There's a Honda Civic Type R Testing in America

It's here. It's finally here.

by Chris Perkins of www.roadandtrack.com

Remember when you couldn't buy a Honda Civic Type R in the U.S.? It wasn't that long ago, but those days are finally over, because Honda is bringing us the hot hatch we need, and there's already one on U.S. roads.

Officially, Honda has only shown the next Civic Type R in prototype form, but this white one looks production ready. It's reportedly a pre-production model, and the YouTuber that captured it says it was driving around in Southern California, near Honda's U.S. headquarters.

Honda has been mum on specs for the Civic Type R, but we've heard that it will produce 340 horsepower, and will send all that power to the front wheels via a six-speed manual. Like the upcoming Civic Si, the Type R should make its debut sometime next year.

Given our recent drive of the base Civic Hatchback, we have high hopes for the Type R, but honestly, we're just happy it's coming to the U.S.

CarScoops! via CivicX: Image Surfaces Showing Next-Gen Honda Civic Type R Engine

The crew at CivicX have just stumbled on an image of the 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine set to be used by the next-generation Honda Civic Type R and Civic Si.

As the 2015 Civic Type R launched less than a year ago, it is scarcely believable that for the past few months, the Japanese automaker has been testing the next-generation model around the world. The new Civic Type R will be particularly important for Honda, as unlike the 2015 model, it will be available in the United States.

Based on the image, it seems apparent that an electric wastegate actuator is being used as is an integrated blow-off valve on the compressor housing. It is suggested that these two features will virtually eliminate all turbo lag, making the next Civic Type R all the more enjoyable and seamless to drive. Power will also sit above the 306 hp currently provided by the Type R.

Apparently, this same engine will be used by the next Civic Si but be detuned to around the 230 hp mark. For both models, a 6-speed manual transmission will come standard, transmitting power to the front wheels.

The new Civic Si will launch in either late 2016 or early 2017 and then be followed by the updated Type R.

Source;
http://www.carscoops.com/2016/01/image-surfaces-showing-next-generation.html

X-Tomi Renders the 2017 Honda Civic Coupe Type-R

Great rendering, this car looks great!
Source (via Carscoops!)
http://xtomi.blogspot.ro/2015/12/honda-civic-type-r-coupe.html

Review: Honda Civic Type-R - the fast and the furious

IT feels like we've been waiting decades for the new Civic Type R. Almost as long, in fact, as we've been stamping our feet impatiently for the new NSX. Tectonic plates move faster than Honda's marketing department.

The five year hiatus between the old one going off sale in Europe and the new model arriving is partly explained by the fact that the old model's high-revving petrol engine couldn't meet increasingly tight EU emissions regulations. Elsewhere, the last gen Type-R soldiered on until 2012. So we can blame Brussels for some of the delay.

The rest is down to turbocharging. This is the first hot Civic with forced induction - for so long anathema to the Honda of way of doing things - a necessary switch if the fastest Type R to date is to meet the tailpipe rules laid down by Brussels.

ON THE ROAD
When Honda announced the switch to turbocharging some aficionados wondered if the frenzy of the old Type R's normally-aspirated engine would be lost. Those fears seem to be confirmed by the new powerplant's 7,000 rpm red line.

But fear not, whether by accident or design, this is the most exciting Type-R yet. It's a lot more powerful, yes, but that's not why it's such an adrenaline rush. For that we can thank some good old-fashioned turbo lag.

At low revs the Civic feels docile, nosing about town like its hum-drum cousins, but pile on the revs and suddenly things go berserk with a capital 'b'. The power and torque come flooding in with such ferocity that, in the lower gears, the front tyres are sometimes overwhelmed. The low-profile Continental rubber struggles to master all 306 dobbins when they come charging out the stable door in anything less than perfect road conditions, despite the limited-slip differential's best efforts.

As if this isn't enough excitement, when the engine enters bonkers mode the digital dashboard goes all Blackpool illuminations on you, lights flashing as the LCD rev counter races through its operating range.

