{"id":114413,"date":"2017-03-08T04:25:32","date_gmt":"2017-03-08T09:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=114413"},"modified":"2017-03-08T04:25:32","modified_gmt":"2017-03-08T09:25:32","slug":"honda-muscles-up-with-civic-type-r","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2017\/03\/honda-muscles-up-with-civic-type-r\/","title":{"rendered":"Honda Muscles Up With Civic Type R"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
After a long wait, U.S. buyers will soon be able to order the latest Honda Civic Type R makeover.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Honda Civic Type R, the long-awaited capper to the automaker\u2019s ever-popular compact model range, has finally made its debut at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show.<\/p>\n

Honda has been rolling out a procession of new Civic variants over the last two years, the hatchback version making its first appearance in Geneva a year ago. But no model has generated more of a buzz than the Type R, which will finally make it to the U.S. market come late spring 2017.<\/p>\n

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Performance News!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The five-door model, equipped with a 306-hp turbocharged four, will become the fastest version of the Honda Civic ever to reach U.S. shores, and Honda hopes it will help it challenge such serious competitors as the Ford Focus ST and Volkswagen Golf R.<\/p>\n

(Live from Geneva! For complete coverage of the 2017 auto show,\u00a0<\/em>Click Here<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong>The new Civic Type R features some extreme aerodynamic enhancements. Honda claims they put the emphasis on form over function. That\u2019s good news to those who criticized the previous model\u2019s design as more show than go.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a big wing to enhance downforce, for one thing, and an assortment of wind-cheating strakes and vortex generators. The engine gets extra air through a functional hood scoop. And exhaust gas flows out of three center-mounted tailpipes. A nearly flat underbody completes the aero enhancements.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Honda claims the latest Civic Type R's aero enhancements are all functional.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Power for the new Honda Civic Type R comes from an \u201coptimized and refined\u201d version of the maker\u2019s 2.0-liter VTEC engine. The turbo four makes 316 horsepower in European configuration, 306 in the soon-to-come American package, and about 295 pound-feet of torque.<\/p>\n

It won\u2019t be the hottest car on the compact rocket block \u2013 the Ford Focus RS pumping out 345 hp \u2013 but it should leave a nice patch of rubber and wake the neighbors with its blaring exhaust note. The engine is paired with a quick-shift six-speed manual transmission.<\/p>\n

(<\/em><\/strong>Infiniti\u00a0Reveals Project<\/a>\u00a0Black S, all-new hybrid performance line.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

As we now expect from any performance model, you\u2019ll be able to choose from three \u201cenhanced driving modes,\u201d including Comfort Sport and the requisite \u201c+R\u201d track mode that will largely disable all those nanny features like Traction Control.<\/p>\n

Honda claims it has also stiffened up the suspension, tightened steering and turned the competent but mainstream Civic into a serious performance machine \u2013 but one that it also promises will be safe, thanks to an assortment of new digital control features.<\/p>\n

The new Civic Type R is going to be aimed at those hip, young buyers who once made Honda\u2019s compact model the car to own. They\u2019ve drifted away from the brand in recent years, as other makers have upped the performance ante.<\/p>\n

The challenge is that passenger cars continue losing momentum in a ute-crazy U.S. market. That\u2019s especially true in the small car segment, though the latest Civic has done a reasonable job in hanging on. Boosting the performance quotient could be just what Honda needs to bring back the little car\u2019s glory days.<\/p>\n

(L<\/em><\/strong>exus\u00a0Wants Buyers to Plug<\/a>\u00a0In with LS 500h Hybrid flagship.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Honda Civic Type R, the long-awaited capper to the automaker\u2019s ever-popular compact model range, has finally made its debut at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. TheDetroitBureau.com has more on the 306-hp screamer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":114414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114413"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114413"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=114413"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=114413"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=114413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}