Honda’s America-bound Civic Type R promises to be a scorching front-wheel-drive hatch with a 340-horsepower turbo 2.0-liter, according to an overseas report. Run and hide, Volkswagen Golf R.
The British publication Auto Express released exclusive information on the next-generation Type R, which is expected to bow as a 2017 model and (finally) make its way to North American shores.
The European market Type R is already on its 10th generation, but compared to the Euro-spec model, the U.S.-bound model will boast refinements, more power, and a more mature look. That means no cheesy rear wing, just aggressive styling, like flared wheel arches and air intakes that could swallow a bear cub. Auto Express didn’t say where it got the information, but if it is true, the coming hatch should be a beast — a front-wheel-drive-only beast.
Yes, it looks like the Ford Focus RS won’t have any all-wheel-drive hot hatch competition from the likes of Honda. Besides the FWD configuration, the report says the U.S. model should keep the Euro model’s six-speed manual transmission.
The current generation Type R makes do with a 306-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, which will be massaged for use in the version we’ll see. That means about 340 hp and 332 pounds-feet of torque, according to the report. 0–60 mile per hour times could drop to five seconds.
When will the British-built Type R reveal itself? Expect an unveiling at the Paris Motor Show in October.
Holy crow. But it’s still ugly.
340 hp sounds great until you see the High School shop program package.
They haven’t revealed what the next gen Type R looks like…the pic is of the current generation.
But I do expect that it’ll be very fast and furious looking when it does debut, but that’s kind of the charm.
I’d totally be willing to add this to my stable if the price isn’t too crazy.
and FWD? Do Not Want.
I am always a little disappointed when car guys (or gals) say this. Do they have a bad memory of their grandma’s Celebrity?
A good FWD car lets you put the power down 30 feet earlier out of every corner, giving you the holeshot on every straight. You can also swing the back end around at the limit with a slight lift. It’s fun and addictive.
I think that what scare people out of FWD is the fact that you need to keep on the throttle to keep going in the intended direction at the limit. Lift will give you oversteer, and perhaps a spin. It’s like a motorcycle that way, it can take the corner faster than your brain thinks it should.
Obviously, none of this applies to badly engineered FWD cars (almost any American FWD), and to cars with worn-out suspensions.
It looks like i take a much later apex when i am on fwd for the very reason you state, earlier on the power than the equivalent rwd car.
And the fanbois just peed a little…
Just like the coupe and sedan, Honda raises the bar again. all others, back to the drawing board, or whatever they use nowadays.
Poor camera guy. Soon you’ll need an endoscope to photograph car interiors from the outside.
But at least they won’t need to sedate them.
Holy Torque steer batman,
“Run and hide, Volkswagen Golf R”
Run and hide, ANYONE. Look at that face.
That’s an awful lot of power for the front wheels. How much of that 340hp will be usable and how much will go into roasting the front tires?
I don’t need it.
I don’t need it.
I don’t need it.
I NEED IT.
Super cool. Hope it has that Honda magic.
Can we now forgive all things CR-Z?
What’s there to forgive?
Yeah, Honda could have made it a home run. But if you change your focus from what the car could be and think about ‘what is’ – it’s not a bad car. It gets solid MPG, it’s pretty fun to drive (if not fast), the manual gearbox is slick like butter on a teflon pan, and it has a pretty okay sound system. They were kinda expensive new, but they’re one of the cheaper ways to get into a manual honda.
We’re never going back to the Honda of 1984-1995 but it was too good for the world and the sooner we stop living in the past, the happier we’ll be.
That’s just the problem–the CR-Z was NOT fun to drive. Yes, I’ve driven a manual variant, and nothing about the car screams “let’s play”. It’s not remotely tossable or nimble, and doesn’t feel faster than it is. It’s an impractical 2-seater car that isn’t fun to drive, from a company which once made one of the most fun variants thereof.
Agree to disagree. I thought the CR-Z was fun and I like being able to wind out an engine without running afoul of speed limits. First gear on my motorcycle brings me to 90 mph or so.
I was amused by the CR-Z but it wasn’t compelling enough to own and we can agree that many people shared the sentiment that it wasn’t compelling enough to own. But man oh man I wish the Fit had that powertrain.
Honda has the cash, resources and know how to do better. I’m not going to accept mediocrity to spare the feelings of Honda fanboys. I give credit where it is due though. My 09 Civic is every bit as fun as the numerous “Golden Era” Accords I had about a decade ago.
But if Honda wants to recapture hearts and minds it has to go back to its roots, or at the minimum offer something at least as good as the competition. 345 turbocharged low revving HP + FWD is not those things.
