"Having bailed out of Formula One and fast cars when a bunch of banking morons tried to take the world back to the Stone Age in 2008, Honda has had a seriously lack-lustre half decade. Now, with the new NSX a year or so away and an F1 engine deal with old partner McLaren locked in from the 2015, that mislaid mojo has been well and truly located.
And thereâs good news in the real world, too. If you saw Hondaâs brilliant Civic Type-R film a few months ago, youâll have gathered at least two important things. Firstly, that after languishing in purgatory for a few years, thereâs actually going to be a new Civic Type-R. And secondly, that it looks and sounds like a bit of an old-school turbo nutter b*****d.
Well now we know, because topgear.com has just done four laps of Hondaâs Tochigi test track in a prototype, and if nothing else weâve discovered a new cure for jet lag. This isnât a car so much as a force of nature.
Although itâs no secret that the Japanese can sometimes be a little difficult to fathom, the new Civic Type-Râs mission is crystal clear: its creators wonât rest until this is the fastest hot hatch round the Nürburgring. In fact, theyâre not going to go home until it turns in a sub-eight second lap of the Nordschleife. WTCC driver Gabriele Tarquini is getting close to that, which is a hell of an achievement for a 2.0-litre front drive hatch.
Weâve got nothing like the âRingâs hellish variety of twists and turns to play with today, but the genius of the new Type-R is that it feels bang on the money the second you put your foot on the clutch pedal. Not least because it actually has a clutch pedal, rather than flappy paddles. Its action, and the weight of all the other primary controls, is also satisfyingly abrupt. Type-R fans will be similarly thrilled to see the return of the titanium gear-knob, and the seats are brilliantly supportive semi-race jobs. Simply put, it feels right.
The engine is an all-new direct injection 2.0-litre single turbo four with VTEC and variable timing control producing â and this is the important bit â at least 280bhp. Project team leader Suechiro Hasshi wonât budge when pushed on the exact figure. âHow much power? Itâs 280bhp. More than 280, actually. People say that this is the limit owing to current suspension technology and the performance. But more is⦠not impossible.â
Thatâs that not settled, then.
It takes just the right amount of finesse to get the Type-R off the line smoothly, another sign that this is a true driverâs car. The gearbox is wrist-flicky if not rifle-bolt mechanical, and thereâs a bit of lag at low revs. But then it wakes up like a small animal with something spicy on its bum. Between 2000 and 5000rpm, thereâs close to 300lb ft of torque, and the red line whooshes into view in an addictively turbo-thrusty fashion, signalled by a green to red strip light in the instrument display. Thereâs also little sign of any torque steer, so whatever theyâve done to the front suspension is effective. (Hasshi wonât give that up, either.) Itâs seriously grunty and punchy.
The Type-R retains the standard carâs torsion beam rear, which is likely to deny it the ultimate poise of the multi-linked Focus ST or Golf GTI. Consequently, it feels super stiff, even on Tochigiâs smooth tarmac, so God knows how thatâll translate to a blistered British B-road. But it has a fabulously pointy front end, turns in brilliantly, and feels properly joined-up. Push the little âRâ button nestling beside the steering column, and you get weightier steering, sharper throttle response, a reduced traction control threshold, and even less compliance from the dampers. Suddenly, you can see how sub-eight seconds round the âRing might be doable.
The Type-R also looks the business, sharky, fighty and downright mean, especially in the development carâs matt black finish. Some serious aero work has clearly gone on, work that is ongoing, according to Hasshi-san, in the search for optimum balance and stability. The exact shape and form of the rear wing is still evolving, and while the test car is wearing 235/35 Continental rubber on 19in rims, new tyres are being developed for the production car. Here are a few other random nuggets: a hybrid powertrain was never considered, despite Hondaâs expertise, the final car will contain some aluminium in an effort to reduce weight, and the Civic Type-R is targeting best-in-class CO2 numbers.
âIt will become even more aggressive,â Hasshi adds with a smile.
Thereâs only one downside, as far we can tell. The damn thingâs not due on sale until mid-2015."
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and all the journalists who have driven it so far seem to say it feels pretty raw and pointy so hopefully they don't water that down before it hits the showroom.
