MOTORING NEWS - The keenly awaited all-new Honda Civic Type R hot hatch was launched to the local market in the Western Cape last week. Most importantly, this "race car for the road" gave the motoring journalists - keen to a man and two women - the chance of a few high speed turns on the Killarney race track.
So - allow me to say that even the more blasé colleagues were impressed. I'm not shy to say that at this point the heart was aflutter before things even got serious.
Nothing beats a good first impression and the Civic Type R delivers eye-watering performance and demands nothing less than total driving involvement. Then there are the car's looks, which successfully blend a tough, aggressive stance with a refined and functional experience inside.
The sporty purpose demanded a sleek and aerodynamic design to perform at speed. There is a zero lift coefficient and minimum drag, which achieve a class-leading overall aerodynamic performance. The Type R's aerodynamics uses downforce-generating elements to create overall negative lift.
Honda's focus on airflow was both around and through the car for negative lift at both axles. This focus is particularly noticeable at the front of the car, where airflow vents are prominent and the execution of the design is key to the Type R's high-speed stability. The front bumper was designed to inhibit air turbulence around the front wheels, enhancing high-speed stability and reducing lift forces. The apertures in the front bumper grille channel air to the intercooler and have been specifically shaped and sized to minimise aerodynamic loss.
The maximum speed is marked at 270km.
The structure of the Civic Type R's dramatic and highly distinctive rear wing aerofoil - angle, height and shape, as well as its vertical end plates - helps to optimise downforce on the rear axle without causing significant increase in drag at higher speeds. This helps improve road-holding ability, particularly through high-speed corners as we found on the track.
On the open road where there was an opportunity to test the general character of the car, the ride was somewhat bumpy in the rear seat. But the thrill of the drive and the pleasant engine sounds more than compensated. Personally, I prefer a somewhat harder and connected feeling over one that is too soft.
Most colleagues agreed afterwards that this hot hatch is going to leave a few other fast ones in tatters, so it will be interesting to see the outcome of the inevitable shoot-outs.
At the heart of the all-new Honda Civic Type R is an all-new, direct-injected turbo-charged 2,0-litre VTEC Turbo petrol engine.
Red-lining at 7 000rpm, the Civic Type R's power plant features an advanced new turbo-charging system, incorporating Honda's legendary Variable Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) technology to boost low-end torque while delivering sustained acceleration.
Combining a turbocharger with Honda's VTEC and VTC (Variable Timing Control) delivers benefits in output, efficiency and packaging. VTC allows a degree of valve timing overlap which is finely controlled across a broad rev range to improve response and efficiency.
"The all-new Honda Civic Type R is the most extreme and highest performing Type R ever built and sets new standards in the fiercely contested high-performance front-wheel drive hatchback segment," says Graham Eagle, director of operations at Honda Motor Southern Africa.
"Boasting an all-new forced-induction VTEC Turbo engine, advanced new suspension systems and purposeful styling that delivers the visual excitement expected of a Type R while enhancing performance and stability, the new Civic Type R sets new benchmarks for power delivery, handling dynamics and overall driving thrills," he added.
This exhilarating new model signals the start of a new performance era for Honda, drawing on the brand's racing history to occupy the top position in the Honda Civic line-up.
"Part of a wave of next-generation, all-new Honda vehicles, the new Civic Type R demonstrates the brand's pioneering approach to technological innovation which makes life better for its customers,"
Eagle concluded.
The new Civic Type R has been engineered to deliver a dynamic, class-leading performance regardless of whether it's being driven on fast roads, through a twisty mountain pass, or on a racing circuit. At the same time, it remains true to the ease of use and practical packaging expected of a Civic.
The new Type R combines a world-first application of Honda's new VTEC Turbo engine with a sensuous sporting sound, to aggressive function-led styling and pioneering new chassis technologies. The result is a profound driving machine: a super hatch equally at home on the road as it is on the track, at the push of a button.
Offered as a full-specification five-door model, the Civic Type R is set to catapult Honda back to the top of the two-wheel drive performance hatchback league.
A high-pressure (20 MPa) injector is used to substantially increase fuel atomisation, and is supported by an 85% improvement in flow rate, as well as a 45% increase in fuel pressure over conventional systems.
The new Civic Type R's performance is unmatched in the front-wheel drive hot hatch segment: the 0 to 100km/h sprint takes just 5,7sec. Despite its performance credentials, the Civic Type R is credited with a low CO² emissions rating of 177g/km, linked to an impressive combined-cycle fuel consumption figure of 7,5-litres per 100km and compliance with Euro 6 emissions regulations.
As part of a rigorous and detailed development and testing programme, a pre-production development Honda Civic Type R achieved a lap time of 7min 50,63sec around the legendary 20,8km Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany. This time is unmatched by any other front-wheel drive performance hatchback.
The lap time was achieved during the final phase of pre-production testing in May 2014 by a Civic Type R development car in a standard state of engine tune, with suspension, drivetrain, exhaust, brakes and the aerodynamic package identical to those of the production Civic Type R.
The removal of the air conditioning, front passenger seat and audio equipment offset the additional weight of a full roll cage installed specifically for safety reasons and not to add rigidity.
During the test cycle, the development car used production-specification high-rigidity 19" alloy wheels. These were fitted with the 235/35 R19 Continental SportContact 6 road tyres developed specifically for the new Civic Type R. The Type R has since become the first production vehicle to be fitted with the new Continental SportContact 6 as original equipment.
The new Civic Type R is available in five distinctive colours that give the purposeful new styling added impact. Along with Championship White, buyers can choose from Crystal Black (pearlescent), Polished Metal (metallic), Brilliant Sporty Blue (metallic) and Milano Red.The new Honda Type R is available in limited numbers through Honda Motor Southern Africa's national dealer network - and the good news is that Honda George was included in this select group.
The retail price of R586 400 includes a five year or 200 000km warranty and a five year or 90 000km service plan, while a three year AA Roadside Assistance package is also included. Services are at 15 000km intervals.
The main information dials on the new Civic Type R are clear and well positioned.
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