Well folks it’s finally here, the 11th gen civic hatch body style has been unveiled
And while no one has been allowed to drive it just yet, we do have more information on what the new Type R might look and feel like
Lets get into it
It wast too long ago we saw the civic sedan released to introduce the 11th gen and Paolo and I will be testing that car in August for you.
But as off last night the wraps are offthe 11th gen hatch.
The styling, like the sedan, is much more restrained than the previous version
Simpler lines
No wings
And a more mature vibe about it
This will translate, of course, to the Type R being a little more wiley, but more tame
But let’s talk about the interior
Just like the sedan it’s much more “elevated” in terms of design
I say, just like the sedan I mean it – it’s exactly the same, but that’s good
Oh but if you needed anymore confirmation, there is a stick and 3 pedals
The part you’re all wondering about is the hatch.
Honda refrained from giving actual cargo metrics, but simply by looking at it you can tell it dwarfs the corolla, veloster, mazda 3
So all of that is fine, but what does that mean for the type R?
From an exterior perspective, it’ll look probably very similar to the Motor Trend rendering I’ve been showing you guys.
Easier, less cluttered and less polarizing lines
Less fictitious venting and cladding
But it’ll be the only Civic hatch with a factory wing
I assume the sedan Si will get a lip spoiler
Interior wise, expect red seats and a red shift boot for the manual gearbox, but dont expect to get the over-the-top red accenting in places like the air vents like we’re used to seeing from the 10th gen
This is all fine with me because the outgoing CTR was practically perfect aside from over-the-top styling and too much red for my taste.
However everyone in my comments tells me my opinion is wrong
And then as far as powertrains, we dnt have confirmation but based on how the rollout has been so far I would say with pretty strong confidence that we’re going to see a re-vamped version of the same 2.0T.
320hp from 306
305 lbft from 295
Will stay FWD with an LSD and a 6 speed
I’m very confident in that
There are rumors or speculations out there as well though so let’s address those.
1 – DCT: A few of you in the comments have been asking about an automatic gearbox.
A DCT would be the only application I could feasibly see because hyundai/kia have that wet DCT in their N cars.
HOWEVER, I really don’t think it’s happening for the 11th gen. Hyundai Kia roll that DCT into so many of their cars that the dev cost makes sense – Honda prefers CVT
So I’d say exclusively manual trans here again
2 – AWD: motor trend seems to think the new Type R could possibly get some derivation of the NSX hybrid AWD system. My initial thought is that’s outrageous but they are smarter and have more access than me so you tell me whos crazy
I’ll tell you why this doesn’t make sense though – Acura is a part of Honda and they have a superb SHAWD system. It overdrives the rear axle to give the car a RWD feel and performance. There’s nothing wrong with this system and Honda already owns it and uses it across multiple cars.
I also have a hard time believing this will happen given the conservative nature of the new Civic so far
3 – Supra Syndrome: this is kind of a piggy back on the last rumor, but if the CTR gets AWD then it opens up the possibility of adding more power. The most likely motor in this scenario would be the TTV6 that just went in the Acura TLX type S (another car Paolo and I will be testing in August
First of all a SHAWD hot hatch with that TTV6 would be a total riot
Second of all it would never happen
If it did happen it would need to be like 55-60k msrp which puts it into a very different league indeed and gets away from the point of the CTR
At that point it’s no longer tossable fun little hatch, it’s getting more big power bruiser with a big price tag and we already have too many of those.
It’s fun to play around in the rumor mill and say “what if” but when we come down to earth we’re reminded that the 11th gen sedan and hatch didnt reinvent the wheel so to expect a complete revolution ofthe CTR just doesn’t make sense.
But enjoy this 11th gen no matter what you think of the styling or interior or power because the next one…will probably be electric.