Fans of affordable sports cars are not to be envied these days. The number of newly purchasable hot hatches is decreasing, with 2023 marking the end of production for the Volkswagen Up! GTI, Ford Fiesta ST, Suzuki Swift Sport, and Renault Mégane RS. This year presumably spells the last for petrol-fueled Abarth 500, Ford Focus ST, and Hyundai i30 N too. What once seemed unimaginable has happened: the genre's erstwhile indispensable French experts, Citroën, Peugeot, and Renault no longer offer such cars, and there's a painful void left by the previous presence of Alfa Romeo, Mazda, Nissan, and Opel.

Premium brands still offer a plethora of muscular and exciting hatchbacks (Audi S3/RS3, BMW 128ti, M135i xDrive, Mercedes-AMG A35 and A45, Mini Cooper S, JCW, and GP), but with price tags well over 20 million forints, they aren't considered affordable either. Nowadays, almost all newly arriving hot hatches are electric, which certainly delivers astonishing acceleration, instant throttle response, and hefty torque at any time, but at the cost of engine sound, vibrations, clutch smell, popping exhaust, as well as the joy of clutching and manual shifting. Not to mention, these electric vehicles are 3-400 kilograms heavier (MG4 X-Power, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, upcoming Alpine A290) than their petrol-powered counterparts, making them less suitable for track racing.

Only a few manufacturers still cater to drivers longing for the classic driving experience, such as Hyundai with its excellent value-for-money i20 N, Kona N, and i30 N, or Toyota with the recently updated, rally-homologated GR Yaris (unfortunately, the technically similar GR Corolla is not marketed in Europe), and the rear-wheel-drive coupe, the GR86. Furthermore, there's Honda which practically perfected the front-wheel-drive hot hatch benchmark with the previous FK8 code name Honda Civic Type R, making it hard to imagine what the 2022 successor, the FL5, could bring to the table to surpass it.

However, for our comparative test, we matched the new Civic Type R not with its predecessor but with the Hyundai i30 N Performance, refreshed two years ago. It's been 32 years since the Japanese brand introduced its first Type R model, and 27 years since the premiere of the first Civic Type R. Hyundai, on the other hand, only entered the hot hatch fray in 2017 with its Czech-made i30 N, developed under the guidance of engineer Albert Biermann, who was lured away from BMW's M division.

STYLE, DESIGN

If there was one aspect where the previous Honda Civic Type R faced criticism, it was for its flashy "council estate boyracer" exterior: the massive rear wing, aftermarket aggressive flared fenders, the surprisingly numerous fake air intakes, and a tri-tip exhaust rendered any post-purchase optical tuning redundant. It's likely that this over-the-top design deterred many buyers, who probably drifted to the nearest Volkswagen showroom for a more discrete Golf R, barely distinguishable from the base model with its three-cylinder engine.

Fortunately, Honda took the feedback to heart and the new generation's design has been significantly tamed, though it will still not be mistaken for the civilian hybrid variant. It boasts different bumpers, sits 8mm closer to the ground, and with pumped fenders spreads out 90mm wider on the road. It also features a rear wing, though not as striking as the FK8's. Unusually, the wheel size decreased by one inch (from 20 to 19), however, the width of the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires increased from 245 to 265mm for enhanced grip. The new Civic Type R is the largest hot hatch ever made, measuring just below 4.6 meters in length and nearly 1.9 meters in width, with a height of 1.4 meters, almost encroaching on the mid-size category. Its turning circle diameter is 12.4 meters, 74 centimeters more than the also not overly agile Hyundai.

The Honda is 255mm longer, 95mm wider, and 44mm lower than the clearly lower-middle-class Hyundai, with an 84mm longer wheelbase to boot. Hard to believe, but the current generation of the i30 N has been on the market for seven years and underwent a facelift three years ago with new V-shaped daytime running lights, slimmer headlights, redesigned grill and bumpers, and forged aluminum wheels. The latter comes wrapped with specially developed, Hyundai-specific compound Pirelli P Zero tires sized 235/35 R19.

