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Tik-Tok
07-27-2006, 11:54 AM
Looks nice, wish they brought it here.

Honda to Display Civic Type-S Hatchback in London

If you thought that the Honda Civic Coupe and Sedan were futuristic looking vehicles, take a look at what Honda has been brewing up for Europe. Prior to its North American debut, Honda launched the five-door hatchback model, which was positively different from both the North American sedan and coupe, and, for that matter, anything else we've ever seen. Following the hatchback, Honda will be rolling out one of its sportier Civic models, the three-door hatchback Type-S, which will soon be taking Europe by storm.
The three-door Civic hatchback sits on a unique version of the global Civic platform, the fundamental differences of which include a 65 mm (2.5 in) shorter wheelbase and a compact, space-saving torsion beam rear suspension in place of the North American market's multi-link unit. Generally speaking, the shape of the Type-S is very close to the five-door hatchback, although, the lack of rear doors allows for a slightly swoopier look from the rear three-quarter angles.
To aid the Civic's sporty intentions, Honda retuned the suspension's spring and damper settings for a sportier ride, added 17-inch alloy wheels, and has also added a 20 mm (0.8 in) wider rear track for a better foothold of the road.
Honda
The Civic Type-S will be available with two engines, both of which produce 140 horsepower. The first is a 1.8-litre i-VTEC inline-four, which is the standard equipment engine found in the North American market Civic. The second engine, and arguably the more performance oriented one is Honda's super-refined 2.2-litre i-CTDi turbodiesel inline-four. The diesel route offers a variable geometry turbo, the latest in common rail technology and 251 lb-ft of torque. Both engines are mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, and are capable of reaching 100 km/h in about 8.2 seconds.
For Europeans, the Civic Type-S will be equivalent to the North American Civic Si, namely, it offers improved performance and top of the line equipment. The hatchback features the radical European hatch, which includes a two-tier shape that smoothly integrates with the centre console. The interior's theme is black and silver contrast with black Alcantara-trimmed seats and black leather trim highlighted with silver stitching. Features for this model include dual-zone digital climate control, keyless ignition with pushbutton start, cruise control, automatic wipers and HID headlamps, as well as heated seats, an available panoramic sunroof and a navigation system.
Honda
Honda appears to be keeping the three-door hatchback version of the Civic limited to sports and performance models. Currently, it has not made any mention of offering the base 83-horsepower 1.3-litre, i-DSI direct injection inline-four engine with this bodystyle. The next model to join the Civic three-door hatchback lineup will be the long-awaited Type-R, which will feature the North American Si's 197-horsepower, 2.0-litre motor. It's slated to make its debut at the Paris Motorshow. Unfortunately, unlike the previous generation Civic, chances are slim to nil that we will be receiving the hatchback version due to slow sales of the oddly-shaped 'breadvan' SiR/Si-hatchback.

http://stb.msn.com/i/E7/8A944DBAB3F3F26D223479AAB53E.jpg
http://stb.msn.com/i/86/7C6B2E38E98B5CB735C68187A265.jpg

Xtrema
07-27-2006, 12:50 PM
This is weird, they are using the Type-S moniker for 3 door model which has no performance enhancement over 5 door.

LilDrunkenSmurf
07-27-2006, 01:19 PM
^^^ what are you talking about? even honda knows that a type-s stickers adds 10whp

BigWill
07-27-2006, 04:22 PM
Originally posted by LilDrunkenSmurf
^^^ what are you talking about? even honda knows that a type-s stickers adds 10whp


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

bspot
07-27-2006, 04:42 PM
Odd... I hope its cheap because the performance isn't exactly inspiring. The diesel could be a fun project though.

And rear torsion beam? I thought it was the Honda fan boys making fun of other manufacturers for not having fully independent suspensions on performance models.

crazydriver
07-27-2006, 10:53 PM
that rear just kills it :thumbsdow

nhlfan
07-28-2006, 01:00 AM
it's alright :dunno:

al-ti2d
07-28-2006, 01:09 AM
:thumbsdow
i'm not liking it

Xtrema
07-28-2006, 09:36 AM
Originally posted by bspot
And rear torsion beam? I thought it was the Honda fan boys making fun of other manufacturers for not having fully independent suspensions on performance models.

I don't understand the decision of torsion beam. It waste space and doesn't line up well with the world Civic platform. Don't know why they do that for European Civics.

bspot
07-28-2006, 10:35 AM
Originally posted by Xtrema


I don't understand the decision of torsion beam. It waste space and doesn't line up well with the world Civic platform. Don't know why they do that for European Civics.

To be honest, I'm not really sure either. I thought they were a total cost cutting measure in most cases, but there do exist some cars with pretty decent handling that make use of them. I'm sure it will out handle the base civic by a decent margin.

adam c
07-28-2006, 02:49 PM
hell of a lot of torque for a honda tho

elementB16a
07-28-2006, 03:15 PM
prety sweet hehe

Hakkola
07-30-2006, 10:53 AM
Theres a few of them here in Finland, really strange looking car.

Xtrema
07-31-2006, 12:01 AM
Originally posted by bspot


To be honest, I'm not really sure either. I thought they were a total cost cutting measure in most cases, but there do exist some cars with pretty decent handling that make use of them. I'm sure it will out handle the base civic by a decent margin.

Did a bit of reading and that beam is suppose to increase cargo volume and not decrease. One of the criteria for Europe market.

And as long as the road is not bumpy, it shouldn't be much different than independent on most scenarios.

Sprinter
07-31-2006, 09:22 AM
I'd feel akward driving something like that, scared that i might get shot :guns:

86max
07-31-2006, 10:15 AM
It also has the wrap-around headlights similar to the tails. There were a bunch floating around in England while I was there, I'll try and dig up pics.

DepTrotter
07-31-2006, 03:10 PM
everything about it sounds good, but its not as nicely styled as i would like

doublepostwhore
07-31-2006, 08:38 PM
http://stb.msn.com/i/E7/8A944DBAB3F3F26D223479AAB53E.jpg
http://stb.msn.com/i/86/7C6B2E38E98B5CB735C68187A265.jpg