Come weekdays, both the Honda Civic Type R and the Hyundai Avante N showcase their "everyday hero" potential, but come race weekends, their true colors as TCR competitors will shine. Here in Gran Turismo 7, I got to sample the two Asian turbocharged everyday heroes that became staples for their TCR alter egos.
How do these two Asian turbocharged everyday heroes differ from each other? Let's begin with the Korean super saloon first, before the Japanese super hot hatch.
Launched in 2021, the Hyundai Avante N is the first N saloon based on the Hyundai Avante/Elantra CN7. Powering the Avante N is the same 2.0L Turbo GDI engine from the Veloster N, producing 280PS of power while mated to either a 6-speed MT or an 8-speed wet-type Dual Clutch Transmission. With N Grin Shift, the car gets a 10PS boost, sprinting from 0-100kph in 5.3 seconds and an electronically-governed top speed of 250kph.
By calling the Avante N the road-legal version of its TCR machine, it has been festooned with numerous dynamic upgrades underneath, such as the N Corner Carving Differential, integrated drive axle, electronically controlled suspension, R-MPDS, rear stiff bar, and large capacity high-performance brakes.
In 2023, the Avante N received a minor change, featuring the same sharp looks as the normal Avante CN7 while maintaining the familiar specs from the pre-facelift model. A year later, a special TCR Edition of the Avante N was unveiled, complete with the same rear spoiler from its TCR equivalent.
Now, let's talk more about Honda's Super Hot Hatch, the FL5 Civic Type R.
Based on the 11th-generation Honda Civic hatchback, the FL5 Civic Type R eschews the obvious styling from its predecessor in favor of a more subtle approach while retaining the triple exhaust setup from the FK8. For the first time since the FD2, the FL5 Civic Type R is back to being a Japan-made hot hatchback.
It runs on the same K20C1 2.0L VTEC Turbo engine as the previous FK8, but it's been boosted to produce 330PS of power and 420Nm of torque while mated exclusively to a 6-speed MT.
With the improved suspension setup, electronically controlled dampers, improved braking performance, and new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires built exclusively for this car, it smashed the Suzuka Circuit's FF lap record in 2:23.120 and recently, the Nurburgring Nordschleife's FF lap record in 7:44.881.
The FL5 Civic Type R became the 2022-2023 Japan Performance Car of the Year winner.
Recently, in 2025, a special Racing Black Package was offered for the FL5 Civic Type R, featuring a black interior.
To see which H-logoed car is the best, I went to Watkins Glen to have these two H-logoed turbocharged cars settle the score. Will it be the one with the H in the square or the other one with the H in the circle? It's Japan vs South Korea again. Let's roll the tape.
And here are the results...
FL5 Type R - 2m13.481s
Elantra N - 2m17.417s
Looks like the Japanese Agent H beats the Korean Agent H in the end. The Civic Type R has beaten its arch-rival, the Hyundai Avante N, by a huge margin. Looks like the Koreans aren't pleased about getting their behinds karate-chopped by the Japanese.
Both the Honda Civic Type R and the Hyundai Avante N worked well as everyday heroes. On weekdays, they are too busy to drive to work. On weekends, however, they became TCR superheroes ripping through the world's challenging racetracks.
TCR or not, both of these Asian turbocharged everyday heroes never fail to impress their followers, but in the end, it's the Civic that grabs more than the Avante.
Case closed.
