U-DRAG: Civic Type R vs. GR Corolla Morizo

ALISTAIR WEAVER: Hello, I'm Alistair. That's Jonathan. This is a Toyota GR Corolla Morizo. That's a Honda Civic Type R. And this is the Edmunds U-Drag you've all been asking for. Let's continue with this. JONATHAN ALFALAN: Well, you asked for it and you got it. We have the 2023 Civic Type R with front-wheel drive, 315 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque coming from the turbo inline four mated to a succulent six-speed manual transmission. Taking on the all-wheel-drive 2023 Gr Corolla Morizo, with 300 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque coming from a modified turbo inline-three also mated to a six-speed manual transmission. These two go head-to-head on our Edmunds U-Drag track, which starts with a quarter-mile

drag

, then slams on the brakes, spins 180, and comes back to start/finish.

At the end of the first pass, so everyone is happy, we will change drivers and lanes and do it again. Are you grilling like and subscribing to burgers? They smell so good! Want to know what else smells good? Edmunds.com/u

drag

s for all the snack information your heart desires. Alright, let's do it. ALISTAIR WEAVER: So how do we configure the Gr Corolla for the fastest launch? Well, of course, the big difference between this Toyota and that Honda is that this one has all-wheel drive. And that means we can be more aggressive with the release. So let's put the driving mode in sport mode.

Then we'll press this track button here and then turn this knob. Our experience at our own test track and in other tests has told us that probably the best way to launch this car is to have 30% of the torque at the front and 70% at the rear. That's what I'll do. Manual transmission, of course, so let's dial in first gear. We will become quite unfriendly with the mechanics. So I'm going to get up to about 6,000 RPM and then I'm going to release the clutch, put it out of the way and that's it. In theory, it should make the jump to the front-wheel drive Honda.

We will see. JONATHAN ALFALAN: Very good. Civic Type R. This thing is cool. There's no launch control, but we don't really need it, because we have Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, which have tons of grip. And unfortunately, the engine is limited to 3500 RPM, which simply isn't enough power to really spin and overcome the grip of those tires. So I'm going to do everything I can to get those tires moving. To do that, I need to select R mode. I'm going to go ahead and turn off the traction and stability control, which is just a beep. There are not two stages here.

And then I'm going to speed it up to 3500. Now I have the power advantage. So I'm hoping that with that car's all-wheel drive, it won't leave me in the dust. And I think if I get off the line cleanly, then it will be the race for the Type R victory. ALISTAIR WEAVER: Visualize the lap. - Five four three two one. JONATHAN ALFALAN: Come on, Civic. Come on. Yes. I'm going to get it back. ALISTAIR WEAVER: Come on. There's the Honda. JONATHAN ALFALAN: He caught it in the fourth. ALISTAIR WEAVER: Be aware of braking. I'll try to brake a little later.

JONATHAN ALFALAN: Here we go. ALISTAIR WEAVER: JONATHAN ALFALAN: Here we go. ALISTAIR WEAVER: I'm going to use the entire track. JONATHAN ALFALAN: Got it. Here we go. ALISTAIR WEAVER: Oh. JONATHAN ALFALAN: Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Civic. ALISTAIR WEAVER: So, Jonathan, in the end it's a pretty clear victory. JONATHAN ALFALAN: The Civic definitely has a power advantage. And it's so well put together. The previous-generation Type R was the best-handling front-driver I'd driven in a long time, maybe ever. How about the Corolla? ALISTAIR WEAVER: Yeah, I was hoping to win in the places I didn't, meaning I was hoping to get a better launch off the line because of the all-wheel drive and the fact that I was pretty aggressive in getting it down from 6,500.

RPM. But then it still got stuck a little. And then you just passed. When we started liking third gear, you were just drifting away. I mean, this is really fun stuff. It has a great little gearbox, turns beautifully and brakes beautifully. I'm a little surprised that all-wheel drive doesn't give it more advantages. And maybe in the wet or on a less grippy surface it would, but not here. JONATHAN ALFALAN: Enough talking. Let's change lanes. I want to try that Corolla. ALISTAIR WEAVER: So it's strange jumping from the Toyota to this Honda. It instantly feels a lot more grown-up, a little less toy-like, a little less raw, if you will, which is a strange thing to say about a Type R, but there you have it.

