News
Honda Civic Type R
White-hot new Civic Typ
■ Honda reveals more details on new 280bhp-plus hot hatch Ja Jack Rix
Jac Jack_R Jack_Rix@dennis.co.uk @jack_rix
DESPITE displaying a concept at the Paris Motor Show in September, Honda still isn’t ready to fully reveal its production-ready Civic Type R – but it’s getting tantalisingly close. Ahead of its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the brand has released three detail pictures and new information, while our main image shows how the production car could look. Most striking of all is the Type R’s claimed top speed of 167mph – just 7mph behind the new four-wheel-drive, 362bhp Audi RS3 and 2mph faster than the old 345bhp Ford Focus RS500. The eye-popping top speed is down to the Civic’s clever aerodynamic package, which uses a flat underbody, rear diffuser, big rear wing, front splitter and carefully shaped side skirts to balance downforce with drag and boost high-speed stability. Also confirmed are specifically designed Brembo brakes that use fourpiston calipers to grab 350mm drilled discs at the front. These sit behind the unique 19-inch wheels (right). The production car also has a tweaked front end, featuring round foglights and larger intakes to help the new 2.0-litre VTEC turbo engine’s heat management. The new instrument cluster has been revealed, too, displaying a rev counter that reads up to 8,000rpm and a +R button left of the dials. This will sharpen throttle response, turn up the exhaust volume and add weight to the steering. The car on display in Geneva will be finished in Championship White
paint – previewed in our main image and a colour synonymous with Type Rs of the past. But that’s where Honda’s nostalgia ends. The new car will be on a different performance level to its predecessors, sending over 280bhp through a six-speed manual box to the front tyres to take it from 0-62mph in around six seconds. It’s no secret that Honda is targeting the Nürburgring front-wheel-drive lap record, currently held by the Renaultsport Mégane Trophy R (tested on Page 90). So, helping it rip around corners is a new steer-axis suspension system to keep things stable and quell torque steer, while adaptive dampers will improve on-road usability. Honda claims 100 UK orders have already been placed, with each customer paying a £3,000 deposit. When deliveries start in the summer, prices are expected to kick off from just under £30,000 – putting the car squarely in line with Ford’s new 316bhp, four-wheel-drive Focus RS.
COLOUR Our image shows how
the production Type R could look on stand at Geneva, finished in stunning Championship White
OFFICIAL
Latest detail shots show Type R gets unique Brembo brakes and stylish dials, with a rev counter reading up to 8,000rpm
Hybrid MINI takes its first steps OUR spies have already caught MINI’s next-generation Countryman testing late last year, but these latest shots reveal a more interesting secret. Buried among the vivid yellow camouflage wrapping is a sticker reading ‘Hybrid Test Vehicle’. It’s our clearest proof yet that the brand is readying plug-in hybrid tech for the next Countryman – and means the crossover will be the first MINI to go hybrid. A MINI insider hinted to Auto Express that the big MINI will feature the same set-up as the BMW i8 supercar, which comprises a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine linked to an electric motor and lithium-ion batteries. We already know the secondgeneration Countryman will sit on
16 Special Issue
Spies caught disguised Countryman being tested, and sticker reveals it’s the first hybrid MINI
BMW’s UKL1 platform. This underpins three and five-door versions of the MINI hatch, the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer and the forthcoming MINI Clubman. In line with the MINI five-door and new Clubman estate, the Countryman is set to grow. As our spy shots show,
the new Countryman has larger front and rear overhangs and a larger passenger compartment, hinting at more room inside. It’s set to arrive next year, with the plug-in hybrid version offered alongside conventional turbocharged petrol and diesel engines.
SPIED www.autoexpress.co.uk
