After a series of teasers, rave overseas reviews from the US and a lap record at the Nurburgring, the Honda Civic Type R has finally been confirmed to arrive on Australian shores in October.
Priced from $50,990 plus on-road costs, the Civic Type R is priced right in the thick of the upper hot hatch segment, directly against the Ford Focus RS and imminent Mk7.5 Volkswagen Golf R, as well as the Subaru WRX STi. With the regular Civic setting the small car bar high and with more than 250 orders already confirmed, the Civic Type R is the most anticipated Honda in Australia since the second-generation NSX.
“Type R is the ultimate expression of Honda putting the enthusiast at the centre of everything it does. So it was very important for Honda Australia to bring the famed Type R name back with the all-new Civic Type R,” Honda Australia Director, Mr. Stephen Collins said.
“As a record-holder around the Nürburgring Nordschleife, it’s clearly the fastest, most dynamic Type R model ever sold in Australia. Enthusiasts across the country are going to absolutely love it.
The Type R sits above the regular Civic range (priced from $22,390 to $33,590), and is unique in being the only Australian Civic to be sourced from the UK – all of our other Civics are sourced from Thailand. As a result of that production source – Thai Civics are CVT automatic-only – as well as the car’s performance ability, the Type R is also the only Civic available in Australia with a manual transmission.
At the heart of the Civic Type R is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 228kW of power and 400Nm of torque. The power is sent to the front wheels through a limited-slip differential and huge 20-inch alloy wheels with 245/30 R20 Continental SportContact tyres. Honda claims that the Civic Type R is capable of sprinting to 100km/h in just 5.7 seconds, and onto a top speed of 272km/h.
Unique to the Type R are performance spring, damper and bushing settings, as well as a new Dual-Axis front suspension set up and a new multi-link rear, which Honda claims enhances stability under braking. This combined with an adaptive dual-pinion electric power steering system and a helical limited-slip differential show that “there’s a depth of engineering within the Type R chassis that shows Honda at its best” according to Mr. Collins.
The Honda Civic Type R features adaptive dampers with three driving modes: Comfort, Sport (default) and +R. The different modes also adjust steering and throttle response, transmission rev-matching and the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) threshold and turn the Civic Type R into one of the most usable performance cars every day, according to Honda. The Type R features 350mm drilled and ventilated front disc brakes with Brembo 4-piston aluminum front brake calipers and 305mm solid rear discs.
The Civic Type R is very well equipped otherwise, including the full suite of Honda Sensing with autonomous emergency braking, radar cruise control, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, a rear-view camera, front and rear parking sensors and Honda’s LaneWatch system, which relays an image from the passenger mirror onto the media screen to help with lane changing and parking.
The Civic Type R also comes with a red and black interior with Type R sports seats, a four-seat layout (instead of the usual five), dual-zone climate control, an eight-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, automatic LED headlights with LED daytime running lights, a machined alloy gearknob, a 414-litre boot capacity, keyless entry and start and a number of Type R design touches, including carbon fibre effect front, side and rear splitters with red striping, a huge rear spoiler, a bonnet scoop, and of course, red Honda badging.
The Civic Type R is available in five different colours: Rally Red, Honda’s signature Championship White, Sonic Grey, Crystal Black and Brilliant Sporty Blue. All colours, bar Rally Red, cost $575 extra.
Chasing Cars will be in attendance at the launch of the Honda Civic Type R, so stay tuned for our first review over the coming months.
2017 Honda Civic Type R pricing (plus on-road costs):
Civic Type R: $50,990
