Compare the2024 Honda Civic Type RVS 2023 Toyota GR86

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 GR86 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Honda Civic Type R are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Toyota GR86 doesn’t offer height-adjustable 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 GR86 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 GR86’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Civic Type R has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the GR86 Premium offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Civic Type R has standard Cross Traffic Monitor, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the GR86 Premium offers Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

Both the Civic Type R and the GR86 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.

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 87 more horsepower (315 vs. 228) and 126 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 184) than the GR86’s 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Honda Civic Type R is faster than the Toyota GR86 (manual transmissions tested):

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Type R gets better fuel mileage than the GR86 6-speed Manual (22 city/28 hwy vs. 20 city/27 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 GR86 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 GR86 (3). This means the Civic Type R produces up to 23.4 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GR86 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 GR86 doesn’t offer launch control.

The Honda Civic Type R has a downshift rev synchronizer that automatically raises engine speed to make downshifts perfectly smooth. This keeps the car from lurching during downshifts, preventing loss of control during cornering. The GR86 doesn’t offer a downshift rev synchronizer.

For better stopping power the Civic Type R’s brake rotors are larger than those on the GR86:

The Civic Type R stops shorter than the GR86:

For better traction, the Civic Type R has larger tires than the GR86 (265/30R19 vs. 215/45R17).

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 GR86’s standard 45 series tires. The Civic Type R’s tires are lower profile than the GR86 Premium’s 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Civic Type R has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the GR86. The GR86’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

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 GR86; 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 GR86’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Civic Type R’s wheelbase is 6.3 inches longer than on the GR86 (107.7 inches vs. 101.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Civic Type R is 4.2 inches wider in the front and 2.5 inches wider in the rear than on the GR86.

The Civic Type R Touring handles at 1.04 G’s, while the GR86 Premium pulls only .97 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Civic Type R a Large car, while the GR86 is rated a Minicompact.

The Civic Type R has standard seating for 5 passengers; the GR86 can only carry 4.

The Civic Type R has 21.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the GR86 (99 vs. 77.2).

The Civic Type R has 2.3 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, 1.9 inches more front hip room, 3.4 inches more front shoulder room, 3.6 inches more rear headroom, 7.5 inches more rear legroom, 3.7 inches more rear hip room and 4.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the GR86.

The Civic Type R’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The GR86’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

The Civic Type R’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The GR86 does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Civic Type R’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The GR86 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.

If the windows are left open on the Civic Type R the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the GR86 can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Civic Type R has a standard rear wiper. The GR86 doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Civic Type R has standard extendable sun visors. The GR86 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Civic Type R’s optional rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The GR86 doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

The Civic Type R Sedan has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The GR86 doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Civic Type R’s standard GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that plots alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The GR86’s available navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

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. The GR86 doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Honda Civic outsold the Toyota GR86 by over 18 to one during 2023.