Is the Honda Civic Type-R the Safest Sports Car of 2023?
Safety is likely not at the top of the list when researching sports cars. Most driving enthusiasts favor horsepower figures over safety specs and 0-60 times over driver-assist equipment. However, safety is always important, especially if you plan to drive a sports car fast – on the track, of course.
Fortunately, Honda has driving enthusiasts covered with the all-new 2023 Civic Type R. But is it the safest sports car of the year?
How safe is the 2023 Honda Civic Type R?
Although the 2023 Honda Civic Type R lacks any safety ratings from the NHTSA, you still bet that it’s safe. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded the 2023 Honda Civic with a Top Safety Pick + award, which is highly coveted by all automakers. Considering the current Civic Type R is based on the same chassis, we can deduce that it’s as safe as its slower, normal stablemate.
Additionally, the 2023 Civic Type R has all of the same safety features, thanks to being equipped with the Honda Sensing suite. This group of driver-assist features includes technologies like:
- Forward-collision warning
- Lane-departure warning
- Collision-mitigation braking system
- Road Departure Mitigation
- Adaptive cruise control
- Traffic sign recognition
- Blind Spot information system
- Backing out support
All of these features keep the car on the road and within the lane at all times when driving normally. Honda also constructed the Civic Type R using the same Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure, which absorbs the energy from a frontal impact to reduce occupant injuries. Overall, we think that the 2023 Civic Type R is a safe bet for a road-going and practical sports car.
How much horsepower does the 2023 Honda Civic Type R have?
Didn’t we say that horsepower and torque figures are important when choosing a sports car? In the new Civic Type R’s case, the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine under the hood puts out 315 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. Those figures make it the most powerful Type R that Honda has ever produced.
The numbers also translate well for performance, as the editors from Car and Driver were able to get the car up to 60 mph from a standstill in only 4.9 seconds. It also finishes the quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds, which is really quick for a compact car in its class.
In comparison, a 180-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter engine powers the 2023 Civic Sport Touring. The folks at Car and Driver put it through the same paces to the tune of a 7.5-second 0-60 mph time and a 15.8-second quarter-mile time.
Is the 2023 Honda Civic Type R the safest sports hatchback?
The 2023 Honda Civic Type R’s main rival is the Toyota GR Corolla, and it only received a Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS. However, it has similar safety and driver-assist features as the Civic Type R, but we would say that Honda is deemed safer. Although safety may not be at the top of any driving enthusiasts’ list when looking for a sports car, they won’t need to worry much when choosing the 2023 Civic Type R.
