New Honda Civic R-R
 

I'm amazed to be the first one (I hope) to post about this.

Copied from autoexpress.co.uk

Civic 'Cossie' blasts off
If you thought the Civic Type R couldn't get any better, think again. Honda's firebreathing Type R-R has arrived - and we've driven it

Few cars have been as eagerly anticipated or made as big an impact as Honda's Civic Type R. The British-built sensation saw off all-comers in a first test against key rivals in Issue 946, and established itself as Auto Express's favourite hot hatch in the process.

Now there's worse news for the opposition. The Japanese firm has created the Type R-R, an even more focused version of the class winner, and a spiritual successor to Ford's Escort Cosworth - and it looks set to kick the Focus ST into touch! We were first to put it to the test.

Its basis is a standard Type R, but a series of modifications swell engine power and reduce kerbweight.

Honda has stripped out the cabin, removing anything that isn't absolutely necessary in the name of shedding the pounds. Gone is the stereo, and for the moment sound deadening is absent, too. The standard seats have now been replaced with figure-hugging racing items, and what these lack in adjustability they make up for by giving a sportier, lower driving position than in the regular car. The racy feeling from behind the wheel is suitably amplified when you press the dash-mounted starter.

As the engine bursts into life, it sounds far more raucous than that of the standard model. Bosses were adamant the original Type R didn't need buckets of power, yet engineers clearly couldn't help themselves when it came to specifying the R-R's motor.

Thanks to careful tuning, this car kicks out a tyre-burning 260bhp. It's the same basic i-VTEC 2.0-litre unit, but Honda has reduced friction on the internals and redesigned the camshafts. However, the greatest power gains have come from electronic improvements made using the ECU to operate the VTEC system.

Now, the engine doesn't go into fuel-sipping mode at lower revs, improving throttle response as a result. Meanwhile, the VTEC set-up cuts in at 5,100rpm instead of 5,400rpm. So rather than the perceptible increase in power you get when VTEC is unleashed on the standard model, the R-R's engine feels stronger throughout the rev range thanks to a 30 per cent hike in torque. Combining a compliant ride with taut handling is one of the standard hot Civic's greatest attributes. And although this car's suspension has been revised to give it more focused handling, it still rides bumps surprisingly well.

Probably the biggest change is to the steering. It has been made even more responsive, so the smallest input to the Alcantara-clad wheel has an immediate impact on the vehicle's position on the road. However, you do have to put your faith in the system because it's lacking in feedback, particularly at low speeds. Still, the car's handling remains nimble and sure-footed.

Another area that doesn't fall short on the standard model is the gear-change. Yet while the original is a manual, this car gets a six-speed sequential unit. You use the clutch to start off, and then simply pull the lever back to shift up and push it forwards to go down through the box.

Changes are made in only 80 milliseconds, which gives a brutal edge to the Type R-R, particularly as the steering wheel writhes with every upshift. Considering how much extra power is going through the front wheels, traction is remarkable. You'd expect to spend a lot of time sitting in a cloud of expensive tyre smoke, but engineers have been careful to tune the suspension so that does not happen. Instead, the car gets on with the job of entertaining its driver with even more purpose than the standard car.

Our drive has left us in no doubt that Honda's Civic is the undisputed hot hatch champion. With more power, it just gets better!

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this is the bodystyle the civic has in europe. i really like them over the US coupes

as for this particular model, looks good, but that roof scoop looks like total

second, it just seems like an afterthought

That is hideous. :smilie_d0 Probably be fun to drive though...

:wtf:

i like the engine though

Wow... I... Like..it!

i just puked :retard:

like but the roof scoop's gotta go

that is one ugly ass hood scoop ... but damnn

Aside from the roof scoop and the FWD the rest of the car is sick.

agreee:thumbsup: :smokin:

wowww i like it

that looks like a freaken peugeot (dumbs down)

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

how can people actually like that ...slap the name "civic" on a turd and people will say it's a diamond. idiots.

Thats the only thing I don't like about it. If it was a peugot I'd probably like it more

actually, its specs speak for themselves. a 260bhp all-motor fwd car, stripped for weight with a good suspension, lsd, good seats etc... is a good car, regardless of the badge.

its ugly as ****, but then again if you are more concerned with how a car looks, than how well it performs.. then you are gay.

Too bad it is front wheel drive

Those cars are awesome,I'd take that model over what we have in North America. I drove a regular R while I was in Spain over the winter and it performed incredibly well

I don't really like the back... but I guess the styling could be grown into; like the Subaru's when they first came out "03+" yrs

Now they come with rice from the factory, hmmm least its got the power to justify the hood scoop or lack of it- once it gets blown off!

the roof scoop is for interior cooling due to the removal of air conditioning... its hardly there for looks... unlike the grandam with extra plastic body cladding trying to "look" like a ferarri testarossa from the mid-80's....


function over form wins every time... again who cares how it "looks" its a performance car, not some gay show-car purse. :smilie_d0

Thats not true. You wouldn't drive something hideous just cuz its fast. Plus id rather loose the couple HP and have AC rather than a hole in my roof. Thats gotta suck driving in the rain.

roof scoop ruins it.

