2018 Honda Civic Type R

In spite of being best known as a super-reliable economy car, the Honda Civic line has also included a variety of high-performance variants over the years. One of those is the Type R, a ne plus ultra model that has been around for years in other markets but makes its North American debut for 2018.

Based on the Civic hatchback body style, the Type R skips over the 1.5L turbo four-cylinder used in the car’s more mundane trims for a 2.0L turbo four that cranks out a serious 306 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. That power is funneled to the front wheels by a six-speed manual transmission and a limited slip differential.

With this car, Honda (finally) throws its hat into the super-spicy hot-hatch ring to go up against the likes of the Volkswagen Golf R, Ford Focus RS and Subaru WRX STi. What sets the Type R apart is its front-drive layout, which -- at least on paper -- sounds like a deficit when you’re talking about 300 turbocharged horsepower.

This isn’t Honda’s first rodeo, however, and they’ve done a great job of tuning the Type R to eliminate the torque steer that afflicts many high-powered front-drivers, especially when a limited slip diff is involved.

So maybe don’t judge the Type R by its ungainly looks. The other cars in this tight segment cloak their performance in understated bodies that are far less polarizing.

Type R’s standard performance features include 20-inch wheels, a three-mode drive control system, adaptive damping suspension and big brakes handled by four-piston front calipers.

Honda apparently presumes Type R drivers are likely to pay more attention to their surroundings: despite being the most expensive Civic variant, this one doesn’t come with the Honda Sensing active safety suite. All you get is the camera-based LaneWatch right-side blind spot display. Even the cruise control system is the old-school type that sticks to whatever speed you set it at regardless of what’s happening around you.

However, you do get LED headlights and taillights, rain-sensing wipers, navigation, multi-angle backup camera, passive keyless entry, suede-like red fabric stretched over six-way driver and four-way front passenger seats and a 542-watt, 12-speaker sound system that supports the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration systems.

There are no options available.

Honda’s fuel consumption estimates are 10.6/8.3 L/100 km (city/highway).