With the official announcement of the end of the Honda Civic Coupé in the US — yes, Americans could only buy a three-door Civic — we've just learned that a new generation Civic, the 11th, will be unveiled in the spring of 2021, and that will continue to have in Civic Type R its top version, which should appear some time later.
However, what kind of machine will the future Civic Type R be? Despite having already been caught by the lenses in road tests, there are still doubts about what to expect from the new generation of hot hatch.
Right now, there seem to be two hypotheses on the table. Let's meet them.
Civic Type R… hybrid
A hybrid Civic Type R has been one of the hottest hypotheses in recent times. A possibility that gains substance mainly due to Honda's announced plans to electrify its entire portfolio by 2022.
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Giving voice to the rumors, it would be a very different machine in character from the one currently on sale. By placing the electric machine on the rear axle, keeping the combustion engine connected to the front axle, the future Civic Type R would become a four-wheel-drive “monster” with an estimated power of 400 hp — ready to go. the fight for the German mega-hatch, especially the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S, with 421 hp.
Conceptually and by all indications, it would follow a solution identical to the one we see in the Honda NSX, where there are three electric motors and a battery to complement the 3.5 V6 twin-turbo, ie, one engine per wheel (in this case ahead), plus another directly coupled to the combustion engine.
However, this hypothesis poses several problems. First, all the complexity of the power chain and its costs. The price of the Honda Civic Type R, which is no longer the most affordable, would have to rise much more to face the technological “overdose”.
And if hot hatch sales volumes are not already high, a higher price would not help in this regard. Is it worth the hefty investment needed? Just remember what happened to the Ford Focus RS that promised a similar solution.
Second, hybridization (in this case a plug-in hybrid) means ballast, lots of ballast — a 150 kg penalty is not unrealistic. Furthermore, to cope with the increased power, more ballast would have to be added with reinforced or augmented components — more “rubber”, bigger brakes, as well as components in the rest of the chassis. How would it affect the much appreciated agility of the Civic Type R?
Civic Type R without electrons
Maybe it's better to keep the recipe simpler, as it is today? The second hypothesis, that of a Civic Type R only with combustion and two-wheel drive, has recently gained prominence. All due to statements by Tom Gardener, senior vice president of Honda Europe, to Auto Express:
“We have our main pillars that are going to be electrified (…), but no decisions have yet been taken (about the Civic Type R). We are very aware of the strong appreciation our customers have for the current model, and we need to look deeply into the best way forward.”
Considering that the future hot hatch has already been caught, albeit camouflaged, in road tests, perhaps that decision has already been taken.
If Honda opts for a more “conventional” Civic Type R, it does not mean, however, that it does not receive some type of electrification. Of course, we are referring to a simpler and much less intrusive (in terms of occupied space and ballast) mild-hybrid system that already allows you to cut precious grams of CO2 in emissions tests.
The remaining revenue would be virtually identical to the current model. The K20 engine would remain in operation, presumably receiving some changes in the name of efficiency — would it need more power? Some rumors say yes, that the 2.0 Turbo could see the number of horses rise a bit.
The biggest problem with keeping everything as it is lies in the emissions calculations. Honda has already started marketing its electric, the Honda e, and we also saw the CR-V and the Jazz being hybridized. It is to be expected that the 11th generation Civic will receive a hybrid solution identical to these two models.
Will it be enough to lower the Japanese manufacturer's emissions in Europe to a level that allows for “eccentricities” like the Civic Type R? If we look at fellow Toyota, it currently has the luxury of having a GR Supra and a GR Yaris — both purely combustion — because most of its sales are hybrid vehicles.
And you, what's your opinion? Should the Honda Civic Type R rise in status — power and price — and take the fight to the Germans, with its hybridization; or, on the other hand, try to keep the recipe as faithful as possible to the current model that we love so much?