The CR-Z is just way too compromises and way too little effort put in at way too low of a price point. Same as the 2nd gen Insight and 9th gen Civic. From the “chase market share” and “make as much profit as possible” era, which not surprisingly ended up in losses in market share and record low profits.
That’s going to be a big turbo. Hello, turbo lag!
That top picture is of a horrible looking car, but clicking through, that’s not bad at all. Red trim on blue isn’t my favorite combo but…
Four-door s’medium slopey wagon-hatch thing with 340hp?
Hmmmm!
A 2 door hatch version would get me interested. Really don’t need 4 doors. Its crazy days when a Civic has over 300HP! Guess I’d better get that supercharge for my Z or the kids will be blowin’ my doors off.
I want. And it’s just coming out in time for my fall car shopping.
Unfortunately, reality sets in. And reality (aka, budget) means a two year old Fiesta ST, slightly older Civic Si, Fiat 500 Abarth, GTI, or something else of that type. FWD, turbo-ed and a hatch.
Just perfect for this 66 year old retired guy. V-8’s and RWD are so yesterday.
If going used and can live with only 2 doors consider the Volvo C30. My wife has one and it checks all the right boxes. Volvo stopped selling it because it sold so poorly because US shoppers have no interest in a stylish, sexy, Euro, upscale hatch. The other vehicle missing from your list is the Mini… but given how unreliable and ugly on the inside they are I don’t blame for leaving it out.
You know I was thinking about a used C30, but I am worried about sourcing parts and labor costs for repairs. What’s your take on it?
Ahhhh you figured out the downfall of the C30 – certain parts can be impossible to source and repairs are a pain.
Example #1: the clutch on my wife’s car needed some work and after laughing at the stealership we to a local Euro car shop that fully admitted this was only the second C30 he had ever seen. He basically ordered a bunch of parts (which took awhile) then began swapping them until it was fixed. Thankfully we have a 3rd car so waiting wasn’t an issue. The unused parts were credited and guy was very up front about it being a guessing game due to lack of familiarity with the model.
Example #2: a headlight cracked, well RockAuto and others yielded nothing. Finally found one for $800! The same part is only $300 for the S40 because its a well know popular car.
Example #3: brakes, good news here because the C30 was developed during the Ford/Mazda/Volvo love-fest. So the C30 has Mazda 3 brakes and I swapped front pads for $40 myself in the driveway.
Bottom line: it depends on what breaks. Overall ours has only had a few problems and just reached 70K miles, but what did break was costly. The T5 engine doesn’t get great mileage but the car is smooth and quick. I think its highly underrated. Its very popular in Europe where it comes with 3 different engines including a diesel. In the states it came in 3 trim levels which were all cosmetic. The car was designed to compete with the Mini thus it came with countless options and colors. It sold so poorly I’m sure there are multiple 1 of 1 combinations out there. Its one of the reason my wife loves hers, you literally NEVER see another one on the road.
Don’t worry. A used CLA AMG will be less expensive and have AWD and 350+ horsepower…back st you Mugen!
340bhp in a FWD US Civic?
I’ll believe it when I see it…
340 hp and 332 lb-ft with FWD? Power and torque don’t mean much if you just burn rubber. I’d rather have a Focus RS for its AWD.
As a Honda/Type-R devotee, I’m disgusted. First the new NSX, now this?
OK, I can understand the turbo engine thing. But 340 HP + FWD? Why? Especially considering the myriad of AWD systems Honda has spent decades developing? This thing with SH-AWD would own.
And that hatch doesn’t look great either. Can’t see why I should get this over the Golf R or Focus RS. CAn you?
The Focus looks like a deformed dustbuster – ugly to the bone.
“And that hatch doesn’t look great either. Can’t see why I should get this over the Golf R or Focus RS. Can you?”
Cause I am guessing the Honda will be way more reliable than the Ford and Esp. the VW and VWs insane service charges……
As far as I can tell from the reviews of the Euro-Type R, it seems to be an awesome car in every way the old Type-R’s were,except it already has the turbo that the ricers would add later anyway. AWD may be great for plowing a field in an old Audi or Subie, but the Civic seems to be fast enough without it. And it’s probably still more capapble and comfortable in every day driving than and Old ITR.
I believe it is a huge risk to make it in the first place, as I doubt many people will cross-shop it against anything, so I’m surprised they spent as much money developing it as they did in the first place. There’s a huge chance that this is just someting internet warriors wanted them to build, but can’t really buy like with the GT-86 triplets.
Close because it had a NA V6?
Close because it was MUCH larger?
“And that hatch doesn’t look great either. Can’t see why I should get this over the Golf R or Focus RS. CAn you?”
