Honda Civic Type R Vs Toyota GR Corolla: Turbocharged Hot Hatch From Japan Showdown

Which hot hatch should you buy this weekend, the Honda Civic Type R or the Toyota GR Corolla?

Few things about this job are as exciting and as intimidating as meeting two of your heroes to determine which of them is better. You can imagine just how overjoyed and anxious I was to have both the Honda Civic Type R and the Toyota GR Corolla to test drive over the same weekend.

The Toyota GR Corolla arrived early in 2023 amidst other GR launches in Malaysia while the Honda Civic Type R only arrived in September 2023 and even then, it was in extremely limited numbers. While this is Toyota’s first foray in many decades at bringing a sportier version of the Corolla to market, Honda have had an unbroken streak with the Type R, cementing its place as the “king of hot hatchbacks”. So, if you’re looking for the most extreme family-friendly Japanese hatchback in the market, which should you pick?

Key Similarities & Differences

We normally don’t do that many comparisons when we take test cars, but here the similarities are too close for us not to. Both of these are 5-door hatchbacks fully-imported from Japan equipped with turbocharged engines and a 6-speed manual transmissions. Both cars have been enhanced by their respective company’s performance divisions and feature aesthetic and mechanical improvements over the standard models that they’re based on. 

That being said, there are plenty of differences too. The GR Corolla comes with an all-wheel drive system while the Civic Type R keeps to its front-wheel drive philosophy. One is a 4-cylinder while the other is a 3-cylinder. Honda sells the somewhat related Civic sedan in Malaysia while the version of the standard Corolla sedan and crossover we get here bear almost no commonality with the Corolla hatchback that the GR Corolla is based on.

The being said, if there was one area where both of these Japanese hot hatchbacks really had similarities – it was in the looks department. Sure, they’re completely different to look at, but they use the same playbook and it really shows when they’re both in white – black contrast trim, red highlights, and triple exhaust tips. As for the interiors, they’re both primarily black with the GR Corolla going for red highlights while the Civic Type R takes on red as its secondary interior colour. The Toyota leans into leather as its primary upholstery material with a sprinkling of Alcantara while the Honda goes all-in with Alcantara, and often has it in red too.

The more we test drove both cars, the more the differences started to show themselves. Here’s what we have to report.

Performance

Here’s where the biggest differentiation between the two cars comes. The Honda Civic Type R is powered by a 2.0L 4-cylinder turbocharged K20C1 petrol engine that sends 319PS and 420Nm of torque to the front wheels via a 6-speed manual gearbox. The Toyota GR Corolla has a 1.6L 3-cylinder turbocharged G16E-GTS petrol engine capable of producing 300PS and 370Nm of torque. There’s a 6-speed manual gearbox here as well, but power gets sent to all four wheels with a 60:40 or 30:70 power distribution depending on what the driver asks for.

Boiled down, The Type R has a more refined and capable set-up overall. The driving experience is simultaneously easier and comes with a higher performance ceiling.

Therefore on the same stretch of road, you go faster with less effort in the Honda. This has the added advantage of making the car noticeably easier to drive in heavy traffic. The clutch is lighter, the car is more relaxed with lower noise levels and a lighter power-assisted steering. It’s also worth noting that the Type R has an electronic parking brake and an Auto Brake Hold feature, which also helps in traffic.

Shifter action on both vehicles was really excellent, but the win here must go to the Honda once again for 2 reasons. Even though subjectively there are reasons to prefer either one of these amazing 6-speed manual gearboxes, the Honda’s objective advantage comes from the fact that they’ve used a teardrop-shaped aluminium knob. I’m personally more of a fan of the spherical shaped knob for aesthetic reasons, but the teardrop is undeniably more ergonomic and flexible to different grip styles. Plus, because it’s made of aluminium, it’s perfectly weighted and feels expensive against the skin. In contrast, the GR Corolla comes with a 2-piece plastic sphere that doesn’t feel quite as premium and favours one particular grip style.

That being said, there are some things that the GR Corolla does better in the drive department. The exhaust note and engine itself idles more loudly than the Civic even in its ‘Normal’ drive setting, which makes it feel more sportscar-like from the moment you fire it up.

This may not sound like a big deal, but a sense of occasion is a big part of the deal when purchasing a performance-oriented vehicle. The Type R looks the part, but doesn’t quite sound as aggressive when you first wake it up. The other thing that’s really good on the GR Corolla is how engaging it is, no matter what the speed. Now, at the extreme ends, the Civic Type R is both quieter and faster than the GR Corolla – unfortunately it’s also less engaging as it makes you feel like the car itself is responsible for your accomplishments behind the wheel.

