Honda teases new Civic Type R performance hero for 2022

HONDA has outed its new-generation Civic Type R hot hatch with a pair of crisp - but camouflaged – images, giving the world its first look at the brand’s upcoming performance hero ahead of its Nurburgring development phase.

 

Published this week by Honda’s American arm, the new Type R is easy to distinguish thanks to its gaping front air dam, huge rear wing and triple exhaust outlets, not to mention its obvious ties to the standard Civic hatch that’s due to arrive in the closing stages of 2021.

 

To some eyes at least, the new Type R’s design contains a vague air of the classic Subaru Impreza 22B in its design cues, among them general front-end graphic formed by those slim headlights, the sizable lower bumper opening (with intercooler prominently on display) and the slimmer upper grille cutout.

 

And like Subaru’s retro rally hero, there’s a sizable wing at the back too. Huge wings are nothing new for the Type R given the current model has one of the biggest aerofoils of any sub-$100,000 performance vehicle at the moment, but for the new-gen Type R that wing will sit on metal stanchions rather than the plastic uprights of the current model.

 

Elsewhere, the new-gen Civic DNA is just as visible, especially down the flanks and at the rear of the car with all of the same character lines and Kia Stinger-esque tail-lights being identifiable. However, while the current FK8 Civic Type R pumps up its rear wheelarches via add-on plastic overfenders, its replacement appears to affect that same girth through sheetmetal contouring instead.

 

A slatted rear diffuser houses the unevenly-sized trio of exhaust tips – another link to its predecessor – however the configuration is the inverse of the current model in that the middle outlet is larger than its neighbours.

 

The whole package rolls on aggressive black multi-spoke alloy wheels, behind which peep out red Brembo brake calipers and generously-sized brake rotors.

 

It’s little wonder too given Honda is touting the new model to be “the best performing Honda Civic Type R ever” with the announcement followed by confirmation of a 2022 global debut.

 

No concrete details have been released yet, but given the standard Civic will use a carryover (updated) engine, we expect the flagship to use a similarly-enhanced version of the familiar 2.0-litre turbo four-banger.

 

For reference, the current model develops a class-leading 228kW of power and chunky 400Nm of torque, all of which is shoved through the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission with the help of a limited slip differential – expect familiar specs for the new one.

 

Adaptive suspension is also a likely starter, as is Honda’s “LogR” data logging software which allows drivers to monitor and record different performance parameters like lap times through the infotainment system, while also displaying and key vehicle information.

 

The Type R nameplate has been around since 1992 when it debuted on the NSX supercar, however it wasn’t applied to the Civic until 1997 with the release of the EK9 generation.

 

Since then, it has spanned five generations of Civic to date with the MY22 version set to be sixth iteration of what has become one of the most famous hot hatch lineages.

 

With the ‘vanilla’ Civic range not due to arrive Down Under until later this year, it seems unlikely we’ll see the new Type R on local soil before the third or fourth quarters of 2022.