Forget about the $400K mid-engined Honda NSX; the car that delivers hope to Honda enthusiasts is the Honda Civic Type R.Once heralded as Japan’s BMW, Honda’s fall from the pinnacle of Eastern brands has been much lamented. It largely now fills its showrooms with adequate rather than aspirational models.The Civic Type R is the one affordable exception.Released in its latest guise in 2017, it quickly won praise among hot hatch fans. Its general excellence flew in the face of the rest of the offering from Honda Down Under.When the midlife update beckoned you could have been forgiven for thinking there would be little cause for renewed excitement for Type R fans.We understood the changes would be very subtle – from the outside looking in, once over lightly.And to be frank they looked that way on paper. But the good news is, although relatively small in number and subtle in specification change, the end result is positive and palpable.For 2021, the Honda Civic Type R arrives as a significantly more refined, better and ultimately faster hot hatch.