While some reviews have pointed out a few negatives with the 2017 Honda Civic Type R, the general consensus seems to be that it’s a very well-rounded hot hatchback.
As for Doug DeMuro, even though he didn’t end up hating the new Civic Type R, there were plenty of things that didn’t sit right with him, such as the styling of the rear section, the fact that it sounds like “his dad’s old Camry” and the fact that it simply felt slower than a Focus RS or a WRX STI.
Sure enough, the 2017 Type R is down on power compared to its rivals, pushing down 310 PS (306 HP) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque through its front wheels.
What’s really surprising though is that it doesn’t suffer from torque steer, which DeMuro demonstrated by doing a few acceleration tests without holding the steering wheel – and no, the wheel didn’t even flinch.
Overall, he liked the handling, the steering, rear legroom, the comfortable seats and comfortable ride, but ended up being disappointed by the rear end design, the soundtrack (or lack of) and the straight line performance.
So if you’re the Focus RS or the Golf R for now, you’re probably not too worried about the Honda.