First when this "new" body came I thought it was hideous but as Urameatball says, it grows on to you.

thats wrong.. this car is being built as a weekend track car. this isnt aimed at a daily driver role, but as a car that you CAN drive daily, but is optimized for a better track experience. it allows you to own one car that can do both things.
the removal of the a/c is not for power, but for a loss of weight which is FAR more important.
i already drive a "hideous" looking car because its "fast". :dunno:

form FOLLOWS function.

so because i would wanna drive that ugly pos im "gay"? id rather drive a nice looking car with power then that ugly pos.

get over yourself bud. you sound like an idiot.

looks matter as much as if not more then the power. im not talking about wings and kits and such, but the way a car looks from factory.

would you pay ferrari sticker price if all it was was a ferrari engine in a civic body? no, cause it looks like . you want the ferrari styling to go with the power.

go preach your honda loving attitude somewhere else.

sorry, i don't "love" any particular make of car, nor do i care what country it originates from. i "love" cars that perform well. no more, no less.
i don't buy a car as a personal accessory, i buy a car for its performance capabilities.
this civic happens to be a great car for its intended purpose and in its segment. the regular euro type-r is a joke, underpowered and overweight in a segment dominated by better handling, more powerful cars. this one brings it up to par with the competition, but with a more track biased edge, which puts it out on top in my opinion.
the only reason you would be concerned with how a car looks is because you are concerned with how other people view YOU. when you are driving you cant see your car... but you can enjoy (or in your case not enjoy) its performance. that leaves you with low self esteem, trying to "look cool" by associating youself with what you think is a "good looking" car. if you were more secure with yourself you would care more with what your car can do... not what other people think of you.
if you are so concerned with looking pretty, go buy a nice purse to go with the rest of your personal accessories.
if you like cars, go buy one that does its only job well (its only job is to drive... a parked car is useless).

what a badass...this ladies and gentlemen is a true racer...LMAOLMAOLMAO
grow up chief.
having a nice looking car as well as a good performing car is better then having some heap (like that civic rrrr-rrr----rrr-r-r-r-whatever) that only "performs". its not for others, its also for oneself.

let me ask you...do you ever wash and wax your car?
if so, why? wtf do you car about looks for?

im guessing you also have a personal motto, something along the lines of, "ask any racer, any real racer, it doesnt matter if you win by an inch or a mile, winnings winning!"
after all, you are a REAL racer!

*sits here waiting to get banned*

i think that quote is from the original fast and furious movie right? wasnt that about 10 years ago? and you're still quoting it? :loser:
i wash my car, and occasionally i wax it etc.. but that is to keep it in good condition. honestly, i could care less about cleaning it and hoping someone notices its clean...
if i cared about looks i wouldnt have bought the year of car i did, or definately the colour, but i bought it for "the car", because it does what i want it to do, and does what i want it to do well.
i feel sorry for you, that you need to have "things" to make you feel like you're better than you are. usually ignorant people suffer from feelings of insecurity... i don't want to suggest that you are one of these people, but you sure fit the bill.

how many other track biased cars are in the hot-hatch segment? not too many, and this one has been engineered to be very well sorted. most cars are put together to appeal to a wide group. the compromises that most models have, have been stripped from this car to make it a serious performer. i can respect that, and if you were a true car-guy you would respect that as well, instead of hiding behind an ill-placed badge inferiority complex.

its funny watching you argue your same-old points over and over in every post. i realize that you know basically nothing about cars. you are a brand ... worse than most women... clueless. oh well, i'll be out enjoying my car while you sit in your driveway leaning on yours hoping someone will see you and not think "what a loser" as they do when you're not standing beside your "awesome looking" :nono: car.

I gotta agree with StealthZ. Besides. If its a track car and its soo concerned about performance. Why is it front wheel drive? Last I checked FWD is only good in either a straight line or for groceries. People that justify their car looking like but still being fast are just making excuses for not being able to afford a car that can do both. Why buy a car thats ugly and fast when you can buy one thats fast, classy, good looking and comfy?

fwd is just fine on track, so is rwd, so is awd... they are just different platforms. any car can work on the track... the difference is that some manufacturers engineer performance variants to excel in one area instead of compromising for soccer moms that dont want the usual harsh ride associated with a good handling car.
maybe you should go to the track! you will find that a civic si-r will leave your audi behind, even though its "crappy fwd" that can only go straight or go shopping...
comfy? classy? sorry this thread is about a performance car.. you must be lost.
there is also a difference between people trying to justify their cars inherent poor looks (we are not talking about dents and rust, but about how a car was designed from the factory) and being a good performer, and those to whom the looks of the car are secondary to the cars performance characteristics.
case in point: ferrari enzo. it will never be considered a "good looking" car. however its performance is staggering.
the pontiac solstice/saturn sky(even better, the vx lightning concept itwas based off). great looking cars, but they ended up being numb, and are basically cruisers, so the enjoyment of having a really great car is lost, and all youre left with is a car to pose beside.

