After a five year hiatus, Honda finally brought out the all-new Civic Type R earlier this year. The much awaited hot hatch, which has a strong fan following across the world for its high-revving engine and sporty handling, has now officially rolled off the production line in Europe.
Billed as a ‘Race car for the road’, the new Civic Type R is the most extreme model to ever wear the acclaimed ‘Red H’ badge. It features a new chassis technology and Honda’s entirely new 2-litre turbocharged VTEC engine. The latter is a turbocharged 2-litre, four-cylinder engine that develops 310bhp at 6,500rpm and 400Nm of torque at 2,500rpm. Red-lining at 7,000rpm, this new engine is part of Honda’s next-generation Earth Dreams Technology series.
Mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, the VTEC engine allows the hot hatch to accelerate from zero to 100kmph in just 5.7 seconds, making it the fastest accelerating front-wheel drive hatchback. Also impressive is the top speed which is rated at 270kmph.
The new Honda Civic Type R competes with other hot hatchbacks namely the Renault Megane 265, Seat Leon Cupra 280 and Volkswagen Golf GTI in Europe.