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| The prototype Civic Type R stole the show at Honda's Technology Day. The Type R features a 2.0L VTEC Turbocharged four that produces 280 hp, giving it a power density of 140 hp/litre. |
Turbocharged 2.0L VTEC produces 280 hp of pure, adrenaline-pumping fun at Honda Technology Day
TOCHIGI, Japan — Honda has been accused of
sitting on its engineering laurels of late. The Technology Day proved
that it has been doing anything but twiddling its corporate thumbs.
While everything shown/driven during the day was not exactly cast in
stone it was fairly described as being concrete in the process of drying
— everything was too far down the engineering pipeline to be an
exercise.
The production RLX Hybrid and its Super
Handling All-wheel-drive (SH-AWD) is, in a word, superb. It is
blindingly quick and the credit goes to two important things. The
3.5-litre V6 engine is good for 310 horsepower and 272 pound-feet of
torque. Then there’s the electric side. The two rear electric motors
contribute 36 hp each, while the front motor adds another 47 hp to the
pot. In the end, the RLX SH-AWD has a net system output of 377 hp and
377 lb-ft of torque. Even as employed in a large sedan the system has
the wherewithal to blow away many sports cars.
The beauty of the system is the manner in
which it delivered its ride-on-rails feel. The mechanical version of
SH-AWD was good; the electric system is much more accomplished. It not
only overspeeds the outside rear wheel in a corner, it applies a
negative torque to the inside wheel, which delivers some regenerative
braking to top up the 1.3 kilowatt/hour lithium-ion battery. This action
reduced the amount of steering input and the need to dab the brake
heading into a corner. Around the test track the turn-in proved to be as
crisp as it was immediate.
The Acura RLX Hybrid, with SH-AWD, is blindingly quick, with a combined power output of 377 hp.
Beyond its handling/performance capabilities
the RLX Hybrid can drive on electricity alone and, because of its
configuration, has on-demand all-wheel-drive. The seven-speed
twin-clutch transmission added to the sense of overall refinement. The
shifts, which can be initiated through paddle shifters, were quick and
when Sport mode was selected it sharpened the throttle response and
shift speed, delayed the upshifts and firmed the steering’s feel.
All of this bodes extremely well for the
up-coming NSX. While the engineers were coy, some information did slide
by their tight lips. To begin with, it will adopt much of the RLX
SH-AWD’s technology — specifically the electric motors, battery and
power electronics. The biggest changes are found in the gasoline side
and layout. Where the RLX has its engine mounted up front with two of
the three electric motors powering the rear wheels, the NSX will be
exactly the opposite — two electric motors driving the front wheels,
while a new engine and the third electric motor power the rear wheels.
In this application, the gasoline power will
come from a twin-turbocharged 3.5L V6. Honda did not mention output, so
I will use some extended thinking. The Civic Type R’s 2.0L VTEC
Turbocharged four produces 280 hp (see later), which gives it a power
density of 140 hp/litre. Using this as a base, the 3.5L twin-turbo V6,
which should enjoy a similar power density, could have as much as 490
hp. And this is before the three electric motors have contributed — and
they are likely to have more juice, too.
The Acura NSX’s 3.5L twin-turbo V6 was on display during Honda Technology Day.
The NSX will also earn an all-new
twin-clutch transmission (no mention of the number of gears, but it,
too, is expected to have more than the seven in the RLX). Shoehorn all
of this leading-edge technology into a lightweight chassis — it will
likely be a blend of aluminum and carbon-fibre reinforced plastic — and
you have the makings of a seriously raucous ride. It all served to whet
my appetite.
The star of the day was, without question,
the prototype Civic Type R. This, given Honda’s rather conservative
approach, is radical by any standard. It starts with what’s under the
hood — the aforementioned 2.0L, VTEC Turbo four and the 280 hp and 295
lb-ft of torque it generates. Fire the power through a six-speed
close-ratio manual and a sticky set of P235/35R19 tires and you have the
makings of a monster.
Pulling out of the pits, I ran up through
the first three gears and got ready to merge onto the high-speed oval — I
was doing about 75 kilometres an hour. Standing on the gas saw the
front wheels spin as the Type R blasted fourth and towards the first
high-banked corner. From here it was around the four-kilometre banked
oval at the limited top speed of 200 km/h (the road-going car will be
capped at 250 km/h). Now, all of this was done in normal mode.
The prototype Civic Type R has a capped maximum speed of 250 km/h.
A button on the dash engages the R mode.
This firms the steering and adjustable suspension, sharpens the throttle
and puts the vehicle stability management system into its track mode.
It, according to the engineer riding shotgun, allows the driver to have
more “fun.” At the time of writing, the final Type R’s specifications
were yet to be firmed up. For example, will the brake system use Honda’s
own design, or the four-piston front Brembos on the test car?
Regardless, this is a car that will be built and sold. It MUST come to
Canada. Ford Focus ST? VW Golf GTI? The Civic Type R will show both a
clean set of wheels.
There were two other equally compelling
versions of the VTEC Turbo to test. The first was a 1.5L four that made
201 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque. It, in the Civic mule, proved to be a
truly workable engine. It had great low-end punch and it was very strong
through the mid-range — turbocharged torque always has this effect. As a
replacement for the current naturally-aspirated 2.0L engine used in any
application it will work like a charm, providing more power and better
fuel economy. You can’t ask for much more.
The other VTEC Turbo was a 1.0L
three-cylinder. In spite of its diminutive displacement it still pushed
127 hp and 147 lb-ft of torque, which was enough to whisk the Civic test
mule to 160 km/h with surprising ease. Even when married to a CVT (and I
am not a fan of the continuously annoying gearbox), it worked
perfectly. Well enough, in fact, to maybe get me over my CVT aversion.
A 1.5L four-cylinder version of the VTEC Turbo was also on hand for testing. It makes 201 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque.
Source;
http://driving.ca/honda/auto-news/news/prototype-civic-type-r-steals-the-show-at-honda-technology-day/
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