Honda Civic 5-door Type-R Rumor
With the sporty Type-R version now accounting for half of all Civic three-door sales in England, it's probably not a surprise that Honda is bringing out a five-door Type-R this spring.
It is also not surprising that the folks at Honda Canada might consider adding the new sporty model to their lineup of Civic offerings. Indeed, under the guarantee of anonymity, an executive at the Toronto distributor for the Japanese car company said the new model was under review.
Both models are built in Honda's plant in the Midlands of England, after all, so exporting two variations instead of one wouldn't be impossible.
The five-door also addresses the demand for larger and more commodious models in Canada, and these days a car company can never offer too much power or performance.
That will certainly be the point of the Civic Type-R five-door when it goes on sale in the U.K. on May 1 for about
In terms of performance ability compared to the existing model, the big upgrade for the five-door Civic S-Type involves the use of Vehicle Stability Assist, which the company reckons will deliver ''improved handling as well as several other dynamic attributes.''
As with all stability control programs, Honda's Vehicle Stability Assist is designed to counteract understeer and oversteer tendencies through a combination of individual wheel braking and engine torque reduction.
Honda's using a system from Teves, which also incorporates a drive-by-wire throttle, traction control and cruise control.
Other improvements to the Type-S five-door in the U.K. include bigger tires and brakes, and a closer-ration gearbox with shorter fourth and fifth gear rations to assist in high-speed acceleration.
The well equipped Type-S five-door Civic retails for at £15,513, which translates directly into well in excess of $30,000 on a straight currency exchange situation.
It's the growing strength of the pound against the dollar that might make the addition of the five-door Type-S Civic to the Canadian lineup difficult, but who knows what can be worked out?
With the sporty Type-R version now accounting for half of all Civic three-door sales in England, it's probably not a surprise that Honda is bringing out a five-door Type-R this spring.
It is also not surprising that the folks at Honda Canada might consider adding the new sporty model to their lineup of Civic offerings. Indeed, under the guarantee of anonymity, an executive at the Toronto distributor for the Japanese car company said the new model was under review.
Both models are built in Honda's plant in the Midlands of England, after all, so exporting two variations instead of one wouldn't be impossible.
The five-door also addresses the demand for larger and more commodious models in Canada, and these days a car company can never offer too much power or performance.
That will certainly be the point of the Civic Type-R five-door when it goes on sale in the U.K. on May 1 for about
In terms of performance ability compared to the existing model, the big upgrade for the five-door Civic S-Type involves the use of Vehicle Stability Assist, which the company reckons will deliver ''improved handling as well as several other dynamic attributes.''
As with all stability control programs, Honda's Vehicle Stability Assist is designed to counteract understeer and oversteer tendencies through a combination of individual wheel braking and engine torque reduction.
Honda's using a system from Teves, which also incorporates a drive-by-wire throttle, traction control and cruise control.
Other improvements to the Type-S five-door in the U.K. include bigger tires and brakes, and a closer-ration gearbox with shorter fourth and fifth gear rations to assist in high-speed acceleration.
The well equipped Type-S five-door Civic retails for at £15,513, which translates directly into well in excess of $30,000 on a straight currency exchange situation.
It's the growing strength of the pound against the dollar that might make the addition of the five-door Type-S Civic to the Canadian lineup difficult, but who knows what can be worked out?
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