And it seems like the big challenge we're having with this is that the car won't let us use enough revs off the line to generate some slip and maintain momentum. It will allow me to use 3 and 1/2 RPM, which on a grippy surface like this is not enough. So it's going to stagnate. And I have to wait for something similar. I can put it in third gear and then the extra power will help me win the day. JONATHAN ALFALAN: Very good. Time for the GR Corolla. You know, all-wheel drive... these releases are not mechanically forgiving. So I think if you own your car, you don't want to do this too much.

Obviously, this is a special occasion. So let's give the Corolla its due and show it what it can do. So I'm going to rev it up to about 6000 and just let it run. Hopefully, we'll skid a little bit, get off the line, get a lead on that Civic and take the win. - Five four three two one. ALISTAIR WEAVER: A little stuck. Three. That's the rev limiter. Starting to pull a little. JONATHAN ALFALAN: Come on, Corolla, you got it. Right there, right there, right there. ALISTAIR WEAVER: We fine-tuned the braking. Straighten it. JONATHAN ALFALAN: Very close.

ALISTAIR WEAVER: Oh, he's walking away. JONATHAN ALFALAN: Right there. Come on, you got it. Oh! Oh! ALISTAIR WEAVER: Victory for Honda. So, I think that's pretty conclusive. I'm not sure it was my best race with the Honda. I think one of my practice runs was better. But it's still enough to dismiss the Corolla. JONATHAN ALFALAN: I mean, this was good, it had a good launch. This car is much more physical than you expect to drive. It has a pretty heavy clutch, especially compared to that Civic. It's a little rougher than that car. ALISTAIR WEAVER: If anything, it seems like it needs more power to take advantage of the benefits of all-wheel drive and some of the attributes... it seems like it's underpowered for all the hardware it has.

JONATHAN ALFALAN: It's generating impressive power for an engine as big as it has. But I agree with you. If you had two liters, you'd probably feel even better. And it's time for the best numbers. In the quarter mile, the Civic barely takes the W at 14.3 and 104.8, just 0.1 second faster than the Morizo. At the same time, the Civic also surpassed the Corolla, with 1.28 Gs. The finish was close, but in the end, the Civic makes it with 38.5 at 113 miles per hour. Did someone say classification? Remember, each car's fastest run appears in the leaderboard regardless of matchup. In the end, the Civic Type R comes in at 12th with a time of 38.5 at 113 miles per hour, with the Morizo ​​just below in 13th with a time of 39 at 108.6.

Give me some of that POV data magic. ALISTAIR WEAVER: A little stuck. Two. Three, that's the rev limiter. Starting to pull a little. Four. Come on. We will fine-tune the braking. Two left. Straighten it out. Ah, it's moving away. He is walking away. Victory for Honda. JONATHAN ALFALAN: Come on, Corolla, you got it. There. Right there, right there, right there. Oh! So close! Just there. Come on, you got it. Oh! Oh! I almost had it. ALISTAIR WEAVER: This surprises me a little. JONATHAN ALFALAN: Yes? ALISTAIR WEAVER: Yes. Because, although on paper the Honda has more power, I did think that all-wheel drive could make a difference both when starting and also when exiting a fairly tight corner at the bottom.

And, in reality, it was not like that. JONATHAN ALFALAN: I'm not surprised by the result because, I think you know, I've driven the Civic and the Corolla back to back and I know the power advantage that had. Grip was a concern. But as we found out here, it's not a concern here. So I think it took away the only advantage that the Corolla had, which was grip and being able to use all of its power. But here, the Civic could clearly use all its power very easily. Between the two, which one would you take home? ALISTAIR WEAVER: Well, since we have a few hours to get home, the Honda will be better.

I mean, if you gave me a small, bumpy road, I think I'd love the Corolla. But it's just a great all-around car that, you know, you can take the kids. That's it for this version of U-Drags. For the latest races and our legendary leaderboard, visit edmunds.com/udrags. That is plural. And while you're there, check out all Edmunds has to offer. And please, while we're developing the wishlist, also subscribe to our channel, so we can keep doing fun things. Thanks for watching. See you next time.