Rallye Red, one of five colours the Type R can be decked-out in. Image: Honda.
Fresh from bettering the record for front-wheel-drive cars at the Nürburgring Nordschleife earlier this month with a time of seven minutes 44.881 seconds, Honda South Africa has officially released price and specification details for the eagerly awaited new Civic Type R.
Arriving on local soil nearly two years after its world reveal, the internally designated FL5 Type R is again based on the not-for-South-Africa five-door Civic hatch, and according to Honda, is billed as the “ultimate pure sports performance” hatch in the segment.
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While set to take direct aim at the four-wheel-drive Volkswagen Golf 8 R and forthcoming Toyota GR Corolla, as well as the front-wheel-drive Hyundai i30 N and runout Renault Megane RS 300 Trophy, the Type R’s unique positioning comes via its drivetrain configuration none of its adversaries feature.
Set to be the final iteration Honda will produce without any electrical assistance, the development of the FK8 Civic Type R’s 2.0-litre turbocharged engine produces 235kW/420Nm, an uptake of seven kilowatts and 20 Nm.
A close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox is entrusted with sending the amount of the twist to the front wheels, with Honda claiming a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 5.5 seconds and top speed of 275 km/h. Four driving modes are offered; Comfort, Sport, +R and the new Individual.
Besides its powertrain and lack of an automatic gearbox option every Type R has come out with since the original EK9 premiered 25 years ago, the FL5’s mechanical improvements over the FK8 includes a new air intake system, bigger turbine blades for the turbocharger, an active valve exhaust system, recalibrated ratios for the ‘box and an upgraded cooling system.
The changes doesn’t stop there as in addition, Honda has refined the rev-matching system for the transmission, fitted a lighter new flywheel, completely redesigned the chassis, suspension and limited slip differential, while also adjusting the electric power steering for better feedback.
For South Africa, the 19-inch matte black alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber are standard, as is a black bootlid spoiler and a choice of five colours; the trademark Championship White, Rallye Red, Crystal Black Pearl, Racing Blue Pearl and Sonic Grey Pearl.
Providing stopping power is a four-piston caliper at the front and two-piston at the rear Brembo brake system resplendent with a 350mm ventilated discs at the front and 305mm at the rear.
As for specification itself, the Civic Type R receives the following items as standard:
As for pricing, Honda South Africa has revealed that only 60 Type R’s have been allocated for now, of which 25 have already been pre-sold.
Included in its R979 000 price tag, a jump of R121 500 over the FK8 Type R and a premium of R66 200 and R183 100 over the Golf 8 R and i30 N respectively, is a five-year/200 000km warranty and five-year/90 000km service plan.
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