Compare the2024 Honda Civic Type RVS 2024 Toyota GR Corolla

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda Civic Type R 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 Toyota GR Corolla doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Honda Civic Type R has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic Type R deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic Type R’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The GR Corolla’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

The Civic Type R’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 15 more horsepower (315 vs. 300) and 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 273) than the GR Corolla’s 1.6 turbo 3-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Civic Type R is faster than the Toyota GR Corolla (manual transmissions tested):

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Type R gets better fuel mileage than the GR Corolla (22 city/28 hwy vs. 21 city/28 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Civic Type R uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The GR Corolla requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Civic Type R higher (6 out of 10) than the Toyota GR Corolla (5). This means the Civic Type R produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GR Corolla every 15,000 miles.

The Civic Type R’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer launch control.

The Civic Type R stops much shorter than the GR Corolla:

For better traction, the Civic Type R has larger tires than the GR Corolla (265/30R19 vs. 235/40R18).

The Civic Type R’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 30 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the GR Corolla’s standard 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Civic Type R has standard 19-inch wheels. Only 18-inch wheels are available on the GR Corolla.

The Civic Type R offers an available space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the GR Corolla; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Civic Type R has a standard driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The GR Corolla’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Civic Type R’s wheelbase is 3.8 inches longer than on the GR Corolla (107.7 inches vs. 103.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Civic Type R is 1.4 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than on the GR Corolla.

The Civic Type R Touring handles at 1.04 G’s, while the GR Corolla Circuit Edition pulls only .94 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Civic Type R Touring executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the GR Corolla (24.5 seconds @ .76 average G’s vs. 25 seconds @ .75 average G’s).

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Civic Type R Touring is quieter than the GR Corolla Circuit Edition (44 vs. 52 dB).

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Civic Type R a Large car, while the GR Corolla is rated a Compact.

The Civic Type R has 14.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the GR Corolla (99 vs. 84.6).

The Civic Type R has .9 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front hip room, 3.1 inches more front shoulder room, 7.5 inches more rear legroom, 3.4 inches more rear hip room and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the GR Corolla.

The Civic Type R has a much larger trunk than the GR Corolla with its rear seat up (24.5 vs. 17.8 cubic feet).

The Civic Type R’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The GR Corolla Morizo Edition doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

The Civic Type R’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The GR Corolla has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Civic Type R has a standard center folding armrest for the driver and front passenger. A center armrest helps combat driver fatigue. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer a front seat center armrest.

The Civic Type R’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The GR Corolla doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda Civic Type R has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the GR Corolla Premium/Circuit Edition offers wireless charging.

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its April 2023 issue and they ranked the Honda Civic Type R Touring first. They ranked the Toyota GR Corolla Circuit Edition third.

The Civic was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024 and 9 more times in the last 40 years. The GR Corolla hasn’t been picked since 2023, and the GR Corolla has only been chosen once.