Geneva Motor Show: The brand new Honda Civic Type R has been officially announced, along with a plethora of photos and details of just how fast the thing is. Hint: Very.
Honda has called the new Civic Type R a ‘race car for the road’. A 310PS 2.0-litre VTEC engine that develops 400Nm, 0 to 62mph time of 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 167mph help it live up to the claim. It is, in fact, the most powerful engine to bear the red H badge in all 22 years of history.
High-revving VTEC fans will appreciate peak power is achieved at 6,500rpm, 500rpm shy of the redline. But full torque kicks in at 2,500rpm so it should kick hard even if you fluff your gears. You can partly thank a new ‘advanced’ turbocharger for that.
To keep things old-school, the new Type R is fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox. It also has a rear spoiler that helps improve road-holding without adding too much drag at speed, which is the good news. The bad news is the design is much more tame compared with the Type R Concept.
A wide front splitter and deep side skirts help reduce lift and improve aerodynamics, while enlarged upper and lower grilles in the front bumper keep the engine temperature down.
Tyres designed specifically for the Type R by an unknown third-party come wrapped around 19-inch alloys, while four-pistol calipers and 350mm discs at the front do their best to reign in the fun.
One of the biggest talking points is the ‘+R’ button that turns the car from being civilised to a savage, drooling beast. Press it and the engine responsiveness is heightened, the damping force increased by 30 per cent and the steering gets less power assistance for a more aggressive drive.
The usual Championship White joins four other optional paintjobs: Crystal Black (pearlescent), Polished Metal (metallic), Brilliant Sporty Blue (metallic) and Milano red (metallic).
Buyers will be able to spec a GT Pack for extra money. Doing so gets you signature red highlights on the front and rear splitters, front and rear parking sensors, automatic headlights, automatic wipers, electric door mirrors and a 320-watt stereo upgrade.
Navigation with four years of free updates (courtesy of Garmin), Fordward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Traffic Sign Recognition, High-Beam Support, Blind Spot information and Cross Traffic Monitor systems are also included in the pack. City-Brake is standard.
Such is Honda’s faith in the new Type R, it took a development car said to mimic the production version (minus a rollcage and a few other tweaks to compensate) around the Nurburgring and set a time faster than the Megane Renaultsport 275 Trophy-R and the Seat Leon Cupra 280.
Full UK price and vehicle specifications will be given out ‘in due course’ ahead of its launch in the summer. Watch the Nurburgring lap here.
Update: Honda has announced a UK price of £29,995 and £2,300 for the GT Pack.
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