Next-Gen Civic Type R to Deliver Performance

The next generation Honda Civic Type R has started breaking records ahead of its global launch towards the end of 2022.

Honda’s next generation Civic Type R has claimed the lap record at the world famous Suzuki circuit in Japan. It lapped the 5.8km track in 2 minutes 23.120 seconds, which was 0.873 seconds faster than the previous record holder, the stripped back 2021 Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition. This lap record was set during the new models final development evaluation.

The Suzuki International Racing Circuit is famous for its high-speed chicanes and challenging corners. The track, which has been described as one of the world’s greatest, has been the test bed for performance Hondas since 1962 and has hosted the Japanese Formula One for all but two years since 1987.

While detail is yet to be revealed the 2023 Civic Type R is expected to retain the same layout, which comprises of a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four engine, manual transmission and front-wheel drive layout. The fact that it was able to set a new lap record should also mean big changes to the exterior and aerodynamics as well as improvements to the tyres, brakes and suspension

Previous generations of Honda’s Civic Type R broke numerous records on race tracks around the world, including lapping the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes 43.8 seconds in 2017, the fastest of any front-wheel drive car, before going on to break a further five lap records at circuits around Europe.

From the images it can clearly be seen that The Type R’s extreme design has been toned down, mimicking the standard Civic, which is now only offered with Hybrid powertrains, smoother aesthetic. However it still features some go faster bits, including a high-mounted rear wing and triple exhaust outlets as well as a more subtly integrated rear diffuser, splitter and skirts.

The interior too has received numerous updates and now features a clean uncluttered design. Driving purists can breath a sigh of relief, a manual gearbox retains pride of place and allows for maximum driver engagement and efficient use of the high-revving, powerful four-cylinder engine.