A second concept version (here's the first) of Honda's long-awaited, fourth-generation Civic Type R will debut at the Paris auto show later this week before it makes it into European Honda showrooms sometime next year.
The idea is to get Honda fanboys around the world salivating like Pavlov's laboratory dog upon hearing the dinner bell. To that end, the brand has released some details and a preliminary sketch of the car, along with the claim that it will have "unmatched performance compared to all previous Type R cars, including Civic . . . Integra, Accord, and even the NSX." Ding! Drool.
It should be noted that the claim is being made "in terms of raw power, torque, and engine response." Making that possible is a directly injected 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, to which Honda has added a turbocharger, resulting in "over" 276 horsepower and an as-yet-unspecified amount of twist. Redline is 7000 rpm, which is considerably lower than the stratospheric redlines of previous Civic Type Rs, but still plenty high to have some fun between shifts. Honda claims that torque steer is mitigated by its new "steer axis" front suspension that includes two supporting kingpins.
The sole transmission will be a six-speed manual, in keeping with the car's sporting proclivities. We sampled this raucous engine in 2013 in a Civic Type R prototype and found it to be plenty drool-worthy, although we're going to need more time with it—a lot more time—to see how the whole car performs.
Other new features slated to appear in this iteration of the Type R are four-setting adaptive shocks as well as a new "+R" button located to the side of the steering wheel. Pressing the button, Honda says, puts the car into a track-oriented mode in which throttle response is sharpened, torque delivery is remapped "to a more aggressive and performance-focused setting," the suspension goes all aggressive-like, and the steering becomes more responsive.
Based on the rendering Honda provided, the Civic Type R Concept II looks much like the last Civic Type R concept car trotted 0ut at the Geneva auto show last March. We will have to wait and see to what extent the details have changed for this closer-to-production version, but it appears that it will retains its huge black wheels, deep-skirted body kit, and of course, a coat rack-style rear wing. Prototypes have worn wide fender flares and quad exhaust pipes, too. Honda didn't mention specific upgrades it may have made to the interior, but don't be surprised to see racing seats, sport gauges, and some faux suede.
- Spied: Camouflaged Honda Civic R Prototype Laps the Ring
- Heart of the Beast: We Sample the Turbocharged Engine of the 2015 Honda Civic Type R
- Honda Civic Si Research: Photos, Reviews, Info, and More
The Civic Type R will be built at Honda's Swindon, U.K., assembly plant and "has been developed and engineered for European driving tastes," says Honda, which means that it appears as unlikely as ever to make it to the States. We wouldn't be surprised, however, to see some of the technology, and even the turbocharged engine itself—appear in other models from the Acura TLX to the Honda Accord, as well as future crossovers from both brands.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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