Put aside your jokes about Honda’s cars sounding like lawnmowers. Never mind that you can find mowers bearing the iconic “H” logo in any home supply store, and that you might have grown up smelling the fumes of your dad’s two-stroke Honda grass chewer. The manufacturer has stepped up its landscaping game with Honda Power Equipment’s adorable Miimo, a smart electric mower/robot. And now Miimo has a performance variant that takes after the hottest hatchback in the Honda lineup: the Civic Type R.
Honda UK Power unveiled its prototype Miimo Type R to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Honda’s performance arm, which released its first model in the form of the NSX Type R in 1992. That same year, Big Red brought out its 1,000cc Fireblade motorcycle, known stateside as the CBR1000RR. And now a lawnmower is joining the storied lineup.
Breaking: #TypeR and #Fireblade prototypes of our robotic lawnmower #Miimo break cover as part of our #Honda25 year celebrations. pic.twitter.com/Tc6xFK6vVc
— Honda UK Power (@HondaUKPower) September 6, 2017
We have to admit that the Miimo Type R does a good job at imitation, at least. The nonfunctional triple exhausts look cool, as do the carbon spoiler, aero bumpers, vents, and grille. The big red “H” badges are complemented by LED lighting front and back. And it’s all tied together with a Championship White color scheme.
The Miimo Fireblade wears the livery of Honda Racing Corporation’s two wheel racers — red, white, and blue — and it has the HRC badging to match. It looks for all the world like the CBR1000RR’s fuel tank.
In place of its big brother’s 2.0-liter VTEC turbocharged engine, the Miimo Type R is powered by an electric motor and lithium-ion battery. The Miimo itself is available in the U.K. as three models: the Miimo 310, Miimo 520, and Miimo 3000. Prices range from £1,999 to £2,499 (about $2,600-$3,300).
The Miimo is completely autonomous, and charges itself as needed. It can be programmed to work any schedule you’d like via a Bluetooth smartphone app, which also lets you manage its settings, such as grass cutting height. The app is available for Android and iOS.
Any lifting or tilting motion will halt the blades instantly, making the Miimo safe around kids and pets. And 360-degree sensors help it avoid backyard obstacles such as lawn chairs, soccer balls, tree roots, etc. The Miimo is silent and works in all weather conditions.
We like the Miimo, which made our list of the five best robotic lawn mowers.
We would love it if Honda made production versions of these cool robot mowers. And if you were lucky enough to get your hands on a Civic Type R, a matching Miimo would be a given.
