Honda Civic Type-R Arrives State Side Spring 2017

For Honda Automotive performance junkies, the reinvented and much improved Civic Type-R comes as close to a brand manufactured race car as U.S. federal safety mandates will allow. Last year we spent some time with one of several concepts circulating the world auto show circuits over the past three years or so, loved it! Much to the joy of Civic Type-R aficionados, what we see proudly revealed in Geneva Tuesday, is what will land on the shores of North America this Spring 2017. For the rest of us, Civic Si.

306 Horsepower, front-wheel-drive, super-rigid, and reasonably priced for a factory fab super-hatch

Although we don’t know the final dealership availability date, or estimated MSRP, Honda went on a ledge today and announced a late spring arrival to the U.S., with an estimated MSRP in the mid $30,000 price range. While that information remains car-show-reveal-vague, the announced price-point fares well in a high performance-hatch segment, dominated in the U.S. by Ford, Subaru, and Volkswagen Golf G.T.. I believe you can find 200+ horsepower in this family sport-hatch.

Honda’s performance hatchback, although not available in all-wheel-drive, out powers all of he aforementioned, and thanks to measurably increased frame rigidity, a reinvented front suspension, and class leading hydraulic damping lifted from the all new 10th generation 2017 Civic, according to American Honda, torque-steer been reduced to negligible.

$35,000, 160 MPH Civic super-hatch

Allow me to jump out on a ledge here: 2017 Honda Civic Type-R will be as rare as hens teeth in the U.S., with the fortunate few recipients of the manually shifted, race tuned super-hatch, paying a premium for the inevitably “sold-out” first production run. That’s the nature of the performance car game, 2017 Honda Type-R will not be the exception to the rules. Nonetheless, I look forward to driving one.A word from American Honda Motors Jeff Conrad

"The fastest, most powerful Honda ever sold in America, the Type R caps off the incredible success story of our 10th generation Civic lineup," said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president & general manager of the Honda Division, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "We're happy to inform our U.S. enthusiasts that the long wait for the forbidden fruit of Honda Type R performance is nearly over!"

The new Civic Type R, sharing the body style of the 5-door hatchback variant of the tenth-generation global Honda Civic platform, will be powered by a U.S.-built 2.0-liter DOHC, direct-injected and turbocharged i-VTEC inline 4-cylinder engine with peak ratings of 306 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 295 lb.-ft. of torque from 2,500 to 4,500 rpm.

The engine will be mated exclusively to a short-throw 6-speed manual transmission with rev matching capability – employing automatic throttle blips for smoother shifts and power delivery. A new single-mass flywheel reduces clutch inertia by 25 percent versus the previous (European) Type R and a lower final gear ratio is employed to improve acceleration response.

Specifications and Features Overview

Powertrain
Engine Type
L-4 2.0L DOHC i-VTEC turbocharged engine with dual valve timing control
Horsepower
306 horsepower @ 6,500 rpm
Torque
295 lb-ft of torque @ 2,500-4,500 rpm

Transmission
6-speed manual transmission

Chassis
Drivetrain
Front wheel drive with limited slip differential
Steering
Dual pinion electric power steering with variable ratio and active steering
Suspension
Dual axis front strut suspension and independent multilink rear suspension with adaptive damper system
Brakes
Front Brembo aluminum four piston calipers with drilled 350mm (13.8-inch) rotor brakes. Rear brakes feature solid 305mm (12-inch) rotors

Wheels
20-inch aluminum alloy wheels

Tires
245/30R 20 Continental ContiSportContact 6 performance tires

Driving Modes
Three-mode driving dynamics control with Comfort, Sport (default) and “+R” modes adjust dampers, steering, throttle response, transmission (rev matching), VSA (vehicle stability assist) and traction control systems

Body
Increased body stiffness over current Civic Hatchback and previous generation Type R Exterior
LED headlights, fog lights, brake lights and turn signals

Interior
High-bolstered sport seats with red/black suede-effect fabric
Leather wrapped steering wheel

Leather wrapped shift knob
Sport/racing pedals
Illuminated visors

Features
Display Audio with Navi
Dual Auto HVAC
XM and HD Radio

12 speaker 540-watt premium audio system
Android Auto™ and Apple CarPlay™