The Honda Civic Type R Prototype was successfully launched at the Paris Motor Show and instantly become the talk of the town with its impressive look and a promise of 400hp performance.
However, recent interview with Carbuzz, Civic's head engineer Mitsuru Kariya suggested that the Type R will have lesser power than expected. It will probably have a 320hp and will surely be a front-wheel drive.
Is this enough for the Honda Civic Type-R to satisfy its awaiting customers? Kariya thinks so.
A Design That Impressed
The Honda Civic Type R Prototype was finally unveiled at the Paris Motor Show. The prototype made the Type R one of the most anticipated vehicles with its impressive design. As we see, the Honda Civic Type R Prototype takes the basis of the new 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback 5 - door. It is very sporty with a lowered body and a really radical personality. Its accessories are to provide better downforce, highlighting the radical new bumper design, air inlet hood and spoiler.
We can also point out other areas of the vehicle have been redesigned and offer us a new face. The typical red H models of the company is surrounded by a new design. The lights of the Civic Type R also have a darkened finish and feature LED technology. The side skirts are made of carbon fiber and a huge 20 - inch wheels is truly impressive. Finally, in the rear, a visible three tailpipes have been placed and Honda told us that these are not just props as the three tailpipes all have uses.
Power Not Known, Might Be Lesser Than Expected
As it is only a prototype shown at the Paris Motor Show, a lot of information are still missing for the Honda Civic Type-R such as what engine will be use, what will its performance be and even the interior can't be seen on the prototype. Honda has kept quiet about it and people just rely on rumors until now.
In an interview with Kariya, he revealed that the Type-R will definitely be a front wheel drive which with the right smart technology application can achieve a high level of performance.
"It's easy to apply 4WD. It's easy to apply a bigger engine, but that distorts the total balance. If a car gets heavy that's in contradiction to what we believe is dynamic performance. It's a balance of all, and therefore we still insist on a FWD system," Kariya said.
When asked about the engine, although Kariya doesn't directly confirmed, everything points that the Type-R will be have the same block VTEC 2.0 - liter turbo that will output 320hp and 0-100 km/h in just over 5 seconds. This is less power than the rumored numbers that the Type-R can achieve.
"We believe it is more important to have a good controllability at low revs rather than top speed. It is vital to have an effective and fun driving," Kariya concluded.
Fear Not, Type R Still A Beast
Fear not as Honda is doing their best to make the Type R really special. Unlike past versions of the Type-R where Honda decides and develops in the latter half of the life cycle of the base Civic, the 2017 Type-R has been planned from the start. This allowed Honda a lot of time and their engineers can focus heavily to create a solution that will make the 2017 Honda Civic Type-R more powerful than ever.
We all just have to wait to know the true power output as well as the final pricing. The production version of the model will begin next year and from the looks of it, it will be launched in Europe in mid-2017 and might be late 2017 or early 2018 in the US.
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