Honda led off by noting that the new 2023 Civic Type R is “the most powerful Honda production vehicle ever sold in the U.S.” It’s an empty suit of a superlative when you note Honda achieved it by milking a not-so-gobsmacking nine extra horsepower from the previous generation’s 2.0-liter engine. Using it is a tacit admission by Honda that the new Type R is more of an incremental update and refinement than rumors of a radical, hybrid, 400-horsepower AWD
