Faster, less furious: Honda’s Civic Type R is growing up

By Ronan Glon August 5, 2016

Honda Civic type R — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Honda is already preparing the next generation of the Civic Type R. And while engineers are following the time-tested recipe of stuffing a big engine between the fenders of a humble Civic, it sounds like they’re tweaking the doses.

Launched last year, the current Type R is based on the ninth-generation Civic, a model that has reached the end of its life cycle. The next R will be an evolution of the upcoming hatchback variant of the tenth-generation Civic, but its design is being toned-down to appeal to a wider, more mainstream audience. Its body kit will be less aggressive-looking, and it will ditch the current model’s massive roof-mounted wing in favor of a more discreet spoiler.

The cabin will still put an emphasis on sport, though it will be built with nicer materials to feel more upscale. Honda insiders have revealed that the next Type R will be more tech-focused than the current model, too. In short, the Type R is growing up.

That doesn’t mean it’s going soft. The same insiders told British magazine Auto Express that power will be provided by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine tuned to develop 340 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. In comparison, the current Type R (pictured) uses a 2.0-liter turbo four rated at 306 horses and 295 pound-feet of twist. A six-speed manual transmission will come standard, but what’s surprising is that the Type R will remain front-wheel drive in spite of the extra grunt. A trick suspension setup will help keep the prodigious amount of torque steer in check.

Read more: Honda’s next S2000 might not be mid-engined after all

The hatchback version of the tenth-generation Civic is scheduled to greet the public for the first time next month during the Paris Auto Show. Auto Express has learned that the hatch will share the spotlight on the Honda stand with a thinly-veiled concept designed as an accurate preview of the next Type R. The production model will arrive next year, and it will finally make its way to showrooms in the United States.

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Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

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