It's a tribute to Honda's chassis engineers that this vicious power spike doesn't render the Civic completely undriveable - it corners beautifully - but you do have to hang on to your hat when it happens. The Type-R transformation takes the already racy-looking hatchback and adds a bodykit, an enormous rear spoiler, quad exhausts, flared front wheel arches and smart-looking black alloys with red brake calipers. That's enough to attract the attention of every policeman within a half-a-mile. It's also a challenge to every would-be boy racer you come across.

I was sat waiting for the traffic lights near Sainsbury's, in Darlington, to go green last week when a bloke in a red Porsche pulled alongside. He took one look at the Civic and revved his car's engine for all it was worth in the Max Power reader's equivalent of a glove slap to the face.

Not being interested in re-creating The Fast 'n' The Furious (it's a film you duffus), I let Porsche man depart in a screech of tyre smoke. Presumably, he considered the Civic's brash exterior as a challenge to his manhood. At least the bodykit performs a useful function beyond antagonizing other drivers. It channels the air under the floor, creating a venturi effect which helps suck the car to the road when it's going fast. Of course, this all happens at the highly illegal speeds the Civic is capable of - just not in the UK.

ON THE INSIDE
The Civic's interior is as wacky as its exterior - a mixture of old-school analogue and ultra-modern LCDs on three levels - with added sporty touches. The aluminium gearknob (a feature of Type-R models ever since the Integra) feels great, albeit cold enough to freeze your palm in winter weather, the chunky steering wheel has a red notch so you can see when it's in the 12 o'clock position and the seatbelts are scarlet not black.

You sit 30mm lower in the hip-hugging sports seats because there's less padding and the floor is dropped by 10mm. Very comfortable when you are in them, the seats make getting in and out more difficult because your bum has to negotiate the exaggerated side wings that hold you secure. It's best to go in backside first.

HOW PRACTICAL IS IT?
In its quest for weight saving Honda has dumped the ordinary Civic's innovative 'magic seats' folding mechanism and the back seats only accommodate two people, not three. At least it's still possible to fold the seats down and they split 60/40.

You may not need to do so, however, because the boot is absolutely massive by dint of the fact there is no spare wheel, just a tyre inflation gizmo. WHAT YOU GET Two versions are available: the standard Type R and the GT model which comes with extra kit and satellite navigation. The infotainment system is the most complex I have come across: an Android-based systems it links with your phone to access the internet and download apps. That's fine, but it took me ten minutes of head scratching looking for the navigation app before I concluded that it wasn't included.

Cruise control, LED headlights and a reversing camera are all standard.

RUNNING COSTS
It's not cheap to run, especially if you're young or have a less than perfect speeding points score, but the Type-R is no more - or less fuel efficient - than key rivals like the Ford Focus or the Seat Leon Cupra. Despite the crackerjack performance and the macho bodykit the British insurance industry has played fair with the Type-R which inhabits the same group 33 bracket as the Focus ST and the Leon Cupra - one group below the Peugeot 308 GTi and the Golf R.

VERDICT
BRUTAL. That's the only way to describe the Civic Type R. Cars like the Golf R disguise their performance potential but the Honda flaunts it in your face. The Type R is not so much an iron fist wrapped in a velvet glove as an iron fist wearing a knuckle duster. Whether that's a good thing or not probably depends on how old you are, but one thing's for sure: there's nothing restrained about the way it goes.

SPEC: Engine: 1996cc/four cyl/turbo.
Max power: 310PS.
Max torque: 400Nm.
Top speed: 167mph.
0-62mph: 5.7 seconds.
Combined mpg: 38.7mpg.

Source;
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/14095959.Review__Honda_Civic_Type_R___the_fast_and_the_furious/

XTOMI Design Renders the Honda Civic Type R Sedan

Very nice, click on the picture for a bigger view.  Rumour has it that the Type R is going to come out in a Coupe and Sedan form on top of the Hot-Hatch.

