Honda Tweaks the Civic Type R

Instead of leaving its halo car alone, Honda announced several new changes to the Civic Type R. These could help sweeten the deal for anyone considering this high-strung compact, front-wheel-drive car, and the changes are coming in waves for the next two model years.

The first change is for the 202 model year. Honda has tightened up the suspension using an Adaptive Damper System, stiffer rear lower B-arm bushings, and more. The car is also gaining two-piece front rotors and fade-resistant brake pad material. Cosmetic upgrades for the exterior and interior are also included.

And there’s new tech coming with the 2020 Honda Civic Type R. This includes the Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver assistance tech, which makes quite a few modern car shoppers happy as well as insurance companies. Even better is the new performance datalogger, Honda LogR. The car’s computer and sensors communicate with the driver’s smartphone through an app, allowing the monitoring and recording of performance metrics. These sorts of features have become popular in modern performance cars, so it’s about time Honda offered it.

2021 Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition (Credit: Honda)

Then for the 2021 model year we’re getting the Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition, which is more track-oriented than the regular model. Lightweighting through forged wheels, less sound deadening materials, rear wiper delete, etc. translates into about 46 pounds shed. That’s not a lot, but every bit does help.

To further enhance performance, Honda is including dampers with more aggressive tuning. The steering will be recalibrated for greater control and feedback. This car will be available in a single color: Phoenix Yellow.