In today’s “Things Europeans Can Have but You Can’t” news, we bring you an update from Honda on the development of its next-generation Civic Type R hot hatch. Manabu Nishimae, president of Honda Europe, dropped a few juicy nuggets of info on the Type R’s performance potential at the 2013 Frankfurt auto show, and just as you expected, the hot five-door is shaping up to be rather epic.
For those who don’t know what the Type R is, think of it as a Civic Si on a handful of uppers. With five doors. (And a different platform from the Civic Si coupe and sedan we get here.) Actually, based on Nishimae’s comments in Frankfurt, it might soon be like an Si on a cocktail of uppers, meth, and . . . turbo. That’s right, Honda says the 2015 Type R will be turbocharged. On the upside, the direct-injected, 2.0-liter four-cylinder will produce “at least” 276 horsepower. The downside, at least for ardent fans of Honda’s high-revving, naturally aspirated approach to impressive peak output figures, is that the Type R will be neither naturally aspirated nor likely to rev to eleventy-billion rpm.
Forced induction does not, by itself, guarantee an engine won’t rev high, though; we’re hoping Honda figures out a way to maintain the motorcycle-like zing that its high-performance engines are known for. The outlook is optimistic, based on a video Honda played at its press conference in Frankfurt showing a Type R prototype being hammered around the Nürburgring. It certainly sounded like it was revving like a proper Honda, and the soundtrack was pretty awesome. Moving back to the topic of the Nürburgring for a moment, Honda revealed one of its goals with the Type R is to snatch the quickest time (for a front-drive car) around the fabled German track. That’s probably not an empty threat, as Nishimae confirmed the Civic already is close to the record—and there’s still two years of development to come.
Instrumented Test: 2013 Honda Civic EX-L Sedan
Instrumented Test: 2013 Honda Civic Hybrid
Instrumented Test: 2013 Honda Accord EX-L V-6 Coupe Automatic
Despite showing a camouflaged Type R prototype, Honda’s press materials for the car do give away a few visual cues that separate the R from standard Civics. The first, and most obvious, is a gigantic rear wing. Below that, wicked-looking quad exhaust outlets reminiscent of the Subaru WRX’s setup jut out from the lower fascia. The rear quarter panels also feature odd little vertical winglets, which we presume were tacked on to aid the Type R’s aerodynamics since they certainly aren’t pretty in the traditional sense. Otherwise, the front fascia has the requisite gaping intakes and a giant splitter, and huge brakes with bright red calipers peek out from behind lacy, thin-spoke wheels.
The Civic Type R isn’t slated to hit customers until 2015, but if you live in Europe, we suggest you start getting excited. We are, and we won’t ever be able to buy this puppy. Now, if only Honda were to apply the Type R treatment to the unique Civic Tourer wagon . . .