Tuesday 3rd March 2015

Honda - Geneva 2015

310hp, 295lb ft and 0-62 in 5.7 seconds confirmed for the new Civic Type R

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Finally! It's not a concept, it's not a pre-production car, this is the real Civic Type R that will be on sale from the summer. And though 'it could be worth the wait' is one of the most overused motoring cliches, there's no denying the Civic has the potential to be a great hot hatch.

No lights in the spoiler, sadly

It's probably best to begin with the powertrain given this is the first turbocharged Type R. Honda says it's the "most extreme" engine in the 22 years of Type Rs, with "greater power, torque and response than any previous Honda production engine." That headline power figure is made at 6,500rpm with the limiter at 7K; disappointingly low for those of us who fell in love with Type Rs that shrieked their way past 8,000 but there we are.

Clever turbo technology is promised to allow plentiful low-end torque (295lb ft is delivered at 2,500rpm) as well as sustained acceleration throughout the rev range. We'll have to wait and see how Honda has integrated turbo technology into a Type R but thank goodness the manual has stayed. If there's one thing that's guaranteed to be good in a fast Honda, it's the gearbox, right? Expect an "intimate, rewarding connection" says Honda. But before you get too excited, that's an aluminium alloy gearknob and not titanium...

Now it's out in the metal at last, the Civic's styling is bound to be a huge discussion point. Apparently function dictated form in the car's design with a strong emphasis on aero efficiency and high-speed downforce. And you thought that eff-off rear wing was just for old time's sake... So the underbody is nearly flat, the diffuser is fully functional and the front bumper/splitter combo works to reduce turbulence and lift.

Search out the '+R' button...

As a thing to look at, and having just seen it at Honda's pre-show evening, the Type R is a mixed bag. Of course this is all personal opinion but while the front and back are fantastic, just as aggressive and wild as you would want, it sometimes looks a little dumpy from the side. There's a lot of metal above the rear wheelarch (blame the five-door shell) that lacks the tension found elsewhere in the design. Overall it's very exciting though, and the perfect tonic to some fairly staid hatches released recently. See also the brakes behind the new 19-inch wheels: a Brembo system unique to the Type R, the fronts are 350mm with four-pot calipers. Just finally on the outside, colours other than Championship White are available. The palette includes Crystal Black, Polished Metal, Milano Red and Brilliant Sporty Blue. But it's gotta be white, hasn't it?

Of course there are some big bucket seats inside but the most notable part of the Type R's interior is the '+R' button. See it as Honda's equivalent of a Megane's 'R.S.' button, the one that must be pressed for the full experience. It switches the car to a more aggressive torque map, lessens the assistance of the electric power steering and the basic damping force of the new 'Adaptive Damping System' is up by 30 per cent. No mention of any 'just kicked in, yo' shift light though. Shame.

More info coming soon!

The adaptive damping system is just part of the Civic's arsenal to go chasing that 'ring record. Honda claims the continuous independent control of each wheel delivers "exceptional road holding", minimises wheel load transfer and also contributes to a comfortable ride. The latter will surely be welcome to owners of the last Civic Type R. There's also a dual axis front suspension system to reduce torque steer and a 'crushed pipe' on the rear torsion beam which increases rear roll rigidity by 180 per cent. And don't get all snooty about a torsion beam either; remember what's slung out the back of a Megane Trophy-R...

That's it for now on the Type R. See the potential? Honda has said two more important pieces of info will be released tomorrow, one definitely relating to UK prices and the other possibly confirming a Nurburgring lap time. Stay tuned!

Click here for the PH Geneva news hub!

[W124]

Right on.

[themanwithnoname]

Looks spot on, reads very well. However I'm very disappointed that it lost that rear spoiler/lights thing from the concept.


I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for the JDM variant.

[hughcam]

I does want

[Pots]

I was really looking forward to this, but I'm not so sure anymore. From certain angles it looks OK, from others it looks ugly. I will need to see it in flesh before making a purchasing decision, but no doubt it will be fantastic to drive.

[talksthetorque]

Is this what it's come to?
Me thinking off putting a 5 door c sector hatch with 19" wheels in to the underwheeled thread?

[Daston]

I was hoping the Type R would do away with the horrid rear lights the current Civic is cursed with. Appears that is no longer the case.....I'm out.

[Burbleboy]

Daston said:

I was hoping the Type R would do away with the horrid rear lights the current Civic is cursed with. Appears that is no longer the case.....I'm out.

+1

[Escort Si-130]

I have to agree with you, the lights on the concept look better. Also the diffuser on the concept looks better. Although I like the car bar the look above the rear wheel arches, should have been flared more; that section looks strange.

themanwithnoname said:

Looks spot on, reads very well. However I'm very disappointed that it lost that rear spoiler/lights thing from the concept.


I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for the JDM variant.

[Escort Si-130]

Dry @ Halfords. Looks like your getting kicks or maybe a hard-on at using recycled out of date jokes by Clarkson. NEWS FLASH, Halfords don't even sell parts like that anymore!

anonymous said:

[redacted]

[Clivey]

What's this; "Pimp My Van"?

If you're going to do "mental", you have to do it properly. The original rear light / spoiler design looked so much better and wouldn't exactly have been difficult to produce...and what's the point in stick-on rear arch extensions if the wheels aren't pushed-out to fill them? The design isn't anywhere near as well resolved as the concept and TBH lacks the impact the FN2 had when it originally arrived. You can tell they've cut corners to make production but sadly they've also persisted with the tacky quad exhausts.

That said, there are a few good bits (splitter, wheels) and fingers crossed Honda have been able to make the turbo + VTEC thing work in terms of the spirit. - I really do hope so because the traditional VTEC (yo!) character is/was always much more appealing than the dullness you get with many other 4-pot engines.

[cava]

The Civic isn't exactly a looker to start with, so I don't think they've done too badly with this. Honda's unique selling point for the last 25 years has been high revving VTEC engines, so it'll be interesting to see how this fares without that. End of an era...

[Baryonyx]

I think it looks fantastic and sounds like a very impressive car. I'm sure the proof will be in the driving and it looks set to reclaim the crown.

[jcl]

What is the point of this car?

I predict a new level of performance over enjoyment.

[mp3manager]

Sweet mother of god, what have they done to the rear arches?

[Hitch78]

It is probably awesome to drive on track but I can't see them selling to anyone but existing Honda fanboys

[allergictocheese]

Oh dear, what a mess! It's like they kept just adding bits.

[Ali_T]

How can it look underwheeled on 19 inches?!! And I know it's preproduction, but the bottom of the rear arch extension has an appalling fit. Looks like they got the wrong mould shape!

Edited by Ali_T on Tuesday 3rd March 07:30

[J8 SVG]

talksthetorque said:

Is this what it's come to?
Me thinking off putting a 5 door c sector hatch with 19" wheels in to the underwheeled thread?

It's not under-wheeled, it's over-carred

[macky17]

Will look much better in black. The vital piece of information missing:how heavy is it? Under 1400kg and this could be special.

[bakerstreet]

It looks like there is a separate display for the AC settings. Surely they can't have done that in 2015? The golf has had the heater temps and settings as part of the stereo display for quite a few years now

Stereo looks like a bit of an after thought compared to other manufacturers. In fact it looks like a traditional double din system.

The article also refers to the greatness of the Honda gearboxes. Ask a few FN2 owners what they think of the gearbox that have issues with second and third because the syncros are knackered. Gearboxes usually require a complete rebuild by Honda at a cost of a grand.