More Than Just The Exhaust Note
Honda
Much like the old-school, track-orientated Ferrari F40, the 2024 Civic Type R sports a trio of exhaust tail pipes from the center of the rear diffuser. As intoxicating as that high-revving inline-four surely sounds, sometimes, owners may prefer to tune out of the performance side of Honda’s Civic, and instead, tune in to some of their favorite music.
The Type R has your back here, too, as Honda equips the flagship Civic with a smattering of 12 Bose speakers, ensuring impressive sound quality, especially for a car in this sector. Again, this demonstrates how the 2024 Honda Civic Type R is so much more than just a toy for the track, but also the perfect tool for daily driving.