Honda’s New 300hp Turbocharged Civic Type-R Is Here

Can the Type-R badge regain its former glory in the competitive hot-hatch sector?

VTEC. Those four letters are synonymous with high-revving, naturally-aspirated engines produced by Honda that, over the years, have powered some truly special machines including Integra Type-R’s, Civic Type-R’s, even the NSX Type-R. Like all good things, it came to an end several years ago as all Honda’s rivals turned to forced induction and left Honda trailing in their exhaust fumes. The output of the engines weren’t much higher, but their torque was twice what Honda offered, leaving the FN2 Civic massively underpowered.

They’ve addressed that issue with the latest offering, which has been highly anticipated; 300hp, 400nm of torque, 0-100km/h in 5.7sec and a highest-in-class top speed of 167mph mean the new Civic Type-R really does challenge for top honours.

The looks are best described as aggressive and will be too much for some tastes, especially when rivals such as VW’s Golf R, BMW’s M135i and Mercedes’ A250 are much more restrained and each offers a similar level of performance for a similar price. Those rivals also pose another problem for Honda; will people really forgo the premium badges to own a Type-R? It seems unlikely, but perhaps the combination of VTEC and turbocharging will be too strong to resist for some.