Honda’s latest hottest hatchback will be a full-blooded petrol after all
Petrolheads will be delighted to learn that Honda’s next Civic Type R will dodge Honda’s electrification pot. The company’s plans to electrify all its cars by 2022 won’t extend to its next iconic power hatchback.
No tumble dryer motor in your next Type R
Honda accelerated plans to sell only hybrid or fully electric cars 2022 in Europe by three years to 2022. In the face of regulatory, market and consumer behaviour. Now it seems its more virile owners baulked at the ides of their next Type R being part vacuum cleaner. Or tumble-drier.
So those green moves will exclude the upcoming 11th-generation Civic Type R. It’s expected to be among the last-ever purely petrol Honda cars.
The company confirmed an ‘ultimate high-performance’ Type R when it unveiled the new Civic prototype. Now the hot one is expected late in 2021. Or early next year. Lockdown, you know…
Not much will change under the bonnet. The current car’s highly regarded direct petrol injection K20C1 2-litre turbo four-pot likely to benefit a few tweaks. To bring a bit more grunt and a bit less greed.
Type-R already pushes the limits of it’s front-wheel-drive chassis. So we’d not expect much more than 240 kW though. Not much is known about the next Civic chassis. We we also don’t expect any ground shaking advances there, anyway.
6-speed manual and limited-slip differential
So we predict a 6-speed manual to once again be the trannie of choice with a limited-slip differential. Add dual-axis strut front and multi-link rear suspension and adaptive damping. To offer a broader spread between its racier and more comfortable modes.
Expect the new Honda Civic Type R to be a five-door with an evolutionary style. Our spy images also suggest a longer wheelbase. Honda promises a dramatic interior makeover for Mk. 11. Those quality improvements and a substantially improved infotainment system will to carry over the the R version. Which will also surely gain all those racy bits from bucket seats and red trim. And that signature aluminium gearknob and pedals.
All that also leads us to believe that being relatively closely related to the existing car. The new one should not carry much of a premium over the old Type-R, either….
