The 2027 Honda Civic Type R Finally Gets Heated Seats, A New Face, And Actually Isn’t As Expensive As Some Are Reporting

The Honda Civic Type R has been one of the most fun front-wheel-drive hot hatches since it debuted in 1997. If you want a compact that’s happy to scamper around the city or the open road, you can’t go wrong with a Type R. Now, winter fun is going to get a little toasty because, for the first time, Honda is giving Civic Type R owners heated seats. Along with bun warmers, the 2027 Honda Civic Type R gets mild upgrades, and thankfully, the price you might have seen reported elsewhere is not as bad as it appears.

The Honda Civic Type R is celebrating 30 years of fun in 2027. Over that time, the Type R has gone through six major iterations across an equal number of generations of Civic. Sadly, America missed out on the Type R party for most of that time, but Honda did start officially selling them on our shores in 2017.

Since then, the Civic Type R has remained a favorite of car enthusiasts and journalists alike, and it’s easy to see why. The Civic Type R blends a spicy little engine with a deeply satisfying manual transmission and the sort of looks that get the import crowd pumped. I especially like this generation’s Type R for its wonderful pairing of the more mature eleventh-generation Civic platform with a huge wing, triple exhaust exit, and a whole lot of red. Now, Honda says it’s going to get a little bit better with its 2027 model year facelift.

Honda says that the 2027 Civic Type R starts off with a refreshed front fascia with a more aggressive look. Now, if you’re looking at this front end and don’t see what’s new, I don’t blame you. The changes are rather subtle here. Here’s the pre-facelift Civic Type R for reference:

Yes, the blue car is the 2027.  It looks like Honda just edited the existing press image to represent the 2027 car.

Anyway, this feels like one of those “spot the difference” games. In this case, the changes are down below with a deeper front splitter and a larger lower grille. Honda says the tweaks are good for increased engine cooling due to increased air velocity and reduced turbulence. The new lip helps add more downforce. Otherwise, Honda’s left the design alone. I suppose when you have America’s best-selling hot hatch, you don’t rock the boat too much.

I like how the minimal visual change to the exterior apparently has a functional purpose. The only visual change around the engine bay that was done just for the sake of style is the new engine cover, which Honda says is supposed to be reminiscent of older Type Rs.

From here, the vast majority of the many small changes are all in the name of making the drive a little more fun. Honda talks about a faster engine response from its rev-matching system, which is supposed to translate to faster downshifts. Another small change can be found in the brake pedal. Here, Honda added a yoke spring to reduce play in the pedal for a more direct feel.

Perhaps a greater change is to the suspension damping in +R mode, which Honda says “improves road-following performance and reduces bounding and impact harshness for more stability and enhanced handling.” That sounds like the suspension is a little softer now, but it’s hard to tell.

That is the extent of the performance changes. It’s inside the car where Honda has the longest list of changes, and even then, the subtlety continues. Honda says that the seat perforations have a new design, there’s Ultrasuede material on the dashboard and upper door panels, and the HVAC knobs are now black. Previously, the upper dashboard of the Civic Type R was plastic, and the HVAC outlets and knobs were silver.

The gray shift knob, door trim, and door handle pieces are now a little darker than they were last year, too. Apparently, the high-friction suede-like seat upholstery in the car is supposed to grip you in the seat better during performance driving and its breathability is supposed to reduce fatigue. Obviously, these are wildly minimal changes and, had I not mentioned them, you might not have even noticed them.

The big highlight of the interior this year is that, for the first time, Honda is giving Type R owners three levels of seat heating. At first, I thought that having heated seats as a headlining feature was silly, but fans have been asking for this. So now you finally have it!

Joining your new set of butt toasters is some fresh tech, including Alexa built-in, Google built-in, Google Gemini, enhanced Honda Sensing driver assistance technology, and a Post-Collision Braking System. You’ll also get a couple of USB-C ports, an auto-dimming mirror, and a fancy new two-tone horn. I love that a new horn is on the list of upgrades.

Left untouched in this mild facelift is the K20C 2.0-liter turbocharged four, which still makes 315 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed manual remains the Civic Type R’s only transmission choice.

There have been some shakeups when it comes to color. Sadly, red and black are being discontinued. In their place is new Meteorite Gray Metallic. Boost Blue Pearl, Sonic Gray Pearl, and Championship White will be making a return as well.

All of this comes in at a starting price of $49,990, which includes the $1,295 destination fee. Before you faint at that price, let’s do a little comparison. Honda says the base price of a 2017 Civic Type R was $34,790. That comes out to $47,990 in 2026 money, so, technically, the Type R has gotten only slightly more expensive than it was nine years ago. Still, I know the thought of a $50,000 Civic might make some heads spin.

The color changes have also been the subject of some apparent confusion. Until now, red and black were the only two free colors for the Civic Type R, and you had to pay for one of the other colors. With those two colors gone, it’s easy to assume that $455 for “premium paint” is now a forced option. Supporting this idea is Honda’s own fine print:

Total Suggested Retail Price (TSRP) including MSRP and $1,295 destination charge; excluding tax, license, registration, $455 premium paint color charge, and dealer-installed accessories. Dealer prices may vary.

Some folks have reported that the actual price of the 2027 Honda Civic Type R is $50,445 and that Honda is artificially lowering the price below the $50,000 mark. Well, not so fast. While it’s true that white, blue, and the lighter gray come with a $455 upcharge, the new darker gray is this year’s sole free color. So, technically, Honda’s stated price is accurate.

Sadly, it does still mean that the Civic Type R comes in two grays and no reds, further removing color from our increasingly gray world. Likewise, Honda’s iconic white remains an upcharge. So, you’ll probably end up spending the $455 anyway.

Overall, it seems like Honda isn’t messing with what works. The 2027 Honda Civic Type R has some extra goodies over the previous model, but is otherwise the same car it already was. If you have the hots for this spicy Honda, you can expect it to land at dealerships beginning this month.

Before you go, I’m curious about something. If you’re a current Civic Type R owner, are you excited about these heated seats?

All images: Honda