Photo: SB-Medien
The Honda Civic Type R has won every award and comparison test there is, but it's not safe from the passing of time. The Japanese automaker is in the latest stages of testing a mid-life facelift for this hot hatch king, and two prototypes have just been spied at the Nurburgring.
What are they changing? Obviously, you need to look at the camouflage to understand what's going on here. Most of the upgrades are cosmetic, involving the over-aggressive bumpers of the car.
Both the front and the rear boast huge fake air intakes with plastic mesh. These have caused the Type R to take a lot of criticism, especially when there's no need for intakes or vents on the rear bumper. So Honda is switching things up with what look like mini canard winglets. It's not going to be pretty, but at least it will look different.
The yellow prototype is set apart from the white one by the fact that it has camo on the roof, rear spoiler and the hood air scoop. It's believed that these parts will be made from carbon fiber or some other lightweight material as part of a special edition. Sounds too exotic? The Leon Cupra R already has a carbon fiber body kit.
According to our info, the current generation of the hatchback will be replaced in 2021, when production will be moved from Britain to America. So even if the Civic Type R facelift debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, it will still only have two years left on the market, which is the perfect setup for a special/track edition.
Engine changes are unlikely to happen, as outside of AMG, nobody wants to squeeze more power from a 2-liter turbo (currently, VTEC Turbo makes 320 HP and 400 Nm). But there are other ways to make a car faster, and Honda are masters of shaving grams or fiddling with the suspension. Just like every other performance car, the next generation of the Type R will be a hybrid. And even if that sounds like a downgrade, 400 HP isn't a bad thing.
Both the front and the rear boast huge fake air intakes with plastic mesh. These have caused the Type R to take a lot of criticism, especially when there's no need for intakes or vents on the rear bumper. So Honda is switching things up with what look like mini canard winglets. It's not going to be pretty, but at least it will look different.
The yellow prototype is set apart from the white one by the fact that it has camo on the roof, rear spoiler and the hood air scoop. It's believed that these parts will be made from carbon fiber or some other lightweight material as part of a special edition. Sounds too exotic? The Leon Cupra R already has a carbon fiber body kit.
According to our info, the current generation of the hatchback will be replaced in 2021, when production will be moved from Britain to America. So even if the Civic Type R facelift debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, it will still only have two years left on the market, which is the perfect setup for a special/track edition.
Engine changes are unlikely to happen, as outside of AMG, nobody wants to squeeze more power from a 2-liter turbo (currently, VTEC Turbo makes 320 HP and 400 Nm). But there are other ways to make a car faster, and Honda are masters of shaving grams or fiddling with the suspension. Just like every other performance car, the next generation of the Type R will be a hybrid. And even if that sounds like a downgrade, 400 HP isn't a bad thing.
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