| Honda Civic Type R 2007
Honda Announces New Civic Type R
- Reworked engine makes power more accessible
- More refined, easier to use every day
- Still exhilarating to drive - 0-62mph in 6.6seconds
- Stiffer chassis, unique suspension settings, more responsive steering
- GT version features extra equipment
- Built in Swindon, Wiltshire
The hotly-anticipated Honda Civic Type R goes on sale in March 2007, and it's been well worth the wait...
While it's just as exhilarating to drive as the outgoing Type R, the latest high performance Civic is a more refined 'superhatch', with improved comfort levels, integrated styling and handling tuned for enhanced responsiveness and predictability.
The new Honda Civic Type R continues to be powered by the naturally-aspirated, high-revving 2.0-litre DOHC i-VTEC engine but the unit has been significantly reworked to improve responsiveness using a new balancer shaft and drive-by-wire throttle control. VTEC variable valve timing and VTC variable inlet camshaft technology continue to underpin the engine structure.
Further development of Honda Civic Type R unit means more useable torque, as the switch to high-lift, long duration valve timing (the cam change) now takes place at a lower 5,200rpm, and continues all the way to 8,000rpm. So that screaming, high rpm VTEC range is broader and more accessible.
To mark the entry to this 'power band' a new i-VTEC indicator just to the right of the digital speedometer is illuminated once the revs rise above 5,200rpm.
Maximum power is now 201PS, reached at 8,000rpm (previously 200PS at 7,400rpm) and the car is more responsive generally, while improved aerodynamics ensure the new car cuts through the air more cleanly. Slightly lower gearing compensates for a small increase in kerb weight.
Acceleration figures are expected to be virtually identical to the 6.6-second 0-62mph time of the outgoing car - and the new car should match its top speed too, powering on to 146mph.
The chassis of the Civic 5-door - already widely praised for its handling balance - forms the basis for all 3-door models and provides an ideal platform for the Type R.
Building on the Civic Type S suspension, which is fine-tuned for sharper chassis dynamics, the Type R takes those modifications to the next level. Like the Type S, its rear track is 20mm wider than that of the 5-door model, but otherwise damper, bush and spring characteristics are all unique to Type R.
Broad 225/40 ZR18 tyres provide added grip, while a 15mm reduction in ride height further reduces body roll. Firmer steering, a quicker ratio and stiffer steering box mountings all provide pin-sharp responses to steering wheel input, while the fuel tank's central location beneath the cabin floor helps to lower the centre of gravity and reduces the body's inertia moment.
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