Much to the delight of all Honda loyalists, Honda Motor Company has pulled the veils off the hottest Honda Civic Type R to date. It packs the same 2.0-litre VTEC Turbo engine from before, but produces a bit more power this time around.
The four-cylinder engine is blown to produce 315 hp (up by 9 hp) and 400 Nm of torque (same as before) while being paired to the sole six-speed manual transmission which now features a unique rev-match control system. Drive is sent to the front wheels. Additionally, throttle response and drivability are both better than before.
Based on the Civic hatchback, it’s lighter overall and comes with a more rigid shell compared to its predecessor. Torsional rigidity is up by 38 percent, whereas the front Macpherson strut suspension features a new geometry to minimise torque steer and maximise sporty handling. The rear axle benefits from a brand new set of independent multi-link suspension, and all four corners now use unique high rigidity suspension arms.
There’s three drive modes now: Comfort, Sport and R+, each incrementally alter the threshold of throttle mapping, steering force, gear shift feeling and adaptive dampers. And let’s not forget the massive aerodynamic upgrades this guy has over the standard Civic. All aero bits, such as the underbody tray, front air curtains, rear wing and vortex generator have been improved to give the Civic Type R the best-in-class balance between lift and drag. This translates to better high speed stability.
The all-new Civic Type R will be made at Honda’s production facility in Swindon, UK, where it will then be exported to selected markets, with Japan and US among the lucky few. Will it ever come to Malaysia, though? Fat chance, but we can always count on our friendly parallel importers to ship a few in. For a hefty sum, of course.
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