The Honda Civic has had an interesting arc. It hit the market as a low-cost, reliable economy car and quickly gained popularity, long dominating its market segment. Honda has been smart to vary the platform, making few outright departures from its humble beginnings.

A large part of that success has come down to its flexibility. While the sedan and hatchback have both long enjoyed ubiquity, wagon variants have been available for different model years. The Si has given enthusiasts more power and better handling, along with plenty of opportunity for aftermarket modifications. There was also a brief flirtation with being a two-seater, as the Del Sol can attest to.

So, while Toyota has run away with the largest Japanese manufacturer mantel, Honda has kept pace in regard to dependability, if not overall sales.

Yet. Recent years have seen Honda take a hit to its reputation for reliability, with a push for greater engineering sophistication complicating a previous commitment to simplicity. And, while this hasn’t had an impact on its dependability, the styling has gone to hell, too.

While it wouldn’t be wise to write the Civic off, there’s definitely signs for concern. Toyota continues unabated, and competition from Korea is cutting into the Civic’s numbers. The introduction of the Type R had helped offer some differentiation, it hasn’t been enough. Hyundai has been rolling out its line of performance-focused cars, while Toyota jumps on the ridiculous-styling bandwagon.

The Honda Civic Type R Will Be Louder Than Ever

(Inside the Car, At Least)

The unasked question the Civic’s about to answer, however, has yet to be spoken by their competitors. And that’s fed-in engine noise.

Following one of the dumber auto trends to emerge in recent years, the 2020 Honda Civic Type R will feed engine noise into the cabin through the speakers. It will match the different selectable driving modes, presumably feeding in more noise for the more driver-focused modes.

It’s a curious feature. Engine noise is generally associated with power (a convention that electric motors are currently disrupting), but it seems that the kind of person who gets off on that kind of thing would recognize that artificial noise doesn’t mean more power.

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