RSS_Auto_Poster
Well-known member
Written by Tom Harrison
Those of you who dared hope the new Honda Civic Type R would look exactly like the concept that previewed it are in luck, because it does, doesn"t it? Besides the colour, the white, production-ready car that tops this page looks more or less identical to the satin grey Type R Concept from last year"s Paris Motor Show the car we said had "a bit of a Subaru Impreza vibe", and the car you fawned over in your thousands in Internet comments sections.Let"s start with the headlines. Though the turbocharged, 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine is broadly the same as the outgoing car"s, an ECU tweak and a new exhaust mean power is up by 10bhp. This means totals of 316bhp and the same 295lb ft as the old car, putting it 10bhp ahead of the VW Golf R and 29bhp behind the lardier Ford Focus RS. This is not a colossal gain, but then Honda isn"t really trying to go after the AWD Audi RS3 or Mercedes A45Because the Type R is not about outright power. And after all, it remains a front-wheel drive car. Hideki Kakinuma, Assistant Project Lead for the Type R, tells us through an interpreter that while Honda never considered giving it all-wheel drive, his team "took a close look" at others" AWD systems because they are "interested in how the competitors are using this technology".The gearbox was one of the last Type R"s real strengths. We"ve sat in the new one and rowed the lever back and forth a bit, and we can confirm that yes, the physical shift action of the six-speed manual still feels pretty good. And so it should, because it"s the same gearbox. There"s a rev-matching feature now too, like you get on a 911 R or, erm, Mini Cooper.Still, it can be deactivated (independently of the ESC, we"re told, which isn"t always the case) for those who are blessed of three feet, or can operate the two they have with the necessary dexterity. For now, there"s no auto option. We ask Kakinuma-san whether he felt any pressure from the USA because yes, this Type R will be sold there to offer an automatic. "We did not" he replies.This new Type R is, of course, based on the all-new Civic. So, torsional rigidity is up by 38 per cent on the old R, and you get independent, multi-link rear suspension (with special, more rigid suspension arms for the R) rather than the old car"s Torsion Beam, and all the benefits that brings. Kakinuma-san says the new suspension means "improved stability and drivability," and that they "also increase[ed] the wheelbase and track so we can have a lower and wider vehicle".An unexpected benefit of the new platform is noise. Kakinuma-san is "aware of the complaints" about the outgoing Type R"s unremarkable exhaust note. The new platform, he says, has "better sound proofing and isolation capabilities as well", which has enabled them to "improve the sound quality of the exhaust", making it more exciting and yet, "quieter and more comfortable at low- and mid-speeds". And no, none of that noise will be piped through the speakers.
Date written: 7 Mar 2017
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 6964
Those of you who dared hope the new Honda Civic Type R would look exactly like the concept that previewed it are in luck, because it does, doesn"t it? Besides the colour, the white, production-ready car that tops this page looks more or less identical to the satin grey Type R Concept from last year"s Paris Motor Show the car we said had "a bit of a Subaru Impreza vibe", and the car you fawned over in your thousands in Internet comments sections.Let"s start with the headlines. Though the turbocharged, 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine is broadly the same as the outgoing car"s, an ECU tweak and a new exhaust mean power is up by 10bhp. This means totals of 316bhp and the same 295lb ft as the old car, putting it 10bhp ahead of the VW Golf R and 29bhp behind the lardier Ford Focus RS. This is not a colossal gain, but then Honda isn"t really trying to go after the AWD Audi RS3 or Mercedes A45Because the Type R is not about outright power. And after all, it remains a front-wheel drive car. Hideki Kakinuma, Assistant Project Lead for the Type R, tells us through an interpreter that while Honda never considered giving it all-wheel drive, his team "took a close look" at others" AWD systems because they are "interested in how the competitors are using this technology".The gearbox was one of the last Type R"s real strengths. We"ve sat in the new one and rowed the lever back and forth a bit, and we can confirm that yes, the physical shift action of the six-speed manual still feels pretty good. And so it should, because it"s the same gearbox. There"s a rev-matching feature now too, like you get on a 911 R or, erm, Mini Cooper.Still, it can be deactivated (independently of the ESC, we"re told, which isn"t always the case) for those who are blessed of three feet, or can operate the two they have with the necessary dexterity. For now, there"s no auto option. We ask Kakinuma-san whether he felt any pressure from the USA because yes, this Type R will be sold there to offer an automatic. "We did not" he replies.This new Type R is, of course, based on the all-new Civic. So, torsional rigidity is up by 38 per cent on the old R, and you get independent, multi-link rear suspension (with special, more rigid suspension arms for the R) rather than the old car"s Torsion Beam, and all the benefits that brings. Kakinuma-san says the new suspension means "improved stability and drivability," and that they "also increase[ed] the wheelbase and track so we can have a lower and wider vehicle".An unexpected benefit of the new platform is noise. Kakinuma-san is "aware of the complaints" about the outgoing Type R"s unremarkable exhaust note. The new platform, he says, has "better sound proofing and isolation capabilities as well", which has enabled them to "improve the sound quality of the exhaust", making it more exciting and yet, "quieter and more comfortable at low- and mid-speeds". And no, none of that noise will be piped through the speakers.
Date written: 7 Mar 2017
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 6964