Updated Honda Civic Type R on-sale in October

Updated Honda Civic Type R on-sale in October

The updated 2020 Honda Civic Type R will go on-sale here on October 1, with tweaks to ride and handling, braking and more.

Too many automotive updates are little more than a new paint colour or updated wheel design. To be fair, the Civic Type R didnโ€™t really need much of a touch up…itโ€™s already pretty darn good.

But this updated version which goes on-sale here on October 1 boasts โ€œupgrades to ride and handling, braking performance and engine cooling, freshened exterior and interior design elements, plus Hondaโ€™s first-ever performance data-logging application, exclusive to the Civic Type Rโ€.

Updated Honda Civic Type R on-sale in October

Key suspension tweaks include upgrading the software on the adaptive dampers, making them 10 times faster to respond. The rear bushings for the lower B-arm have been stiffened by 8%, resulting in better toe-in characteristics when cornering, according to Honda. At the front, updated compliance bushings (10% stiffer longitudinally) and new lower-friction ball joints โ€œresult in sharper steering feel for better controlโ€. The ride and handling was already just about bang on, so I canโ€™t wait to see what this update is like across our test roads.

Like the suspension, the brakes have been tweaked with new two-piece floating front brake discs and new brake pads with a more fade-resistant pad material – the updated brakes have seen a 2.3kg reduction in unsprung weight. And the brake stroke, for heavy loads, has been reduced by 15mm…hopefully that wonโ€™t make the brakes feel snatchy.

Updated Honda Civic Type R on-sale in October

Engine cooling performance has been improved by a larger grille and thinner grille beam, which results in a 13% larger air intake opening. Combined with an updated radiator core, this decreases coolant temperature by up to 10 degrees (under Honda internal testing) in high-demand situations, such as during track driving, said Honda.

On the outside there have been a few styling tweaks, like a new design for the fog light surrounds. And a new paint colour, Racing Blue joins the existing palette. Inside, the Civic Type R gains a new Alcantara wrapped steering wheel, a new shift lever with restyled knob and the same Alcantara finish for the shift boot. The new โ€œteardrop-style gear knob is reminiscent of those found on earlier Type R models and includes a 90g internal counterweight to help improve shift feel and accuracyโ€.

Updated Honda Civic Type R on-sale in October

 A revised seven-inch Advanced Display Audio touchscreen with integrated ventilation system controls is part of the updated package, with hard buttons for the most commonly used functions, along with a dedicated volume control knob.

โ€œAlso new for the updated Civic Type R is the addition of Active Sound Control (ASC), which works to enhance the engine sound during aggressive driving in Sport and +R modes, while refining it further in Comfort mode,โ€ Honda said.

The updated Honda Civic Type R debuts a new datalogger, called Honda LogR. This system matches the onboard computer and sensors and pairs it with a smartphone app that can monitor and record lap times, driving smoothness for day to day driving and more. Sounds like a gimmickโ€ฆ

Updated Honda Civic Type R on-sale in October

The Civic Type R retains its 2.0-litre VTEC Turbo engine, which makes 228kW of power at 6500rpm and 400Nm of torque from 2500-4500rpm. Itโ€™s mated exclusively to a six-speed manual.

The updated Type R will go on-sale here on October 1 and will be priced from $54,990 plus on-road costs.

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