HONDA sure is taking its sweet time with releasing the new Civic Type R into the wild but for the Paris Motor Show, which opens this weekend, the Japanese brand will unveil a near production-ready version of the upcoming hot hatch.
Honda’s still mum on final performance figures, stating only that the new 2-litre turbo engine will make “more than” 206kW on its way to a 7 000rpm redline.
We’ll just have to wait until next year when the car makes its official road-going debut, but whatever the final output ends up being, we know it will make for one of the most powerful front-wheel-drive hatches out there.
It’s also the “most extreme Type R yet” according to Honda, even outdoing the legendary NSX Type R from 1992 in performance terms.
Honda’s been reluctant to adopt turbocharging until now, but the inclusion of force-fed aspiration (finally!) is what gives this car such a boost over its many R-badged forebears.
The new Civic Type R will have tough competition from all-wheel-driven rivals like Audi S3, VW Golf R and Subaru WRX, but similarly to the previous Ford Focus RS will get a complex “steer axis” front suspension system to help battle torque-steer and traction loss. It will also get a red “R” button on the steering wheel, which, when activated, will liven engine and steering response, and tighten all four electronically adjustable dampers. Honda South Africa says plans are still on track to get the new Civic here by the end of next year. Watch this space.