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The Civic Type-R is a standalone variant, so there aren’t any options to choose between. Nevertheless, for recommendations sake, we absolutely recommend you buy the Civic Type-R if you love the stick shift. It is easily one of the most enjoyable cars of its generation to drive, and while the refinement eats away at the fun, the track times you will set are sure to make up for it.

"Positioned above Sport and Si variants of the popular Civic, the Civic Type R represents the culmination of Honda's performance know-how." - Motortrend

The Type-R is a performance-oriented version of the Civic that challenges all the recent developments of the auto industry, such as the paradigm shift from manual to automatic transmission. Moreover, it utilizes a vast amount of engineering perfection to allow 306 horses to power the front wheels without torque-steering into the nearest wall. Other than its engineering prowess and unmistakable performance, the 2022 Honda Civic Type-R does have a few features to make it a comfy daily driver and not just a track machine.

"The new Civic Type R will continue to be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, but it'll be more powerful than the current generation that makes 306 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque." - Car and Driver

The 2022 Honda Civic Type-R will carry the powertrain from the 2021 model with a different state of tune. The current Civic Type-R uses a 2 liter, turbocharged, 4 pot engine that makes a solid 306 horses and 295 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual box and power is sent to the front wheels only. The 2022 Civic Type-R will also get a 2 liter, turbo, 4 pot engine but it will be more powerful than before.

We expect the figure to be close to about 350 hp. The 2022 model will be offered with a 6-speed manual but there are chances that it may also be offered with a dual-clutch automatic gearbox like the Veloster N. The 2022 model will be available in a front-wheel-drive configuration only and expect no surprises in this area.

*2021 MY data used for reference

With more power, the performance of the 2022 Civic Type-R is likely to go up as well. The 2021 Civic with the 306 hp under the hood did 0-60 mph in just 5.0 seconds and did the quarter-mile run in about 12.7 seconds. Our speculations are the 2022 Civic Type-R will deliver even crazier times and will set newer benchmarks for other cars in the segment. The Type-R has always been one of the most exciting cars to drive and it certainly will continue to do so with the 2022 model.

"Neither the EPA nor Honda has said how fuel-efficient the 2022 Civic Type R will be in the city or on the highway." - Car and Driver

Fuel economy should not really matter for anybody who’s planning to buy a performance car. The 2022 Civic Type-R will be churning out more power from the same 2-liter, turbo unit, so we do not quite expect the fuel economy to improve compared to the outgoing model. The 2021 Type-R goes for about 22 miles on a gallon in the city and hauls up to about 28 miles on the highway and delivers 25 mpg of combined fuel economy. The 2022 Type-R shall also deliver similar figures and quite frankly you couldn’t expect anything better from a car like this. 

*2021 MY data used for reference

The Veloster N and the Golf GTI are significantly low in power and yet their fuel economy is similar to the Type-R. The only other car competing against the Type-R is the MINI John Cooper Works Clubman ALL4 that manages to deliver slightly better fuel economy than the Type-R.

"They should include red accents, faux carbon-fiber trim, and—hopefully—a familiar set of very comfy and supportive front seats." - Car and Driver

Honda had unveiled the interior design of the Civic sedan and not the Type-R and so we do not have any concrete information about how the car is going to look on the inside. One thing’s for sure however that it will continue to have that sporty and racy theme like the outgoing model. The 2021 Civic Type-R had very snug, Alcantara-wrapped front seats and they had very aggressive bolsters on them that held you tight in place. No wonder the 2022 Civic Type-R will feature similar kinds of seats at the front. At the back as well the 2022 Type-R will get those sculpted seats that can hold the passengers well and ensure that they don’t get thrown around while cutting corners at high speeds.

Since the 2022 Type-R will not be getting a new chassis and will be based on a tweaked and reinforced version of the 2021 Type-R’s chassis, the passenger space and cargo volume will not change all that much with this model year. However, Honda has hinted that the design of the 2022 Type-R will not be as crazy and dramatic as the 2021 model. It will be more calm and subtle and so you can expect similar kinds of changes to the interior design as well.

*2021 MY data used for reference

The 2021 Type-R has all the goodies like a 540-watt, 12-speaker audio system, 7-inch infotainment display, Apple Carplay, Android Auto, navigation system, HD radio, Bluetooth smartphone integration, dual-zone automatic climate control, and many others and the 2022 model too shall get similar set of features and equipment if not better. The Type-R is the largest car in the competition and hence has the highest amount of passenger and cargo space than any of its rivals. The previous generation Type-R offered a generous amount of space to the passengers at the front and the back and the 2022 model shall do the same.

The Civic Type-R is not the car you buy for creature comfort and if that’s something that you crave, then you may buy some luxury car. Its interior is all about sportiness and giving you that racy feeling while you’re inside it.

