Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) just dropped the sixth-generation Civic Type R marking the arrival of a more powerful and mature-looking iteration of the souped-up sedan. That said, one can’t help but think how the updated Civic Type R will stack up against one of its rivals in the local automotive scene — the Toyota GR 86.
Today, we pit both cars against each other to see which of them will better suit your budget and your motoring needs, should you be on the market for a fast car.
The Honda Civic Type R measures 4,593 millimeters (mm) long, 1,890mm wide, and 1,407mm tall. Its wheelbase is 2,735mm and its minimum ground clearance is 123mm.
As for Toyota Motor Philippines’ GR 86, its overall length is 4,265mm, its overall width is 1,775mm, and its overall height is 1,310mm, making it a tad smaller than the aforementioned Civic Type R. Its wheelbase is also slightly shorter, at 2,575mm. Meanwhile, its minimum ground clearance is 130mm.
While the larger dimensions of the Honda Civic Type R do give its occupants a little more room, it contributes to the overall weight of the automobile. The Honda Civic Type R weighs in at 1,428 kilograms (kg) while the Toyota GR 86 weighs in at either 1,289kg or 1,314kg depending on the powertrain option.
At the front, the Honda Civic Type R wears a modest, yet aggressive grille. It is flanked by two LED headlights and a pair of LED daytime running lights (DRL). Further adding character to the vehicle is its Type R front bumper, Type R front bumper spoiler, hood air vents, and front brake cooling vents.
Continuing the sporty exterior appointments are side air vents, Type R side sill garnishes, black side mirrors, and a set of 19-inch matt alloy black wheels.
Finally, the sporty features are rounded up by two LED tail lamps, a high-mount stop lamp, a Type R rear bumper, a Type R wing, and the iconic triple exhaust pipes.
Toyota, on the other hand, equipped the GR 86 with a honeycomb grille bordered by LED headlamps and LED DRLs with LED line guides. And like the Honda Civic Type R, it also has various exterior trims, though not as pronounced and conspicuous as its counterpart.
On the side of the Toyota GR 86 are functional air vents, LED side turn signal lamps, and a set of either 17-inch or 18-inch alloy wheels — depending on the variant.
At the rear, the Toyota GR 86 gets added flair thanks to its rear fog lamps, rear LED combination lamps, duck tail integrated-type spoiler, and dual exhaust pipes.
Overall, the two cars look as good as they are fast, but the Honda Civic Type R, despite its more tamed look, has an exterior that better represents its fast and more aggressive nature. That said, we give this round to the Honda Civic Type R.
Inside the Honda Civic Type R is a three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel wrapped in Alcantara leather, Type R bucket seats finished with red suede and emblazoned with the Type R logo, red floor mats with Type R logo, and an aluminum shift knob.
Further, it is equipped with a 10.2-inch instrument cluster and a nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system with built-in navigation.
The Toyota GR 86, on the other hand, boasts a leather-wrapped steering wheel with paddle shifters, seats swathed in leather and suede, and a shift knob finished with leather.
For its digital interior appointments, the Toyota GR 86 comes with a smaller seven-inch instrument panel and an eight-inch infotainment system with integrated Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
While the interior of both vehicles does promote spirited driving, we’re going with the sportier vibe exuded by the cabin of the Honda Civic Type R. That said, this round goes to Honda’s sporty sedan.
Under the hood of the Honda Civic Type R is a 2.0-liter gasoline mill mated to a six-speed manual transmission. According to Honda, it makes 315 horsepower (hp) and 420Nm of torque.
Meanwhile, the Toyota GR 86 packs a larger 2.4-liter engine mated to either a five-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic transmission. This setup, despite having a larger displacement, generates only 233hp and 250Nm of pulling power.
With a more powerful system, we give the round — yet again — to the Honda Civic Type R.
In terms of safety, the Honda Civic Type R comes with seatbelts and airbags as well as basic features such as an anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution, vehicle stability assist, hill start assist, and a multi-view rear camera.
Moreover, the Honda Civic Type R is equipped with Honda Sensing, which adds adaptive cruise control, a collision mitigation braking system, a lane-keeping assist system, road departure mitigation, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and auto high beam.
Toyota, not to be outdone, gave the GR 86 with ABS, vehicle stability control, hill-start assist control, a limited-slip differential, a back camera, a back sonar, blind spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, and an adaptive front lighting system — alongside its suite of seatbelts and airbags.
And to match the Civic Type R’s Honda Sensing, the Toyota GR 86 has the GR 86 Active Safety Suite. With it, the Toyota GR 86 gets a pre-collision system, automatic high beam, lane departure alert, and dynamic radar cruise control.
With both cars neck and neck in safety, we call this round a tie.
Honda Civic Type R
Toyota GR 86
The Honda Civic Type R wins our fast car tussle by a sweep. With a better exterior and interior, and a more powerful engine, Filipino car buyers can’t really say no to the sixth-gen Honda Civic Type R.
Nevertheless, the Toyota GR 86 still makes for an impressive ride, especially for those looking to own a sporty sedan with flexible powertrain options.
Photos from Honda, Toyota, and Ruben Manahan IV
Also read:
Honda Civic Type R: The 2 hot hues
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