2017-2021 Civic Type R year-to-year changes?

jcfishel

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I've been lurking here for a few weeks now and haven't been able to find what I'm looking for so here goes.

Is there a resource that clearly details what the year to year changes were for the 2017-2021 Civic Type R all in one place? I'm coming from a completely different model car forum where we laid this all out in amazing detail. It helps to be informed esp when it comes to shopping around for a car. I've been able to piece together most of the major changes that occurred in 2020 MY, and would be happy to take a crack at compiling that list into a single post but I'm new to this particular car (heck I don't even own one yet) so I'm sure I've missed some things. The wiki site is a great resource but doesn't seem to cover this stuff.

Thanks!
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tinyman392

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2017-18 are the same
2019 added:
  • Some ambient lighting
  • Changes to the parking brake switch
  • The all-important volume knob
2020 added a whole slew of things:
  • HondaSensing + blind spot (no lane watch) - some markets had this already.
  • New radiator
  • New shifter, shift knob, shift boot
  • New grill + front splitter baffle/underside
  • New steering wheel
  • Piped in audio
  • 2-piece rotors
  • New brake pads
  • New suspension and suspension logic (adaptive suspension adjusts 2x more frequently)
  • There's likely more, but that's all that I can think of off the top of my head
Edit: there were some color option differences as well
  • 17-18: white, dark blue, red, black, dark silver
  • 19: +grey (similar to nardo grey)
  • 20: +boost blue, -dark blue
  • 21: -dark silver, -dark silver
The LE is also a 2021 model with it's own changes: rims, tires, suspension logic for reduced unsprung weight, wiper delete, Phoenix yellow+black color scheme, LE number plate.

Edit 2: all powertrains are identical.
 

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Just adding what I gathered from HondaPro Jason and some car reviews. Don't take any discrepancies personally.

2018 - no changes

2019
- Sonic Grey Pearl added
- new infotainment hardware for physical volume knob, menu buttons, and fan speed control.

2020/2021
- Boost Blue Pearl added
- Aegean Blue Metallic removed
- Polished Metal Metallic removed for 2021
- Exterior refresh on front/rear bumper
- larger front grill, revised front splitter
- LED turn signal on side mirrors
- suede alcantara steering wheel and shift boot, integra type r style shift knob
- Adjusted shifter feel (so Honda says)
- Rear suspension bushings updated
- Adaptive dampers frequency increased 10x faster
- 2-piece rotor instead of 1-piece rotor (better cooling, less weight, less pad buildup)
- Fake engine noise added
- Honda Sensing added (ACC, LKAS, FCW, RDM). (Unsure if AutoHighBeams, CMBS, and LDW are included)
- Log R mobile app
 

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TheCanadian

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2020 has CMBS, LDW, and auto-high beam as well.
2021 in Canada has Polished Metal Metallic as an option.

Was the infotainment updated other than the volume knob in 2019? Any more power under the hood of it?
 


Bob_L

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Was the infotainment updated other than the volume knob in 2019? Any more power under the hood of it?
The system in my ā€˜21 is slow and laggy as can be. Iā€™m just glad it has android auto so that I donā€™t have to deal with it for the most part.
 

tinyman392

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2020 has CMBS, LDW, and auto-high beam as well.
2021 in Canada has Polished Metal Metallic as an option.

Was the infotainment updated other than the volume knob in 2019? Any more power under the hood of it?
Infotainment really wasnā€™t changed much, but it does run a different firmware compared to the 17-18 models. I wouldnā€™t expect any more processor power (Iā€™m assuming you mean this over engine power; 2017-21 are all the same from that perspective). 20-21 models also support LogR.
 

TheCanadian

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Iā€™m also pretty sure there was a running change with the headlights in the 2020 MY.
 

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fuck android auto...it doesnt even want to connect sometimes
 


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https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/2020-ctr-led-headlight-change.52675/

I know you replied to this thread, but it looks like on the bottom someone posted a revised rating for the headlights by the IIHS. Either they retested the factory ones or itā€™s a different version.
i was under the impression that it was changed in the beginning.

but upon further research, 2020+ Base and Si got the revised headlamps which came with the blacked out housing. The 2020+ CTR stayed the same.
 

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Minor something...they added a plastic ā€shieldā€ inside the gas door to prevent freezing water issues on the ā€˜18ā€™s. There was a thread some time back about the part number and how to install. .
 

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2020/21
-added front mustache to match facial hair on many drivers.
 

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2019 added glovebox light which I retrofitted in my 2018
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