Geneva show: Honda pulls Civic Type R covers

HONDA has ripped the covers off its tenth-generation Civic Type R hot hatch, featuring an 11kW power bump over the previous iteration, revised suspension and stiffness and increased aerodynamics to take the fight to the likes of Ford’ s Focus RS and the Subaru WRX STi.

The UK-built Type R uses a revised version of the ninth-gen’s 2.0-litre VTEC turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine that now pumps out 235kW of power, while torque remains the same at 400Nm.

Mated exclusively to a six-speed manual gearbox with a rev-match control system, the Type R sends power to the front wheels and has benefited from a number of mechanical changes that improve handling and performance, says the Japanese car-maker.

Torsional rigidity has been improved by 38 per cent over the old Type R according to Honda, thanks to a more rigid chassis and the use of extra adhesive in key bonded areas.

The front MacPherson strut suspension is carried over from the Civic range but has been revised to minimise torque steer and improve handling, while the independent multi-link rear suspension has been fitted with high-rigidity suspension arms.

Three driving modes will be available, comprising of comfort, sport and +R modes, which adjusts the adaptive dampers, steering force, gear shift feeling and throttle response.

Aerodynamics have been improved over the outgoing model, thanks to a smoother underbody, front air curtain, lightweight rear wing and vortex generators situated at the rear of the roof line.

Styling remains almost identical to the prototype model revealed at the Paris motor show in September, showing aggressive styling including low front skirts, large mesh lower air intakes, 20-inch wheels, triple-exit exhaust, a large rear spoiler, muscular wheel arch flares and the red H Honda badge which is synonymous with Type R variants.

While regular Australian Civics will be built at a factory in Thailand, each global Type R will be built at Honda of the UK Manufacturing in Swindon, England.

Production is chalked to start in mid-2017 for a fourth-quarter Australian arrival, and notably it will be sold in North America for the first time to date.

It will be a rebirth for Australian Civic Type Rs, after Honda Australia elected not to bring the ninth-generation version Down Under due to supply constraints.

Pricing is unconfirmed at this stage, but the Type R is likely to sell well above the current range-topping VTi-LX hatch, which costs $33,590 before on-roads.

For comparison, the Ford Focus RS is priced at $50,990, the Subaru WRX STi costs $49,490 and the Volkswagen Golf R manual starts at $52,990.