INTERIOR, PRACTICALITY

With its deeply recessed, fiery red Alcantara sports seats, red carpeting, black Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel, metal shift knob, and internal handles, the Civic ensures that wherever the driver reaches, they encounter high-quality materials, feeling special even before turning the engine on. True, apart from a small plaque, the dashboard doesn't differ much from the hybrid variant, but that's hardly an issue, as it's of particularly good quality, albeit not premium.

The customizable digital display, replacing analog gauges, gained a special R graphic that displays only data critical for track use, and above the screen, a long LED strip now lights up to signal the optimum shift point as the engine hits the 7000-rpm limit. The standard dashboard display's speedometer, ambitiously calibrated up to 320 (the actual top speed is 275 km/h), overshadows Hyundai’s, which is satisfied with a 300 scale (top speed: 250 km/h). Sophisticated telemetry tracks everything from lap times to pedal usage and G-forces achieved through bends, all of which can be analyzed via the Honda Log R Performance 2.0 app on a mobile phone (detailed in the sidebar).

Despite officially being a four-seater, the Civic triumphs over the five-person Hyundai in practicality and usability, boasting a 29-liter larger (410 liters) trunk with a substantially larger opening owing to the longer body and flatter rear windshield angle. Interestingly, even the i30 N has a rear strut brace, which can be removed to expand cargo space (this gives a capacity of 1292 liters, outdoing the Honda by 75 liters). The Type R is more comfortable in the rear due to the larger wheelbase allowing more legroom, although the taller Korean car is better for headroom.

The Hyundai's interior isn't as extravagant as Honda's but is easily forgivable considering the significantly lower price. The Hyundai is differentiated from standard i30 models mainly by its perforated leather-wrapped, red button-equipped sport steering wheel, N-logo shift knob, and supportive sport seats; the Hyundai's material usage and design feel more dated compared to the Honda, but the assembly quality is equally solid. Unlike the Honda, it doesn't sport a digital instrument cluster, although the vertically aligned gauges are quite eye-catching and easier to read. The Hyundai also offers programmable shift indicator lights for track use, with the red zone of the tachometer changing depending on the oil temperature but never reaching Honda's 7000 mark even when warm.

DRIVETRAIN, TECHNOLOGY

The two cars share many attributes: a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbo engine with variable valve timing, front-wheel drive, a short-throw six-speed manual transmission with optional automatic rev-matching and launch control, an adaptive damping sport suspension with MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link setup at the rear, 19-inch wheels, and a limited-slip differential (electronically controlled in the Hyundai). However, Honda gets points for its fancier floating hub front suspension which mitigates torque steer, and its 355mm front brake discs clamped by four-piston Brembo calipers, while Hyundai's 360mm front discs are paired with single-piston calipers.

The new Civic Type R is not a brand-new car but an extensively revamped version of its predecessor. Yet, almost no part remains untouched by the Japanese engineers. For example, a new intake system and exhaust, along with a lighter inertia turbocharger, have improved the engine's breathing, and a lighter flywheel enhances revvability. They have also solved the issue of thermal sensitivity by upgrading the cooling system. Power output has increased by 13 horsepower to 329 horsepower, with torque jumping from 400 to 420 Nm. Despite retaining the floor pan, the wheelbase lengthened by 35mm and with additional adhesive and welding, chassis rigidity improved by 15 percent, which is immediately felt when driving.

To counteract the weight gain resulting from the larger dimensions and other improvements, the Civic switched to an aluminum hood and plastic trunk lid, keeping the weight increase to just 28 kilograms, tipping the scales at 1429kg. Changes to the suspension geometry were necessary to accommodate the wider tires, and a new aluminum lower front control arm contributes to a 16% stiffer front suspension. The Civic Type R's six-speed manual transmission was already among the best, but modifications to the linkage now offer even more precise and short throws, culminating in a small metallic ball-shaped knob.