Details and specs are still under wraps.
The hottest of hot hatches will go on sale this fall.
That’s the bit of news about the all-new 2023 Honda Civic Type R for today: It will make its world premiere on July 20 at 11:00 p.m. ET.
But we won’t leave it at that. We’re going to take a few minutes to say a few things about the most powerful Honda-branded production vehicle ever offered in Canada. On the topic of power, we’re certain the turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine will return. Oddly, the output will rise if only slightly to 320 horsepower from the FK8’s 306. Torque will probably remain unchanged at 295 lb.-ft.
The remainder of the Civic Type R’s mechanical components will be unchanged if only tweaked. This means the 6-speed manual (the only available transmission) will include a helical limited-slip differential, a front suspension that features a dual-axis setup that separates the strut from the steering action, and adaptive dampers. If the FK8 had one minor flaw, other than styling, it was the braking performance that suffered somewhat under heavy track use. Honda will address this.
Honda Canada Will Have Only 546 New Civic Type R Hot Hatches For Sale
Speaking of ugly, and quite frankly, the FK8’s over-the-top aero and ghoulish styling has its roots in the FN2 2007-2011 CTR. It got worse with the 2015-2017 FK2 and based on the images we have of the new FL5 CTR, Honda has returned to using a more subtle visual approach last seen on the FD2.
We get to see it all in just over a week.