Honda, famous for the explosive turnover of some of its otto engines and the stratospheric limits they reach, gives in to the overwhelming wave, some would say inevitable, of downsizing associated with supercharging.
Biting its heels at the glimpse of the future Civic Type-R, unveiled with an unprecedented 4 cylinders of 2 liters and a Turbo, Honda took the opportunity to raise the bar on its future and remaining supercharged gasoline engines. Before the domain of the most varied preparers descended on the brand's engines, Honda took the reins of supercharging in its thrusters, developing three engines from scratch using this technology. If the 2 liter present in the Civic Type-R is for now the pinnacle of these engines, the relevance of the other two engines is not far behind, which will have as their destination the brand's compact and medium models, better prepared to face an already well-established competition and equipped.
On top of that, we have a 1000 cc 3-cylinder, a 1500 cc 4-cylinder and on top, the 2000 cc 4-cylinder that will equip the Civic Type-R. Honda calls them VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control) Turbo and fall under the Earth Dreams Technology program, which focuses on developing more efficient engines without sacrificing performance. In common, we have three gasoline engines, with direct injection, using supercharging through a turbocharger, and capable of complying with the Euro6 emission standard. Details are still scarce, but in the two-litre engine, more focused on absolute performance than efficiency, we are talking about 280 and 400 Nm torque. If the number of horses is generous, the justification is motivated by the stated objective of taking less than 8 minutes on a lap of the mythical Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit, and thus achieving the circuit record in the form of a front-wheel drive hot-hatch.
It seems like a distant past when Honda and VTEC engines were synonymous with a voracious appetite for revs. After a somewhat perplexed period, where they only contemplated a future hybrid and green leaves , almost as if forgetting its rich and exciting past when it comes to sporty and desirable accent machines, we now see Honda in recovery mode from that lost flame. The way they chose to do it is surprising, given Honda's reluctance to blindly and immediately follow the market. It took time to launch a diesel engine, and according to them, their hybrids suppressed the need to supercharge their gasoline engines, as other builders did. Whether due to commercial or regulatory pressures, compact and supercharged engines have hit the mark, and like it or not, they will be part of your portfolio.