I’d, tentatively as I have never even seen one, take it just to avoid the heavier awd underpinnings. The ITR was an all out blast, and much dartier and more lively than anything VW/Audi has ever built with awd. At least since the early quattro rally cars.
Speed wise, at today’s power levels and sophistication, awd blows away fwd, and is largely, in GTR/ P turbo/ Lambo / Bugatti guise, relegating rwd cars to “engaging to drive” status as well. But “engaging to drive” is kind of important i my book. And ITR tune FWD, trumps all awd cars, and by far most rwd ones, along that metric. The FiST does the same vis-a-vis Golf Rs and S4s, despite the turbo engine being less engaging friendly than Hondas old screamers.
Light, and light feeling, that is the name of the game. And it’s a rarer trait in awd cars than anywhere else. The Evo being perhaps the only exception, if it’s still around. But that tuner shop special, one wouldn’t get past hurdle one, of Honda’s refinement test suite.
Impressions:
1) Vaporware? I hope not, but Auto Express is not the most reliable source. 2) No SH-AWD, no point. Acknowledge the competition. 3) Civic Type R: hatchback. Focus RS: hatchback. Golf R: hatchback. Subaru: get a damn clue.
The rendering is obviously a bit of a spitball, and we’re still just assuming this will appear in NA as-is; but it looks reasonably like what one could expect, extrapolating from the US Civic and the description.
Also, the only reason I don’t have a new WRX is because it doesn’t come in a hatch, so I agree with you there.
Well lets not forget the NSX Hondas been teasing for years by now, yet it still hasnt been released.
The first of the new NSXs rolled off the assembly line May 25.
What’s not to like!?!? Even if only FWD… fear not, you can still buy a Corolla.
Scene: a Honda dealer. Formica, flourescent lights buzzing in the background.
The dealer sits at his desk. It is teak wood, and he is surrounded by photos of his grandkids. He is overly coiffed for a male person and has a fake tan. He looks up.
Enid ?
Enid sits outside. Her desk is as functional as his is bare. She is counting down days till vacation, but fears the disaster the dealer will be when she returns.
Yes, Mr. Mellish….
We’re getting some of those Type R cars…Whip up an ADP sticker for $10,000. Make it pretty, you know, on the computer. My kids showed me some stuff in Word. Do we use that ?
Yes, Mr. Mellish . (She omits to mention the fact she has a Microsoft certification in Word, Excel and Powerpoint )(begins typing)
-ten minutes pass-phone rings…conversation, muffled, off stage
Enid ?
Yes, Mr. Mellish ?
We are only getting two. Make that ADP sticker $15,000. My boat needs painting.
Yes, Mr. Mellish…. (tears up printout, starts typing again)
Y’all didn’t read that article. The car in the picture is the Type-R version of the current Euro Civic. It is not the car that will be sold here; that will have a completely different design, which may be unveiled in October.
Everyone thought the TL was great and the recipe is similar here….
Hot hatch? Turbo? Steering wheel? Not following.
No steering wheel? What do you want? A joystick?
Definitely not.
The Acura TL? That literally has nothing in common with this, besides being a HMA product. Everything that worked in the last TL- SH-AWD, naturally aspirated V6, double wishbone suspension- is absent here; everything that doesn’t work- hideous looks- is.
They made a few models. Try another one. Like 2008 Acura TL Type-S.
A few less hp through the front wheels and it was considered to be plenty of fun.
Since then they only get better.
Aesthetics aside, it should be good.
I will admit I like how they look. All of the hated models.
STOP SAYING THIS IT ISN’T A TL.
Perhaps this will be the first FWD drift car?
Looks like Honda has delivered item #1 on Jack’s Christmas list. They just need to ensure the availability of lime green on the colour palette.
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/12/time-christmas-list/
If it makes it across the Atlantic, I’ll be interested to see how it’s priced. The Type R is £30,000 here in Britain.
That 340 hp engine would have been nice in the RWD S2000, but in a FWD Civic it will be a waste.
Well at least they are doing something which is an improvement for Honda USA but that is going to be a torque-steering mess of a car.
“Run and hide, Volkswagen Golf R.”
Only in a straight line, because that thing is going to torque steer and understeer off a cliff everywhere it goes.
Seriously, what is the point of 340HP and FWD?
Dyno day, bruh!
Sh!t, I forgot my Fox Racing hat.
What´s the point with 340hp period. Noone NEEDS it, but teenracers.
Uglier in real person.
There are 3-4 running around Anna OH
Doesn’t existier yetter.
Cannot seeing it.
He may be seeing test mules.