Car 2015 : Honda Civic Type R

New Honda Civic Type R will use a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and is priced from around £30,000

The full details surrounding the Honda Civic Type R have recently revealed, and potential buyers could even have a chance to drive one before it is released in the UK. 

The 2015 Civic Type R has a lot to live up to, as the last model was phased out of Honda's product range back in 2010. After it appeared in the flesh at the 2013 Geneva and 2014 Paris Motor Show, its been whetting Japanese hot hatch fans’ appetites for over a year.

Honda is also calling it the most extreme car it's ever built, and it's easy to see why just by looking at the latest pictures. It keeps the outlandish styling of previous Type R concepts, but adds race-inspired stickers aimed at exciting track day enthusiasts.

Track day enthusiasts also seem to be the crowd Honda are focusing on before the Type R's official launch, as passenger laps at the Goodwood Festival of Speed's Moving Motor Show will ba available for visitors. Driven by pro racing drivers, the Civic Type R will be launched up the First Glance section of the famous Hill Climb. However, numbers are limited and Honda are treating the event as a first-come, first-serve basis.

The Type R will use a 306bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine and now Suehiro Hasshi, leader of the Type R project, has gone on record saying: "The engine in this new Honda Civic Type R is unrivalled against all of them [past road-going Hondas] in terms or raw power, torque and engine response."

While the engine's power is impressive, a steering wheel-mounted button labelled '+R' is set to give the Civic a dual character. Pushing it makes the engine more responsive and sharpens up the steering.

This is in addition to the car's four-stage adjustable suspension dampers, which allow the driver to choose between comfortable and (if past sporty Hondas are anything to go by) very hard suspension setups. The result should be a car that's smooth around town, but can be made firm enough for quick cornering when the opportunity presents itself.

Modifications to the front suspension aim to cut out torque steer – the writhing sensation that powerful front-wheel-drive cars suffer from during hard acceleration. The Type R will only be available with a six-speed manual gearbox.

Honda Civic Type R price and release date

The Honda Civic Type R is priced from £29,995, in order to compete with rivals such as the Ford Focus ST and the Volkswagen Golf GTI.

The GT version will cost around £2,300 more.

Honda expect the new Type R to arrive in UK showrooms in July.

New Honda Civic Type R 2015 styling

The Honda Civic Type R will be the quickest Civic by some margin, and it's clear from looking at the concept that Honda is quite happy to shout about that fact.

It features a large, ground-hugging front bumper with huge air vents and striking LED lights. The red Honda badge denotes that this is a Type R (Honda's performance department) car, and there are more LEDs in the main headlight housing, as well as two air vents in the bonnet to cool the engine.

Even from the front, the car's extended wheelarches are easily spotted. They house huge 20-inch alloy wheels and powerful brakes, while the rear arches are vented for improved aerodynamics.

The car looks most eye-catching from the back, where it features four exhaust pipes and a huge carbon-fibre spoiler. The Type R will be available with a limited selection of colours, including the company's signature performance colour, Championship White.

New Honda Civic Type R 2015 rivals

Looking at the car's rivals, it's easy to see why Honda is taking its time with the launch of the new Type R. It faces extremely tough competition in the form of the SEAT Leon Cupra 280 and the new Renaultsport Megane Trophy, which just beat the SEAT's lap time round Germany's gruelling Nurburgring racetrack. The Honda aims to be even faster.

New Honda Civic Type R 2015 engines & specs

The old Honda Civic Type R engine had to be worked hard to extract the best performance, but the new turbocharged engine should change all that. It'll offer low-down power for strong acceleration without the need to constantly change gear. The engine produces 306bhp, which will be enough to get it from 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 167mph. However, its hi-tech mechanicals should mean fuel economy of around 40mpg is possible.

https://youtu.be/oAHI9XD8nzA

Fast Hondas have a reputation for extremely stiff suspension, which doesn’t get on with the UK's broken road surfaces, but this is unlikely to change with the new car. That – and the car's noisy but enthusiastic-sounding engine – means the Type R might be the preserve of committed enthusiasts, not people looking for an everyday hatchback with a sporty edge.