Why they waited so long is a mystery to us, but finally, our time in the United States has come to be graced with the presence (and purchasing ability) of the coveted, holy grail of Honda Civics, the Honda Civic Type R… 2017 edition.  Thanks for making us wait 20 f#$@%g years you... really awesome car makers you... (Literally, 20 years.  The first Type R was available overseas in 1997). 

Sold exclusively as a hatchback, and as stated before, this vehicle set to roll out this year, will be the first Type R model to ever be sold in the US. 

Now for the good stuff…

Under the hood of the 2017 Civic Type R is a lovely 2.0-liter turbo-four with 306 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque.   Transmission?  Six-speed manual, with an automatic rev-matching feature that can be turned off.  In other words for all you “Sticks” fans out there - No mo’ automat’o for this Type R’o!  No mo!  It ain’t got no!  Styx, Sticks… you get it? Ok, moving on!

It’s got the standard - adjustable suspension with Dual Axis front set up, aluminum lower arms, and 20-inch alloy performance wheels.  Yes, yes… Brembo brakes, a helical limited-slip differential and a full aero kit complete with exactly what you’d expect… a ridiculously ginormous ass wing!   Yes.. that’s the technical term for it.  “Ginormous ass wing.”  I mean look at it.  It’s clearly… well… ok, its not really that big, but baby got back.  Does size really matter here?  Maybe a little to your added cool factor and increased spectator queries as to how fast your Type R can actually go. 

The Civic Type R will start at about mid 30’s in price, leaning close to 40’s depending on if you get the “Touring trim”.  I mean, go big or go home right?  You got to get the Touring trim. 

Other standard features include your luxury gadgets – 7.0-inch touchscreen with navigation, Apple CarPlay, a 540-watt premium audio system, leather accents and some really cool racing seats. 

Coolness rating of this car to the general public,  on a scale of 1-10 we give it a 6.7 – partly because of it’s younger appeal.  Coolness factor among other Honda Civic owners?  We give it a 13.    And remember, good things come to those who wait... 20 years.