Monday 23rd July 2018

Civic Type R facelift spied with more options

Japan's 320hp five-door will get a nip and a tuck; new wheels on a test car offer hope of a racier finish

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The FK8 generation Honda Civic Type R has barely been with us for a year but already an updated version has been caught out in public. Is this round 2 in the fast escalating fight with Renault Sport and Hyundai N for hot hatch glory? Are we to expect even more power from its 320hp turbocharged 2.0-litre motor?

Not exactly. History shows that the facelifted Civic Type R is normally just that, facelifted. So we're talking a nip and a tuck and some new lights and a new model year. More extreme versions with substantial alterations have typically not arrived until later in the production run, so we’re expecting this to be a fairly low key update.

Unless, of course, you are excited by the prospect of white wheels being offered for the first time in the FK8’s run. The red test car caught on camera looks all the more racy in a colour not offered with a Type R since the FK2 went out of production. The latest Type R is currently sold exclusively with black wheels, so this could be evidence of a second option to join the specs list.

A second mule (the white one) also wears a different rear wing that’s much smaller and more discreet than the FK8's iteration. A more compact version would likely hamper downforce – Honda claimed this was the only hot hatch to generate the stuff when it launched – but it’s not like the Type R lacks mechanical grip on its model-specific 245-section Continental SportContact 6s, and a redress of the car's 'flamboyant' styling would be welcomed in some corners.

Other than that, the only other updates expected include a volume knob on the dashboard and… you get the idea. But it’s true that even incremental changes are going to enhance the overall appeal of what is arguably the best hot hatch currently on sale.

We might not have to wait too long for a Honda to really turn the wick up, however, because word is that Renault Sport’s recently revealed Mégane Trophy will spawn a track-focused R variant, set to challenge for the Civic’s Nürburgring front-wheel drive title. When that happens, expect to see a less low key response from Honda’s Type R department.

 

[Notanotherturbo]

With the Atmo engine there wasn't much scope for a power increase without a great deal of cost and probable loss of driveability, but with the turbo lump it would be very quick and painless to remap, maybe tweak the intercooler size and add another 20-30bhp.