New Honda Civic Type R: The worst Honda ever made?
The Civic Type R gained cult status through intense mechanical finesse, which included a limited slip diff, a properly sorted chassis, well-appointed suspension and the renowned V-TEC motor, which all translated into an incredible driving experience.
What happened in the years to follow should be considered sacrilege; as Honda changed from a double wishbone rear suspension setup, to a less complex torsion beam axle and removed the fancy bits (see limited slip diff). Also, Honda missed the turbo boat. So whilst the Civic managed an admirable 148kW from its naturally aspirated 2.0 litre motor, it was blown out the water by all of its rivals.
The consequence was that no one bought the Civic Type R, or so I gather from the distinct lack of them on the road. But Honda say the new one brings back the magic. In fact, they say it'll deliver unmatched performance compared to all previous Type R cars including the Civic, Integra, Accord and even the NSX. My my…that's upped the ante.
The details are this; it gets a turbo charged engine for the first time, delivering 207kW to the front wheels.
Now let's stop right here for a minute. 207kW? Front wheel drive? Really?
Honda is aware that this will cause huge amounts of pain for the front tyres. But worry not, they say, for the front suspension system includes an additional mechanical system involving two supporting 'kingpins' to minimise torque steer. Well, who knows what 'Kingpins' are exactly, but they have one mighty job to perform.
My limited technical knowledge, combined with relatively vast experience behind a steering wheel, tells me that Honda is on a hiding to nowhere with this one. Only Opel are mental enough to put more than 200kW through the front wheels of a car; and the Astra OPC isn't revered the world over for being a driver's car. It's not even that much quicker in a straight line than a VW Golf GTi which has a lot less power. And it's far slower around any form of corner.
This Civic Type R comes across as nothing more than the proverbial contest at the pub urinals. They may as well give it a million horsepower, because at the end of the day front wheels can only do so much steering and so much propulsion. The rest is nothing more than a flickering traction control light on the dashboard.
I don't even care what else Honda had to say – unless 'Kingpins' turn out to be some miracle form of limited slip diff, its new hero will be all cape and no super powers.