Just 228 units. Desirable yet?
The Honda Civic Type R is a special thing, with its arrival being marked in various markets with all sorts of initiatives, and Honda Australia isn’t one to be left out. As such, they’ve decided the best way to commemorate the special hot hatch is to release a bunch of special Civic hatchbacks, dubbed ‘Red Editions,’ in limited numbers.
Capped at just 228 units (because the Civic Type R has 228kW in Australian guise), the Red Edition Civics will still be covered by Honda’s great 5-year/unlimited mileage warranty program (limited to 140,000km if it’s registered for commercial use). Available on VTi, VTi-S, VTi-L, and VTi-LX models, the Red Edition upgrade pack commands a $2,498 premium, but brings with it aesthetic goodies to help your Civic stand out.
Civic Red Edition cars will gain black 17-inch alloy wheels, under spoilers front and rear finished in red, along with red side skirts and ‘Red Edition’ floor mats inside. There are no mechanical upgrades to the cars, so don’t think that Civic ‘Red Edition’ cars actually get them any closer to the banzai-levels of performance a Civic Type R offers.
“When we launched the Civic saloon last year, we developed the ‘Black Pack’ accessories, and earlier this year we ran a limited-run ‘Orange Pack’ for the Civic hatch. Customers love the boldness of the Civic saloon and the eye-catching ‘Red Edition’ is an attention grabbing styling statement for Civic customers looking to add some individuality to their cars.” — Stephen Collins, Director, Honda Australia
With over half of the press release on the Red Edition Civic’s dedicated to talking about the Civic Type R, we’re going to heed Honda’s suggestion and spend a little time talking about the hottest front-wheel drive family car to come out of Japan in a long while. With 228kW and 400Nm on offer from a rorty, high-revving 2.0-litre VTEC turbo engine, the Type R will come exclusively with a manual gearbox, adaptive dampers, “Comprehensive” aerodynamic package, “class-leading” bootspace, 20-inch alloys, a red/black cabin, and Honda Sensing Safety Suite of advance driver assistance (ADAS) systems.
With bespoke tuned suspension and retuned steering, throttle, and transmission, the Civic Type R is certainly not your grandma’s Honda with a turbo bolted on. Those revisions allow for “improved at-the-limit cornering and reduced torque steer,” while also “enhancing stability under braking,” which will certainly come in handy given the stopping power on offer with the Brembo anchors.
Autonomous emergency braking and adaptive cruise control come in as part of the standard Honda Sensing safety package, while the lack of built-in satellite navigation is negated with the inclusion of smartphone mirroring. And with prices starting at $50,990 (before ORCs), the Type R is actually surprisingly good value, if you can live with the rear middle seat being rendered unusable (so that the outer pews can enjoy better lateral support).
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