Civic Type R will be axed.

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By Top Gear

11 August 2010 - 11:00
Honda Civic Type-R axed

Empty your cannons in salute, TopGearers - the Civic Type R is dead.

Honda has axed the high-revving madcap hot hatch because its 197bhp 2-litre engine won't comply with the upcoming Euro V emissions regulations.

See our Honda Civic Type R tribute gallery

Production of the Type R will continue until October, and sales will end in December. Until then, the company is offering massive savings on all Type R models to see it off in style.

You can even witness an automotive 21-gun salute, of sorts, later this month at Silverstone when Honda will allow owners' club members the chance to hit the track in a ‘lap of honour'.

Saddened by this news? You should be. Sure, the mega-muscle hatches of late - Focus RS, Megane RS 250, Golf R et al - blow the 197bhp Type R into the weeds, but that free-revving engine and pointy drive make it a compelling hot-hatch choice next to the staid Golf GTI and chest-wigged Focus ST.

It also means Honda's entire model line is bereft of a cooking model, with the next Civic expected to hit the UK late next year.
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http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/honda-civic-type-r-axed
 
This is just the European model, by the way.
 
Oh puh-lease, it's not dead. I'll bet it's just going on hiatus until they've had the new model on sale long enough to crack out a fast version of that - this is just Honda shooting out a press release to let everyone know it'll be having a nice price drop. Ergo I refuse to mourn and will now leave the thread. Wake me up when the next one's appeared.
 
So for the first time since the badge was introduced, there will be no Type-R available anywhere in the world? I know the Euro version was sold in Japan once their sedan version died off (or at least, that was the plan), but if production of that also ends, I can't imagine it being built for other markets.

Oh Honda, your founder wouldn't even recognize his company anymore.
 
This most recent model of Euro Type R was never much cop anyway. They'll be another one once the next generation of Civic arrives. Hopefully they'll have learn't not to cut corners with the next one and not just rely on the badge to shift units.
 
Some text from CarMagazine:

"That's right – the Civic Type R can’t meet the latest Euro5 emissions regulations that come into force at the end of 2010, meaning in the UK and most other European countries (a tiny handful have Euro5 exemption) the Civic Type R will cease to be. If you live outside Europe then you’re still in luck as the Swindon-built Type R will continue to be sold in markets as far afield as Australia and South Africa.

But for UK buyers it means the end of a 1998cc four-pot that screams out 198bhp at 7800rpm. Peak torque (a paltry 142lb ft) arrives at a high 5600rpm, and means the 2.0-litre motor has to be thrashed everywhere – in an age of forced-induction it was a chore for some, but a real thrill for others, and will signal the end of a unique naturally aspirated offering in the hot hatch segment. If there is a next-gen Civic Type R, it’s bound to be turbocharged."

Which eradicates its unique selling point I guess, does this signal the end for Honda's VTEC technology as a whole?
Or does it only erase the hardcore Type-R versions which use this technology?
 
Variable intake and exhaust timing is basically standard in this day and age, so in that sense, VTEC will live on. As for turbocharging erasing it's uniqueness; the Clio 200 was the other naturally aspirated hatch in the segment, so it wasn't alone.

Honda has a really quite nice turbo engine over here in the Acura RDX, so I wonder if they're finally going to expand that family of engines in the face of downsizing and turbocharging. 2.3L plus turbo seems overkill for this class unless it wants to start hunting Focus RS's. Personally, I'd rather see a sub-2.0L with the turbo thrown on, and weight kept in check.
 
People have had a lot of luck making naturally aspirated power out of K24 builds. Go-Power will sell you a K24 kit with everything you need to make 270 naturally aspirated horses (you just re-use your K20Z3's head).
 
I'd have thought Direct Injection would allow them to keep it NA, but a turbo charger would certainly help them keep up in the power stakes while maintaining emissions.
 
At least Honda won't be stupid and will definitely most likely produce something that will beat those new regs as well as be fast. If they don't they suck. *see Toyota
 
ROAD_DOGG33J
Can they do VTEC with diesels?
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Yes.

Mitsubishi's latest small 1.8 turbodiesel uses variable valve timing. They're only putting it in the AS-X mini crossover at first but you can bet it'll go in other cars and you can bet other manufacturers will follow suit.

