- Honda has made its first major changes to the US Civic Type R in four years.
- The MY27 has re-profiled bumpers and improved damping and rev matching.
- A 315 hp 2.0 four is carried over but equipment now includes Google Built-in.
Honda already gave us a big stack of reasons to put the 2026 Civic Type R top of our sport compact want-one list, including a manual transmission and a chassis that can hang with the best sports cars. But while it’s been axed in Europe due to tightening emissions rules, America’s best-selling hot hatch heads into 2027 with a few subtle upgrades that ought to make it even better to own, drive and live with.
The first of those changes is one that doesn’t affect the way the Type R drives, but might make you even keener to get behind the wheel, if you actually notice it. The MY27 hatch has a more aggressive front fascia with a larger grille opening, and also gets a deeper front splitter that Honda claims generates more downforce.
Related: Honda’s Cheapest Type R Costs $41 And Goes On Your Kid’s Feet
We bet you’ll never feel the difference, but some of the other tweaks sound really promising. One is a retuned damper setup for the currently over-stiff +R driving mode that’s said to reduce bounce and impact harshness on tougher non-track surfaces. Another is the addition of a yoke spring to the brake pedal to suppress play in the linkage and improve feel.
Honda has also recalibrated the rev-match software to improve response and make down changes smoother, and fitted the K20C 2.0-liter engine with a new plastic engine cover designed to look more like a vintage Type R‘s cam cover. What it hasn’t done is given the Type R any more power. The current model enters its fourth year rocking the same 315 hp (319 PS) and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) as before. That muscle again drives the front wheels through a limited slip differential and no-choice six-speed manual.
Heated Seats Make Late Debut
But it’s not like the Civic is light on urge. Around 5 seconds to 60 mph (97 kmh) is going some for a front-wheel drive car, and with a curb weight of just 3,188 lbs (1,446 kg), it feels much faster than that once speeds are high enough to remove the traction disadvantage versus all-wheel drive cars.
Moody Meteorite Gray Metallic joins the color palette and three-stage heated sports seats are added to the standard equipment list for the first time. The suede-effect upholstery has a new perforated design and black striping for MY27, the climate control knobs are now finished in black, and the shifter, door handles and console trim are dark gray.
Google Built-In
You also get Ultrasuede fabric on the upper door panels as well as on the top of the gauge cluster, which Honda says cuts down on glare and reflections in the windshield. And on the tech side, Google built-in and Alexa built-in feature on the connectivity side for the first time, along with two USB-C ports on the console above the wireless phone charger.
Honda says it’s also improved lane-keeping assistance and added a post-collision braking system, neither of which are going to make you decide whether to buy a Type R or not, but are worth having anyway.
Closing In On $50k
It sounds like we’ll have to wait until we get our hands on one of the MY27 cars to understand how much the small powertrain and chassis tweaks enhance the Type R’s already engaging driving experience. And though it might have been sweeter to hear it was getting a ton more horsepower at the same time, the Civic doesn’t really need it.
What matters is American Honda still cares enough about the Type R to keep offering it in the US even as emissions regulations have killed it off in other markets after 2026, and forced the manual Civic Si off sale in North America.
At $48,690 including destination the MY26 was already more expensive than every rival bar the VW Golf R, and the 2027 car raises that to $49,990 ($48,695 plus $1,295 destination). But even then you might still argue the Type R is a bargain. Because this side of a 911 GT3, what else are you going to buy?
