Compare the2023 Subaru WRX VS 2023 Honda Civic Type R

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru WRX have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Honda Civic Type R doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the WRX are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Subaru WRX has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The WRX has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The WRX Limited SPT/GT has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The WRX has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The WRX Premium/Limited/GT has standard STARLINK Connected Services, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the WRX and the Civic Type R have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The Civic Type R’s redline is at 7000 RPM, which causes more engine wear, and a greater chance of a catastrophic engine failure. The WRX has a 6000 RPM redline.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Honda With 4 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Honda.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the WRX lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

The WRX has 4.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Civic Type R (16.6 vs. 12.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The WRX offers an optional automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer an automatic transmission.

The WRX offers an optional continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a CVT.

The WRX’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Civic Type R are solid, not vented.

The WRX has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Civic Type R’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The WRX’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (59.9% to 40.1%) than the Civic Type R’s (61.4% to 38.6%). This gives the WRX more stable handling and braking.

For better maneuverability, the WRX’s turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Civic Type R’s (36.74 feet vs. 39.9 feet).

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the WRX Limited is quieter than the Civic Type R:

	WRX	Civic Type R
Full-Throttle	79 dB	88 dB
70 MPH Cruising	71 dB	73 dB

The WRX has .5 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom and .4 inches more rear hip room than the Civic Type R.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the WRX. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The WRX uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Civic Type R uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The engine in the WRX is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Civic Type R. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The WRX offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The WRX Premium/Limited/GT’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Civic Type R’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the WRX Premium/Limited/GT’s exterior PIN entry system. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the WRX Premium/Limited/GT has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Civic Type R doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The WRX’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Civic Type R offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.