Source (via CarScoops!)
http://xtomi.blogspot.ro/2015/10/honda-civic-type-r-sedan.html

AutoCar: Everyday handling heroes - Honda Civic Type R versus Ford Focus ST-2

by Vicky Parrot of www.autocar.co.uk

Is the new Civic Type R packed with enough fun to ward off Ford's staple hot hatch?

There’s a corner at the far end of the straight at Bedford Autodrome’s East Circuit: a fast right-hander that tightens into a double apex. To add to the fun, you have to get the car balanced early as you exit to dive straight into a tighter-still left-hander.

Here, our fast front-drive duo were like pigs in the proverbial. Nothing but the Caterham jinked with such precision through that complex. Yet it was also here that the differences between the Honda Civic Type R and the Ford Focus ST were most telling.

Let’s start with the Civic. As the all-new contender to the Focus’s mild refresh, the Type R waded into this class with the meek humility of a bull charging a matador. With trick suspension, adaptive dampers and mechanical diff to make the most of the raging 306bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged motor, it dispatched our circuit using brute force tempered with fierce traction.

Stick it in R mode, to perk up the suspension, diff and throttle response, and it turns in to the complex with just the right amount of keenness, keeping body roll to a minimum before settling into a face-warpingly grippy steady state.

The steering builds nicely in weight as the tyres load, and when you do push it hard enough to trouble the grip limits, a subtle lift-off snaps it out of understeer and back into line with no lairy oversteer pending.

The flipside is that there’s little of the playfulness that the Focus serves up. You can trail the Ford’s brakes to keep the nose pinned as you enter the right-hander, then jump on the throttle to modulate your angle of attack and keep the playful rear end where you want. Its chassis feels so much more adjustable than the Civic’s.

But the Focus has its flaws. Sure, the revised front spring and damper set-up and stiffened body structure of this 2015 update result in keener turn-in, but the steering still feels more scrappy than you might hope. It’s overly keen to self-centre and has little of the natural building of weight that the Honda delivers. It’s just a bit harder to place the Focus precisely at that key moment as a result.

The Ford’s reliance on electric systems to rein in the 247bhp of its 2.0-litre turbocharged engine denies you the traction levels of the Civic, with its proper diff. This is as obvious on the road as it is on a circuit. Exit a tight junction with any gusto and it becomes an exercise in moderate throttle application to avoid spinning the inside front wheel, resulting in more weaving than actual progress.

The Civic isn’t faultlessly grippy, either. It has torrents of power going through its front wheels, so you do get torque steer on occasion, but it is remarkably manageable, given the power. You can be more heavy-handed with getting on the power in the Civic, and it just sucks up the punishment, gathers itself together and fires you up the road, with the engine spinning through a broad torque band and on to 7000rpm.

Although the shorter-lived, heavy boost of the Ford has its own mid-range merits, the Honda’s
motor has the sort of rev-hungry attitude that has echoes of the VTECs of yore.

Yes, it’s a bit lacklustre at low revs, but keep it on the boil above 3000rpm and it delivers the frenetic character that you expect, given its caricature looks. That snappy gearshift, with a throw supposedly identical to the NSX’s, is an absolute joy, too, and more so than the Focus’s precise but slightly softer-feeling shift.

In fact, the whole car feels like a caricature – from how it claws its way through corners, to the supportive yet comfortable bucket seats, the bonkers rear wing and chin-heavy fascia. Even the damping is over the top. Or perhaps ‘under’ would be more accurate, given that in firmer mode it tends to amplify rather than cushion small ruts and bumps. Certainly, this is not the most comfortable car, although the softer setting is more palatable and ticks the ‘everyday usable’ box adequately for such a focused car.

The Focus is the more forgiving in terms of ride comfort and the more playful but, ultimately, it comes second here. It falls short of the Civic’s ferocious performance and handling machismo, making the latter feel somehow closer genetically to Gordon Shedden’s weekend wheels than your average cooking Civic. For that hilarity alone, it gets the nod.

