Honda Shows Off 2018 Civic Type R In Promo Video, Exhaust Note Included

The source of the thundering rumble is a zingy 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Internally referred to as the K20C1, the powerplant sends drive to the front wheels exclusively through a six-speed manual. For what it’s worth, anything other than a manual would ruin the Type R’s character.

Manufactured in the United Kingdom, the newest and the greatest Civic of the Type R variety produces 320 PS (316 horsepower) and a peak torque rated at 400 Nm (295 pound-feet). In other words, the 2.0-liter VTEC Turbo bests the Mustang 2.3 EcoBoost in terms of ponies. It also ties the Camaro 2.0 LTG in the torque department. The thing is, the U.S.-spec Type R gets 306 horsepower, not 316 as the European and Japanese variants boast.

Power, however, isn’t the Civic Type R’s strongest point. Handling is, and differences over the former generation confirm that Honda worked a lot to make the newcomer a driver’s car. For starters, engineers managed to get torsional rigidity up by 38 percent. The front strut suspension, meanwhile, benefits from a different geometry, designed to minimize the torque steer.

The rear axle is kept in check by an independent multi-link setup derived from the regular Civic, but improved with things such as high-rigidity arms. Adaptive dampers also help in the twisties, whereas the body shell offers “best-in-class balance between lift and drag.” What Honda tries to say by that, in layman’s terms, is that the Type R has great high-speed stability.

The FK8 Type R will set foot on U.S. soil in April at the 2017 New York Auto Show.