29 Sep 06 10:38
Previewed by a seemingly endless series of "concepts", the Honda Civic Type-R has finally made its debut in production form. It's a bit heavier than its predecessor, not least because it's better-equipped, but don't worry - it's every bit as quick.
Built in Swindon and on sale in March 2007, the new Type-R uses an evolution of the previous model's 2.0-litre i-VTEC petrol four, with a new balancer shaft and revised throttle control designed to improve responsiveness. Maximum power is up by 1bhp to 198bhp, reached at 8,000rpm rather than 7,400rpm, but the serious power comes in lower down the rev range. A new light alongside the speedo illuminates at 5,200rpm to tell the driver that the i-VTEC valve system has switched into performance mode. Expect the 0-62mph time to remain at 6.6 seconds and the top speed at 146mph.
The Type-R rides 15mm lower than other Civics and comes with 18" alloy wheels as standard. Like the softer Type-S, the Type-R has 20mm greater distance between the rear wheels than other Civics, but the suspension and steering settings are all new. To cope with the higher performance, the three-door-only Type-R has extra bracing in the form of a new cross member near the front suspension upper mountings.
Styling changes include a new rear spoiler, a larger air intake in the front spoiler, and a black mesh grille replacing the rear glass panel. Inside, the front buckets and rear seats are black and red, and each car has a plaque engraved with its serial number near the gear lever. The plusher GT version has cruise control, dual-zone air-conditioning, foglights, automatic lights and wipers and curtain airbags. Options include a voice-activated satellite-navigation system.
Get all the latest news and information from the Paris Motor Show
