2021 Honda Civic Type R

It seems like only yesterday that the Honda Civic Type R arrived with great fanfare to U.S. shores in 2017. That’s probably because we had waited so long – 20 years since the original Civic Type R’s introduction in 1997 – for the hi-po Honda to come stateside. But the current Type R is based on the 10th-generation Civic, and with the 11th generation already previewed, its days are numbered. So, Honda’s sending it off with a bang in the form of the 2021 Civic Type R Limited Edition. One thing’s for certain, there’ll be no mistaking this special edition for anything else. It’s yellow, you may have noticed. The exact hue is Phoenix Yellow, one of the hero colors of the 1997 Civic Type R and one with great nostalgic value to hard-core Honda fans. It’s also got a blacked-out roof and hood scoop, but this limited edition is more than just an appearance package. Somehow, Honda has managed to squeeze even more heat out of an already spicy ghost pepper. The standard-issue Type R is a joy to drive – if you can call a front-drive, Nürburgring-record-breaker "standard." With 306 horsepower and instantaneous direction-changing ability, it zips through pods of rambling SUVs like they’re standing still. Its 295 pound-feet of peak torque kicks in at a mere 2,500 rpm, so you never have to hunt for the right gear. Of course, you may want to change gears anyway just to revel in the shifter’s bolt-action precision and the weight of its aluminum shift knob. The clutch isn’t too soft, like many modern third pedals dumbed-down for the stall-prone, providing just enough pedal travel and resistance to modulate well. The Civic Type R’s true calling, however, is the track. And remember, we're still talking about the regular, unlimited version here. Dial up the +R drive mode to put the adaptive suspension in its firmest setting and it’ll corner flatter than a week-old soda. Even after repeated stomping on the brake pedal, the four-pot Brembos consistently yank the car to a halt like the Millennium Falcon coming out of hyperspace. Throttle response evinces no turbo lag, just accelerative force that churns all the way to redline. Wheelspin is banished by a helical limited-slip differential. There’s no torque steer either, thanks to dual-axis struts. In fact, the Civic Type R doesn’t behave like a front-wheel-drive car at all. Its most amazing engineering feat is that even when you go into a corner hot, even if you break traction, it doesn’t understeer. So, we’ve established that the Civic Type R is a downright magical circuit weapon. The Limited Edition takes all that and adds lightness. Honda shaved nearly 50 pounds from the regular Type R’s curb weight by deleting things such as sound deadening, the rear parcel shelf, and the rear wiper. That might not seem like a lot when you’re talking about a 3,121-pound car, but we noticed a marked difference when driving the cars back to back at the Thermal …
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