2023 Honda Civic Type R checks in with 315 hp, better cooling, revised gearbox

Honda on Wednesday revealed that the 2023 Honda Civic Type R will have 315 hp, making it the most powerful Honda-badged vehicle ever sold in the U.S.

Honda also detailed what upgrades led to the power increase, along with what tweaks were made to the transmission and suspension for the next-generation Type R.

2023 Honda Civic Type R

More power, more cooling

To start, the Civic Type R’s 2.0-liter turbo-4 has been massaged to produce 315 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. The power increase over the outgoing Type R’s 306 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque comes via three updates: a redesigned turbocharger, an increased air intake flow rate, and a new, more efficient exhaust system.

The turbocharger features an optimized shape, size, and number of turbine wheel blades, Honda explained. That together with a redesigned path for the air intake allows the turbo to more efficiently generate pressure in a wider range.

The larger grille opening on the 2023 Type R feeds a new, larger radiator and larger diameter fan aimed at improving engine cooling while ensuring sustained performance.

An active valve in the new exhaust system’s center pipe opens at a higher rpm than before, but Honda didn’t note at what rpm that magic door opens.

A lighter flywheel and newly optimized shift pattern for the 6-speed manual transmission round out the upgrades. Honda’s also installed a rev-matching system in the 2023 Type R like the one in the 2022 Civic Si.

2023 Honda Civic Type R

2023 Honda Civic Type R

2023 Honda Civic Type R

Tweaked suspension, upgraded brakes

Based on the 11th-generation Civic, the new Type R is longer and wider than before. The 107.7-inch wheelbase has grown 1.4 inches versus the last Type R, and the track is 1.0 wider in the front and 0.75 inches in the rear.

To accommodate the longer and wider Type R Honda engineers retuned the front strut and rear multi-link suspension to improve straight-line stability. Honda said steering feel has improved.

2023 Honda Civic Type R

Hauling the Type R down from speed are two-piece Brembo brake rotors up front, hooked to a retuned brake booster that enhances feel and controllability, according to Honda.

Honda hasn’t said how much the 2023 Civic Type R will cost when it goes on sale this fall, but it will be built at the automaker’s Yorii Plant in Japan.