In the GR Corolla, there’s a more intense and raw sensation of oneness with the vehicle as it doesn’t dampen anything and it forces you to make decisions and work with it to achieve your driving goals. You tell the GR-Four all-wheel drive system to send more or less power to rear wheels if you need it to. I’ll put it this way – I ended up pulling off more unbelievably good drives in the Type R, but I ended up having more rewarding, smile-inducing drives in the GR Corolla. 

The fact that one is a 3-cylinder and the other is a 4-cylinder could weigh heavily on a potential buyer’s mind but we think this is not the biggest issue. The perceived issue with 3 cylinder engines is the lack of power and the lack of refinement. I would argue that the GR Corolla doesn’t lack power at all (there is a noticeable gap before peak power but nothing that bad) and in a hot hatch a little bit of courseness is sought after.

Exterior and Interior Design

As we mentioned near the opening, both of these cars have a similar design philosophy but they’re each very different cars.

The Toyota GR Corolla follows the traditional 5-door silhouette, which might make it more appealing to hot hatch enthusiasts. On the plus side, it comes with an exposed carbon fibre roof in black, functional breather vents on the front fenders, and a more diminutive rear spoiler and evenly spaced triple exhaust exits make the GR Corolla look a little neater.

It’s actually a very handsome looking hot hatch that comes across as a European design from some angles. The 18″ multi-spoke wheels are painted in gloss black to match the rest of the exterior trim.

With the Civic, there are some objective advantages in the looks department too. It comes with larger 19″ wheels that are finished in matte black and Honda actually restamped the bodywork to create a wider look whereas Toyota used extensions which give the car an aftermarket look.

That being said, the Civic Type R’s large rear spoiler also looks a little tacked on and the red Honda badges definitely make the exterior design more shouty. While both vehicles are 5-door hatchbacks, the Type R doesn’t have that traditional hatchback shape.

Looks are a subjective matter and we couldn’t find a clear winner here despite the differences. What about inside?

Here we feel the GR Corolla loses to the Civic Type R.

Here’s why. Firstly, the Civic Type R is a larger vehicle. While it doesn’t really matter to the front occupants, it makes a huge difference to rear occupants and to cargo space.

Second, Honda nailed ‘perceived quality’ with the cabin. The red carpet lining and floor mats plus red seats elevate the interior by miles. Plus the bezels around the infotainment unit are narrower in the Honda. Plus the materials and switches used all feel just a tad ‘nicer’ here.

We’ve also mentioned the aluminium knob and Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel in a previous section but must bring it up again. You also get an ‘Activity card’ alternative to the keyfob for the exercising crowd. To top it all off, there’s a serialised plaque that serves as a reminder of how rare these cars are.

The being said, there are a handful of reasons to prefer the GR Corolla interior. The manual handbrake is one of them – it lends a more sporty and engaging feel to the car and opens up other performance possibilities too. Some people just don’t like the way Alcantara feels against the skin and may prefer leather and those people might like the Toyota more.

It’s also a far less ‘shouty’ interior that allows the driver to stay focused on the things that matter most. One last advantage of the Corolla is that the upholstery is more uniform with black leather and Alcantara plus some red contrast stitching being the general theme. In the Civic, you get red Alcantara for the front seats, black Alcantara at the rear, red carpets, black doors – it’s definitely a lot more busy and a lot less timeless.

Value

Here’s where things get interesting. When we took both cars out to shoot, the Honda Civic Type R was being sold at RM400,000 while the Toyota GR Corolla had a price tag of RM355,000. Times have changed and now the Civic Type R is getting a bit promotional offer that knocks RM70,000 off the pricetag + RM10,000 in other savings. At RM330,000 the Honda Civic Type R is a clear winner in terms of value and if they’re throwing in another RM10,000 in terms of discount or value added features then it’s definitely the right time to buy. But what about the Toyota GR Corolla? Well, it’s also in a pretty unique position.

That’s because it’s the first of its kind whereas there have been many Type Rs over the years and some are looked at as more ‘pure’ examples or at least ones that have proven to stand the test of time. Being the first and only GR Corolla in existence (so far) adds to the collectibility factor of the GR Corolla. And while we felt the Type R was easier to daily drive and more practical, these types of cars usually aren’t the only things you have in your garage. They’re meant to be weekend vehicles that have a touch of practicality for those once-in-a-while moments. In that case, the more involving nature of the Toyota GR Corolla makes it the more suitable ‘weekend’ fun car despite being less comfortable and less powerful than the Honda as it’s also a little more involving too.