The two titans of the hot hatch segment go toe to toe
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by Stephen Rivers
4 hours ago
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by Stephen Rivers
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The Honda Civic Type R is the benchmark for hot hatchbacks in the eyes of many. In 2022, Toyota decided to muddy the waters with its GR Corolla. Now, the two top-tier hot hatches are getting tested on the drag strip.
These two cars might sound similar on paper. In fact, the two specific cars here weigh within two pounds of one another. A quick peek under the sheet metal tells another story though. For one thing, the Honda puts its power down through the front wheels alone while the Toyota uses a clever AWD system.
The Civic Type R makes its reputation with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that develops 315 hp (235 kW) and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque. Toyota’s GR Corolla with its three-cylinder turbocharged engine typically makes 300 hp (223 kW) and 273 lb-ft (370 Nm) of torque. The Morizo Edition in this test develops the same power but a total of 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque.
The gents over at Throttle House start this test with both cars standing still at the start of the quarter mile. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the AWD GR Corolla rockets off of the line so quickly that it’s quickly out of the picture from the camera in the Civic Type R.
Somewhere near the end of the track, the Honda reels the Toyota back in a bit but it’s roughly two car lengths back when the line is crossed. Things change when the two cars take off from a roll. Initially, the Toyota takes off again but that success is short-lived.
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The Civic Type R doesn’t just walk around the Corolla, it manages to jump ahead by a couple of car lengths itself before the line. Clearly, neither one of these cars was crafted to be a drag racing king but it’s interesting just how close the two are in such a situation.
Regardless of which hot hatch you might personally prefer it seems that one thing is true. We’re all winners for having both as options now (if you want to pay a huge markup) and in the future.
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