As the 2015 Geneva Motor Show opened its doors this morning to the media, Honda dropped the first images and statistics about its reveal for the auto show: the Civic Type R.
This is the successor to Civic Type Rs of yore, and a blow to a growing segment of powerful, front-wheel-drive hatchbacks. This Civic Type R is a model bound for production, after some teasing by Honda that a performance-biased model was on its way.
Aside from minor styling changes to the hatchback that doesn't make it to the United States, the biggest upgrade to this Civic is its powertrain. The 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine produces approximately 305 whopping horsepower, and will sing a sweet tune up to a 7000-rpm redline. Honda claims an equally impressive 0-to-60 time of under 6 seconds. Those figures place the Civic Type R among the heavy hitters in the hot hatch segment, including the Volkswagen Golf R. A 6-speed manual is the only transmission available.
If all the power isn't readily enough, a +R mode will tighten the Civic Type R's responses, from steering feel to chassis dampening. The second-most fascinating feature, if you're counting, is the hatchback's swoopy rear decklid spoiler.
If you live somewhere outside the United States, perhaps soon. Honda has confirmed production of the Civic Type R for Europe beginning later this year. The rest of the world will just have to patiently wait.
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