The Mitsubishi engine is supposed to be a very good diesel.
 
So basically they're gonna throw a turbo and hella technology in to make it something like a Golf GTI?
 
Its already as fast as a Golf GTI, or at least the one that was sold at the time of the Si's release.

Edit: If we're talking Type R, they should really beat the GTI.
 
I've been thinking long and hard about this issue.

There's not been much to say, really. The RX8 we knew was dead before it flatlined. The rotary was always going to be a challenge to bring up to EuroV.

The K20?

It's an amazing powerplant... but some of the tricks used to extract such large numbers out of a naturally aspirated engine probably won't jive with Euro V. Maybe direct injection would help it, but it will be difficult to give it the same specific output, even then.

I suppose Honda could keep building incredibly high specific output engines that meet Euro V standards, but all engines have their sell-by date. A date by which the engine, no matter how much fettling you do, cannot meet emissions, power and durability requirements and must be retired for a newer design. The K20 has already been around for a decade... and the newer R18 and R20, despite not having the same high power capacity and strong powerband, have already supplanted it in some applications... those are more modern engines with integrated EGR and all the little tricks needed to meet current and future emissions requirements.

I wonder, though... how Honda will replace the K20. Lower the redline some more and build a bespoke turbo engine? Or, hopefully, build a high-revving engine that can be turbocharged. Only time will tell.
 
Well, Renault seems to have no problem with the RS Clio's 2-litre, which puts out nearly identical numbers.

As much as I'd like to see Honda continue their naturally-aspirated run, I just don't think this is the class for it anymore. The lightweights in it are still at least 1200kg, and turbos are everywhere. Even here in North America, most cars in this class are turning to some form of forced induction. It's the only way to keep the performance on the rise while meeting ever-stricter emissions laws.

Though, seeing as how the Fit is roughly the size of the old Civic hatches, I wouldn't mind seeing a small 1.6L high-strung screamer in that :D
 
niky
I've been thinking long and hard about this issue.

There's not been much to say, really. The RX8 we knew was dead before it flatlined. The rotary was always going to be a challenge to bring up to EuroV.
Click to expand...

The rotary was my favorite engine :(
 
SlipZtrEm
Well, Renault seems to have no problem with the RS Clio's 2-litre, which puts out nearly identical numbers.
Click to expand...

Again, consider the "sell-by" date for the engine. And consider the amount of engineering put into each engine.

The Clio puts out 197 hp in top trim. The K20 makes at least 160 hp (claimed at 152... but it's a healthy 152...) in bottom trim, and in top trim, it can put out 247 hp and still be road-legal (at least in Japan). The specific tricks used to achieve this, the high head flow, the exhaust manifolds, the design of the ports, etcetera, may not be easy to adapt to modern regulations without a loss of power.

This is what happened to many 90's engines as they were phased out. Ever-stricter emissions regulations chopped off 5 hp... then 10... then... let's just replace the damn thing. :(

SlipZtrEm
As much as I'd like to see Honda continue their naturally-aspirated run, I just don't think this is the class for it anymore. The lightweights in it are still at least 1200kg, and turbos are everywhere. Even here in North America, most cars in this class are turning to some form of forced induction. It's the only way to keep the performance on the rise while meeting ever-stricter emissions laws.

Though, seeing as how the Fit is roughly the size of the old Civic hatches, I wouldn't mind seeing a small 1.6L high-strung screamer in that :D
Click to expand...

We can only hope. The new R and L engines are promising... but their long-stroke design (which keeps them compact and easy to package) may not allow them to be as rev-happy as the older B and K series.

I'd love to see a Fit Type-R. I drove a GD Fit with an HKS turbocharger on it, and that thing, even with "just" 170 hp, was wild.
 
Don't see it mentioned but the current Focus ST is also getting axed. Replacement is likely to have a 2.0L turbo.
 
Yup. Inline with plans to give the next Focus RS a 2.0 turbo and a hybrid electric system.
 
To clarify Famine's comment, this cancellation applies only to European models IN Europe. I do believe they are still going to sell it here in Australia. :)
 

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