Is the 2023 Honda Civic Type R a Good Car for First-Time Drivers?
The Honda Civic has always been well-known as a good starter car in the automotive industry. It’s non-offensive, reliable, and easy to maintain. Above all else, the Honda Civic has always been an affordable solution for first-time and teenage drivers alike. But what about the Honda Civic Type R? Would the fire-breathing hot hatchback make for a good first-time car?
The 2023 Honda Civic Type R is easy to drive and safe
Driving a car with a stick shift is a lost art nowadays. However, if a first-time driver wants to learn how the 2023 Honda Civic Type R is a good car to learn on. The editors at Car and Driver noted, “The clutch has an appropriate amount of effort, and the engagement is as intuitive as it gets.” A car’s clutch effort is everything when it comes to learning how to drive a manual transmission, especially in traffic.
Additionally, once the car gets going, any novice driver will feel safe knowing the Civic Type R comes equipped with the Honda Sensing suite of driver-assist features. The list of safety aids includes a Collision Mitigation Braking System and a Road Departure Mitigation System, which keeps the car from running into cars ahead or off the road.
There’s also a driver attention monitor to ensure the driver stays alert and a blind spot warning system to ensure no one gets sideswiped. Of course, there are plenty of airbags to keep the driver and passenger safe should the worst happen.
The Honda Civic Type R has all of the comfort and tech-savvy features a teenage driver needs
If the first-time driver is a teenager, they will likely love the Honda Civic Type R’s front seats. They’re technically race buckets that contour to the driver and passenger’s backsides and hold them in under heavy cornering.
But for any teenagers familiar with sitting in a gaming chair for hours on end while playing PC games and watching streams, the Civic Type R’s seats look as familiar as the gaming chair sitting at their dust-encrusted desk.
The Civic Type R has plenty of tech-savvy features as well. Honda equipped it with a premium Bose 12-speaker sound system, which sounds great when playing techno music – or whatever kids listen to nowadays.
The 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system also has wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, satellite radio, and an onboard navigation system. Teens will also like the wireless phone charging dock.
The Civic Type R is powerful and fuel-efficient
We can’t talk about the 2023 Honda Civic Type R and not mention its power output. We doubt any first-time or teenage driver would need 315 hp, but it’s there. Also, although the Civic Type R is better suited for a race track, it provides an easy driving experience on the street.
There are four driving modes to choose from – Comfort, Sport, +R, and Individual – which allows the driver to tailor the experience to their needs. Lastly, a set of Brembo brakes and sticky tires can make the car stop on a dime, which is a good thing for novice drivers.
Ultimately, the Civic Type R could make for a good first-time driver’s car despite being much more high-strung than its non-R counterparts. Even in high-performance guise, it’s no wonder the Honda Civic was always known for being a good starter car.
