In terms of raw performance, the Focus RS does come out equal to superior in this particular test, with the slowest trap speed I've seen for the Type R and an average one for the RS. I should look up 5-60 times because that's your real world low speed performance without dumping the clutch.
But this article documents all the right reasons the Type R is the superior hot hatch.
I know I sound crazy, especially to anyone who’s driven a Civic Si in the past decade or so. On paper, the Civic Type R’s competition—the Ford Focus RS, Subaru WRX STI, and Volkswagen Golf R—would all seem to blow the Honda out of the water, just by the virtue of all three offering up performance-enhancing all-wheel drive. And yet the Civic Type R works—and so incredibly well at that.
Even more important than how the Civic Type R drives at the track is how it drives on the street. More often than not, high-power hot hatchbacks are beset with compromise—peaky engines, punishing rides, and poor fuel economy are the rule of the day. Not the Type R. The Civic Type R is an absolute sweetheart, no matter what you throw at it. On a good back road, it’s a precision instrument; around town or on the highway it is an easy-going cruiser. The Honda turns in on a knife’s edge, absorbing bumps and bruises from the road without upsetting the driver or chassis no matter what drive mode you’re in. Steering is crisp and quick, and throttle response is linear. The Civic Type R’s engine is a little monster, with tons of power, little lag, and a sky-high 7,000-rpm redline, backed up by a Ryan Gosling-slick six-speed gearbox topped by a brushed aluminum knob. “This is the most impressive new Honda I’ve driven since the original NSX,” said international bureau chief Angus MacKenzie. “The Type R delivers utterly remarkable performance and handling, yet it’s impressively refined to drive. It’s the best-front drive chassis in the world. Period.”
Although the Civic Type R drives phenomenally no matter what’s thrown at it, what’s arguably more impressive is how livable it is on a day-to-day basis. The Type R is comfortable and quiet on the highway, doesn’t beat up you on rough pavement around town, and it still retains the Honda Civic hatchback’s trademark versatility. Up front, the driver and passenger get to sit in what are arguably the best racing seats ever fit into a street car. “The seats are among the best sport buckets I’ve ever sat in—holding monsters that don’t pop you in the jewels when you get in or out,” said editor-in-chief Ed Loh. The backseat retains the huge, adult-friendly dimensions, albeit at the expense of the middle seat. The Type R’s trunk is huge, too, retaining the standard Civic hatch’s ingenious cargo cover, which retracts into a mount on the right side of the cargo area, meaning you can drop the rear seats flat without having to worry about where to store a cargo cover.
It's the lightest, cheapest, probably most satisfying to drive hard AND on the street. It really does have the characteristics of the best hot hatch. The price being farther from V8 territory changes the expectation of performance.Where the Civic Type R most easily beats Volkswagen, Ford, and Subaru is in sticker price. Although a cheaper version is reportedly coming, the Civic Type R currently comes in one spec, the loaded, no-options-available Touring trim, which stickers for $34,775 in the limited-run 2017 model and $34,990 for the 2018 Civic Type R. The next cheapest competitor is the Subaru WRX STI at $36,955; the Golf R and Focus RS cost considerably more. The Golf R starts at $40,195, and Focus RS prices start at $41,995.
If only it wasn't so ugly. But it has so many things going for it. This is the car I would want GM to benchmark and exceed if they were interested in this segment.