The 2020 Honda Civic Type R doesn’t look dramatically evolved but its subtle updates are worthwhile.

Full Disclosure: Honda agreed to loan me a Civic Type R in Boost Blue Pearl when I said, wow, that color’s amazing.

A $40,000 Honda Civic would have to be hot shit to be taken seriously.

Luckily for those invested the 2020 Type R is an absolute scorcher and makes for one of the most fun driving experiences you can have at any price.

While the standard Civic is a chill commuter car and the Civic Si is practical transport that likes to party, the Civic Type R is an absolute beast capable of coffee-spilling cornering, ferocious acceleration, and a transmission that shifts with the decisiveness and weight of Optimus Prime doing a slow clap.

We had to make do with the Civic Si, and ultra limited-production Integra Type R.

Until 2017, when the FK8 Civic Type R finally showed up and was universally praised with all the phrases I opened this review with.

New-for-2020, the CTR has all the same goosebumpy goodness it’s had for the last three years plus a few tweaks per Honda:.

Look, it’s been too long since I drove the 2017 and Civic Type R for me to reliably articulate exactly how much better the 2020 is.

Honda has a well-deserved reputation for building manual-shift transmissions that are joyful to operate and the Civic Type R’s is among the best.

The primitive-feeling infotainment is hardly a dealbreaker considering how great of a car the Civic Type R is, but when I swapped this out for a loaner Lariat Ford I realized just how slow and ugly Honda’s digital interface is compared to other options.

The 2020 Civic hatchback is an IIHS “Top Safety Pick” but the agency says this doesn’t apply to the Type R.

I imagine this is mostly because it hasn’t tested the Type R and it’s considered a separate model rather than a trim level, but I bet the CTR has similar crash survivability standards as a standard Civic hatch.

The Civic Type R has the Honda Sensing crash-preventative suite as standard.

The Civic Type R’s most direct rivals would be the VW Golf R (less power, but all-wheel drive; not available for the 2020 model year), and the Hyundai Veloster (less expensive, less powerful).

The Civic Type R will stand out if you enjoy shifter feel and responsive steering, and of course the car will be best appreciated by people who are fond of the sport compact scene in general and want to experience owning an icon that was forbidden fruit on U.S.

I don’t think my photos here did really the Civic Type R justice, especially in Boost Blue

(I did like the way raising the color temperature on the first picture gave it a hot Fast/Furious energy, though.) Luckily the Civic Type R can be seen from every possible angle on Honda’s gallery site and Honda’s other gallery