It has been more than a year since we saw cladded Civic Type R prototypes running around, and half a year since the teaser campaign started, so we weren’t surprised when Honda finally turned the lights on its latest performance car. What surprised us was that the reveal neglected to mention most of the numbers that mattered, including the price.
It is official that the new Civic is the company’s strongest Type R vehicle on record. The manufacturer even goes as far as to claim it is its fastest and most powerful production car in the history of the USA, bar none.
Found under the hood is the familiar 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels through an updated six-speed manual transmission. Sequential gearbox, AWD and wild hybrid tech are not included. In fact, from the transmission standpoint, the new Civic is the ultimate old-school hot hatch. Honda says the engine is ‘substantially upgraded’, but does not reveal any specifics.
We also know now that the car is longer, wider and lower than the previous generation. It rides on a wider set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires and flaunts a massive rear wing. The front bumper also looks more aggressive with its new mesh ornament and reshaped air intakes. Rounding things off are a rear diffuser and a triplet of exhaust pipes.
The cabin is wrapped in red and black trim with contrast stitching on the sport seats and the same arrangement of screens as the standard Civic.