But I never said my Audi is fast... So if an SIR wants to leave me at the track then fine. It's still a popcan anyway. I have heated leather seats and climate control and I can go 260 and it feels like im only going 120. VS SIR can ONLY go fast. And no. It's not a performance car. It's just a cheap car with lots of power to make all the fanboys hard. If FWD is so good. How come nobody races it professionaly except against other fwd cars. Imagine a FWD at LeMans or F1.

Actually there are classes with FWD but that's because it's Standard cars racing. Like the World Touring Car Championship. I will however not put my self into this battle of yours.

last i checked people still quote movies like the godfather, scarface, rocky, etc etc. so such as those movies are to wannabe mobsters, fatf is to a real race like you. quote still stands. you lose. good day.

All touring car racing is a mixture of fwd, awd, and rwd,... and they are all competitive. go look up the btcc, wtcc, etcc.. even the old natcc, and check out the entry lists for canadian touring car, and the various other classes locally on the casc site.
why dont you come up to mosport with me this weekend and you'll see what i'm talking about instead of basing your limited knowledge on what you read on this forum.
your perceptions about a car being designed for "fanboys" is ridiculous. everything on the car is geared towards performance... thus it is a performance car. pretty simple to say, but unfortunately for some... not so simple to understand :smilie_d0
a car doesnt have to be "fast" to be a performance car. it simply has to be well balanced and handle well and have been engineered to "work". speed is nice, but with nothing else to back it up, you have nothing special (remember we are talking about performance cars).


so what you are trying to say, is that you really have no car knowledge and nothing to add about this post? weak. and btw, i turn, i dont race in a straight line.

now re-reading your post.. i realized that you are actually saying that YOU are one of those "wannabe's". you loser haha... so if you quote a mob movie youre a wannabe mobster? i guess if you quote that stupid fast and furious movie your a wannabe momo racer? :smilie_da you dumbass.

Screw touring cars. I mean anything SERIOUS. Touring cars all have some sort of limiters to make them competative. Look at drag racing. All the seriously fast cars are RWD. Im not saying there aren't any fast FWD but none that can compete with the RWD.

Also. A performance car doesn't have to be fast? Last I checked, performance is about being fast. Not just in a straight line. But overall. I'm sure your can would smoke me at mosport. My car is too heavy and AWD isn't that great either because it understeers. IF i ever race it's just for fun in a straight line and thats maybe 1% of the time I drive the car. So the other 99% I spend just cruising. So to me. Comfort and good looks matter more than having the ability to drive around a track if I'm never gonna track my car. If i wanted a track car I'd completely strip an E30 M3 and I'd happily feed it to you on the track. Don't call me a loser because I like something different than you. You like track cars. I like nice cruisers. I'm just trying to say that IF sombody bought that civic as a track car. Its just a marketting scam because if you have enough money to have a daily driver AND a track car. I'm sure you could afford a better track car than a civic. Unless you like civics. Then I'd buy an EG and build that because it's lighter. Like you said. Weight is more important right? This is a scam car for for people that want a track car they can use everyday. Thats BS just like all season tires.

I never insulted you once. So don't be childish. This is a discussion about a car not 3rd grade. No need for name calling. Let me guess. If we were talking in person you'd knock me out right? Cmon get real. You're trying to get your point accross and I'm trying to get mine.

re-read it again...

way to go dumbass :smilie_da

ALL racing series' have class based restrictions. drag racing classes also have restrictions. again we arent talking about a car that is meant to be fast in a straight line.

there are a bunch of race series' this weekend, go and watch how the underpowered cars still put up good lap times.

thats why you learn to drive around the car's limitations. the normal civic type-r is a pos, however this one has been optimized to reduce the lower models limitations. thats why its a good car.

doubtful... but good choice of car :smilie_da


that wasnt directed at you

re-read what i have said. this car was built for someone who wants a daily driver that will legitimately kick some ass at the track, now that doesnt mean its meant to kick much faster car's asses, but its a cheap well sorted package where you wont need to upgrade to make it work well at speed... you notice most people will go out and upgrade suspension, brakes, tires etc... this one is ready to rock. and there is nothing else in its price range that can say the same. again thats why this car is good.


hardly, we'd be laughing and arguing like civilised people.

ummm, no. you are the one quoting some stupid movie as if you love it a re-watch it on a regular basis.

again, do you have anything better to add? or hasnt anyone commented on your awesome "looking" car lately to boost your self-esteem and you're running out of material... :loser:

I never said it was a bad car. I know its a good car. I was just saying it would be way better if it was rear wheel drive. If they went outta the way to make it so good and put all these parts in it. They shoulda threw the engine in the back like a Renault Clio. I know. Then it wouldn't have been a traditional Civic and that would also be admitting that RWD is better so their other models are crap. But still. It would be an awesome car if they DID do that.

That I would really have wanted to See and Drive! Good point.