2015 Civic Type R

Not too long ago, the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S snatched the title of fastest front-wheel drive production car to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife from the Honda Civic Type R.

The Japanese automaker, though, is obviously keen to claw back some sort of advantage. In fact, it sent its bewinged hot hatch to no fewer than five European circuits, setting lap records for front-wheel drive production cars at each one.

The goal? Well, in the automaker’s own words, to “assert the Type R as the leading front-wheel drive performance hatchback”.

Honda’s campaign kicked off at Silverstone, where three-time British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) winner Matt Neal set a time of 2 minutes 31,85 seconds. From there, Honda trekked to Spa-Francorchamps, where World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) driver Rob Huff lapped at 2 minutes 56,91 seconds.

Next up was WTCC driver Norbert Michelisz, who blasted round Italy’s Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit in just 2 minutes 15,16 seconds. A trip to Portugal’s Estoril circuit followed, where WTCC safety car driver Bruno Correia lapped in 2 minutes 4,08 seconds.

And the final circuit? None other than the Hungaroring, where Michelisz was again called upon to climb into the hot seat. And, again, he delivered, taking the 228 kW/400 N.m Honda Civic Type R around the track in 2 minutes 10,85 seconds.

Your move, Volkswagen…

http://www.carmag.co.za/news_post/your-move-vw-civic-type-r-claims-5-new-lap-records/

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Five key things enthusiasts will enjoy:

1 It uses a manual gearbox - A manual gearbox is one of the fundamental ingredients for creating an enjoyable drive. The Type R's six-speed manual is one of slickest 'boxes I've encountered.

2 It's front-wheel drive - 228kW/400Nm is a lot of power put through the front-wheels but fortunately the Type R has one of the best front-wheel drive chassis in its class. It's able to handle the huge amount of power available and keep you on the tar.

Driving it hard on one of SA's mountain passes, you'll feel connected to the road as the Type R delivers an emotive experience.

3 It looks outrageous - In order to appeal to a broader market, premium hot hatches are almost 'q-cars' in that they struggle to stand out. The Type R rejects conventional styling with outrageous design elements. It has a massive wing that offers downforce and a deep chin that scrapes nearly every loose stone along a road.

4 It revs into the stratosphere - The 2.0-litre engine suffers from serious lag but give the turbo and V-tec time to kick-in and the power surge is relentless. The red line is claimed 6500r/min and overall the hot hatch feels rapid.

5 It has proper racing seats (sans racing harnesses) - If you're not agile or slim it can be quite an effort hoping in and out of the Type R at least with your dignity still intact. But those high-backed, narrow racing seats are perfect when navigating Franschhoek Pass as their snug fit keeps you upright despite G-forces pulling you in different directions.

http://www.wheels24.co.za/NewModels...c-type-r-the-perfect-car-enthusiasts-20160816
 
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