2020 Honda Civic Type R Revealed With Visual And Hardware Changes

Having updated the regular Civic and the warm Si variant for the 2020 model year, Honda is now refreshing the cherry on top of the lineup by releasing the revised Type R. Debuting at the Tokyo Auto Salon in Japan, the hot hatch has gone through mild cosmetic tweaks with an emphasis on improving aero to make the polarizing body sleeker than before.

Needless to say, the styling modifications are in line with those applied to the lesser models of the range. New for 2020 is the slightly larger front grille allowing the engine to breathe better, along with a fresh Boost Blue paint color exclusive to the Type R.

The mid-cycle facelift comes along with quite a few mechanical changes as Honda has installed newly developed two-piece brake rotors coupled to updated brake pads designed to reduce fade and boost the stopping power at high speeds. In addition, the 2020 Civic Type R has a modified suspension with optimized dampers increasing comfort during normal driving.

Honda's engineers have developed a new set of rear bushings that are stiffer than before to improve grip, while the front suspension has been modified to make the steering feel more direct by reducing friction.

Stepping inside the cabin, the performance hatchback has a new steering wheel wrapped in Alcantara, along with a different shifter featuring a redesigned knob and shorter shift throws. In the United States, the Honda Sensing array of safety and driver assistance systems will come as standard, making the 2020 model year the first time Honda Sensing is offered as standard equipment across the entire Civic lineup.

Underneath the hood you'll find the same turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine making 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet (400 Newton-meters) of torque. Output is channeled to the front axle through a six-speed, close-ratio manual transmission and a limited-slip differential. As before, drivers will get to pick between three selectable modes (Comfort, Sport, +R) that change throttle and steering response as well as the firmness of the suspension.

The 2020MY debuts Honda's Active Sound Control that will modify the sound heard inside the cabin depending on the selected drive mode.

Honda says additional details about its revised hot hatch for the U.S. market will be released closer to the vehicle's launch programmed for later this year. For the time being, there's no word about a potential hardcore version to reclaim the title for the fastest front-wheel-drive production car at the Nürburgring, a title currently held by the Renault Megane RS Trophy-R with a time of 7 minutes and 40.1 seconds or nearly four seconds quicker than the Type R.