Junior handling test 2015 - how much fun for £30,000?
Ford Focus ST-2
Price £23,995; Engine 4 cyls, 1997cc, turbocharged, petrol; Power 247bhp at 5500rpm; Torque 266lb ft at 2000-4500rpm; Gearbox 6-spd manual; Kerb weight 1437kg; Top speed 154mph; 0-62mph 6.5sec; Economy 41.5mpg; CO2/tax band 159g/km/26%

Honda Civic Type R
Price £29,995; Engine 4 cyls 1996cc, turbocharged, petrol; Power 306bhp at 6500rpm; Torque 295lb ft at 2500rpm; Gearbox 6-spd manual; Kerb weight 1382kg; Top speed 168mph; 0-62mph 5.7sec; Economy 38.7mpg; CO2/tax band 170g/km/29%
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Source;
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/everyday-handling-heroes-honda-civic-type-r-versus-ford-focus-st-2

Autonews.com; Honda Civic Type R details emerge with latest spy photos

Honda’s Civic Type R is still at least a year away but already spy photos are leaking out showing some interesting go-fast details of Honda’s hottest hatchback. The shots, captured in Europe, show several early test mules of the turbocharged Civic Type R -- the first Type R that will officially come to the U.S. At the back of the five-door hatchback are wrap-around taillights.

by David Undercoffler of www.autonews.com

Honda’s Civic Type R is still at least a year away, but already spy photos are leaking out showing some interesting go-fast details of Honda’s hottest hatchback.

The shots, captured in Europe, show several early test mules of the turbocharged Civic Type R -- the first Type R to officially come to the U.S.

Because they’re early prototypes, there’s no sign of production headlights on these cars. Instead, they use first-generation Acura ILX headlights, grille and front bumper.

At the back of the five-door hatchback are wrap-around taillights similar to what we’ve seen on the standard Civic concept and what’s expected on the production version of the Civic when it debuts on Sept. 16
At the bottom of the Type R’s bumper, three center-mounted tailpipes conspicuously jut out, making the car’s performance bent clear. A closer look at the wheels shows Honda has wrapped high-performance, low-profile tires around large rims. Stopping them are bright Brembo calipers in the front.

Honda hasn’t released any details on what will make the next Type R tick, though it’s expected the car will use a powertrain similar to the current model on sale elsewhere around the globe.

That car has a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, which it pushes to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission (the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission from the Acura ILX and TLX could be an option in the U.S.).

The Type R will sit atop the new Civic lineup that will be introduced starting next week with the sedan. In addition to the sedan revealed on Sept. 16, Honda plans a coupe, an Si model, and a hatchback version for the U.S. market, before the Type R finally lands stateside.

Source;
http://www.autonews.com/article/20150908/OEM04/150909898/honda-civic-type-r-details-emerge-with-latest-spy-photos

WorldCarFans: North American Honda Civic Coupe Type R Spectatular Rendering

Independent artist Wild Speed has turned the Honda Civic Coupe concept into a fully-fledged Type R model.

Honda took us by surprise at the beginning of the month when they took the wraps off a Civic Coupe concept which previews the tenth generation of the model due later this year in United States. They also said a Type R version will be commercialized stateside but they didn't specify whether it will a five-door hatch like the one sold in Europe. We do know the regular all-new Civic will be available in sedan, coupe, hatchback and Si flavors which will be followed by the range-topping Type R model.

Wild Speed designed to turn the Civic Coupe concept into a Type R model by applying a more aggressive body and installing a quad exhaust system with the tips installed in the middle similar to those on the Corvette Stingray. The white body is combined with some red accents on the lower sections of the car and wheels matched with red badges and brake calipers.

We remind you the Euro-spec Civic Type R hatchback packs a 310 PS punch from a four-cylinder 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. It rockets to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.7 seconds and will keep on accelerating until 167 mph (270 km/h).

Source;

http://www.worldcarfans.com/115041592226/honda-civic-type-r-coupe-renders-show-stunning-design

http://www.civicx.com/threads/2017-2018-civic-type-r-coupe-concept-envisioned.27/