Interior features include:

• Sporty accents all around the cabin
• Tear-drop finished aluminum gear shifter
• Leather upholstery
• 6-way adjustable driver’s seat

"Again based on the Civic's four-door hatchback body style, we can see that the new Type R is wearing Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires wrapped around some nice-looking ten-spoke black wheels. " - Car and Driver

The biggest change that’s going to be there with the 2022 Civic Type-R is on the outside. Honda has said that the new Type-R will adopt a more mature and sober character and will not bear that rad and crazy fascia like the outgoing model.

Instead, the new Type-R shall have a more aggressive yet sophisticated look to appeal to audiences across all ages, and we can tell that from the camouflaged test mules that were spotted testing recently. Since the new 2022 model will be based on the tweaked chassis of the 2021 model, the shape and dimensions of the car shall stay pretty similar to the outgoing model.

*2021 MY data used for reference

The camouflaged Type-R was spotted with large and aggressive wheel arches and a pretty large rear wing. We couldn’t spot any large fake air-ducts on the camouflaged Type-R and we couldn’t spot any large front lip spoiler like the 2021 Type-R. The headlight and taillight designs have been changed and they resemble more closely the headlights that were there on the Civic sedan prototype that was unveiled in November last year.

Exterior features of the 2022 Honda Civic Type-R are:

• Polarising styling 
• Purposeful spoiler 
• New headlight and taillight design 
• Rain-sensing wipers

"We expect the Civic Type R will continue to come with a host of standard driver-assistance technology." - Car and Driver

The 2022 Honda Civic Type-R is yet to be tested and rated by the NHTSA and the IIHS and hence there’s nothing that we can comment about right now. However, the 2022 model will be based on the chassis of the 2021 model, we do not expect the safety scores and ratings to improve or deteriorate drastically. The 2021 Honda Civic Type-R wasn’t tested and rated by the NHTSA but it was tested and rated by the IIHS. The 2021 Civic was IIHS’ ‘2021 TOP SAFETY PICK’ and has got the highest ‘good’ rating in almost all the parameters tested by the IIHS and we expect the 2022 model to get better ratings. The 2021 Civic Type-R came equipped with some very advanced safety equipment and features and for the 2022 Type-R, we can expect more equipment.

Safety features of the 2022 Honda Civic Type-R:

• Side impact beams.
• Collision mitigation braking system
• Forward collision warning
• Lane-keep-assist
• Road departure mitigation system
• Back up camera

2022 Honda Civic Type-R vs. 2022 Hyundai Veloster N

The Hyundai Veloster N is perhaps one of the most underrated hot-hatches in the market. It has a very peppy engine that churns out 275 horses and its compact dimensions along with its unconventional 3-door design make it a very quirky yet unique proposition. The Veloster N feels extremely exciting from behind the wheel. It is a proper driver’s car and is built to enthrall the driver. Priced at about $33000, the Veloster N costs you quite less than the Type-R. However, it is a small car and isn’t as practical. Moreover, the extra horses of the Type-R give it that extra edge, and hands down is a better driving car for the two. Now, the Veloster N isn’t as common as the Type-R and so it’ll help you stand out in the crowd. But then if you’re looking for a value for money proposition and want a car that is pure bliss to drive, we would certainly recommend you the Civic Type-R over the Veloster N.

2022 Honda Civic Type-R vs. 2022 Volkswagen Golf GTI

The Volkswagen Golf GTI is yet another fun-to-drive hot-hatch. Powered by a 2 liter, turbo, 4 barrel engine, the GTI makes about 228 horses which are significantly lower than the Type-R. On the flip side, the Type-R costs almost $10000 more than the Golf GTI. However, the Civic is a much superior car to the Golf GTI and if you have the budget, we would recommend you to stick with the Civic Type-R only. The Golf is not a bad car, but it’s just that the Civic is a much better option.

2022 Honda Civic Type-R vs. 2021 MINI John Cooper Works Clubman ALL4

It’s a matter of debate whether one should call the MINI John Cooper Works Clubman ALL4 a hot-hatch but it’s the power, performance, and driving dynamics that have helped it in becoming a strong competitor to cars like the Civic Type-R. With a price tag of about $39500, this MINI makes more power and torque, comes with a standard all-wheel drive, and is quicker than it off the straight line. This is one car that the Type-R never saw coming and has to watch out for in the future. Moreover, the MINI is luxurious on the inside and offers a better snob value. We think that MINI is the better car here in this comparison.

The 2022 Honda Civic Type-R already has us excited. With a tweaked engine and sharper styling, it is on its way to get bigger and better than ever before. The Civic Type R was already a great car to drive and we just can’t imagine how much more fun it is going to be once it hits the road. If you’re looking for a hot hatchback and are considering buying some other hot hatch in the market, we would suggest you wait for a while. Do not make any decision before you test drive the new 2022 Type-R. It has always been the undisputed king of hot-hatches and we believe that it will live up to its name with the upcoming 2022 model.