2016 Honda Civic Type R Is FWD Destroyer Of The 'Ring

Jeff Glucker

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2015 Honda Civic Type R
Front wheel drive is boring… it is, right? The actual answer depends on the car you’re driving. My Honda Civic Si was a blast to drive, and our own Kamil Kaluski is pumped to get his Integra on the road. Ask anyone who’s attended the Team O’Neil Rally School in New Hampshire about front-wheel-drive fun, and watch a wide smile spread across their face.
Fun in a front-wheel-drive car is possible, it just depend on the car. Honda has just gone and dropped the mic when it comes to what’s possible in a FWD machine. The automaker has posted a video to YouTube that shows a 2016 Civic Type R development car being driven by around the Nürburgring by a professional shoe.
The time? 7:50.63! According to the running lap times posted on Wikipedia, the Civic lapped the Green Hell faster than a number of cars that would make your head spin. Hop past the jump to watch the lap, and also to read about two little problems we have with the lap and the car as well.

So that’s the lap above… did you spot the issues we’ve found? The first is that the car is fitted with a roll cage. Honda rightly states that this was for safety purposes. Additionally, the automaker commented that it removed non essential bits to counter the weight of the cage to get the car back to what its production curb weight will be.
What they don’t count for is the added rigidity that comes with a roll cage.
Our second issue occurs if you watch the video all the way through. Did you notice that quick video cut at the 7:58 mark? It sure seemed like the driver was about to understeer right through that final turn.
Regardless of that edit, the time is there and its clearly possible to achieve. Still, what affect would the removal of the cage have on the handling?
With those two issues pushed aside for a moment, you have to marvel at this Civic Type R. It’s a turbocharged little beastie that sees 310 horsepower from its mighty little engine. No we won’t see one over here, but it’s nice to know that Honda is still capable of making cars that appeal to the heart and soul.

About

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker is the co-founder and Executive Editor of Hooniverse.com. He’s often seen getting passed as he hustles a 1991 Mitsubishi Montero up the 405 Freeway. IG: @HooniverseJeff

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  1. Stu_Rock Avatar
    Stu_Rock

    It looks like the current FWD record is a Renault Mégane’s 7:54, which bests a SEAT León’s 7:58. Now FWD is at the doorstep of the 7:40s and many reasonably attainable RWD cars have already entered that realm. Is an FWD arms race erupting, or are these isolated incidents?

    Reply
    1. Alan Cesar Avatar
      Alan Cesar

      I’d call it isolated. FWD cars are often economy platforms. ‘ring times don’t sell hot hatches. They’re just bragging rights for fanboys and the owners (who are likely already fanboys).
      Nobody cross-shops a Civic Type R and a 911.

      Reply
      1. Jeff Glucker Avatar
        Jeff Glucker

        truth

        Reply
  2. Alan Cesar Avatar
    Alan Cesar

    I’m no Honda apologist, but I think even without the cage’s rigidity, you’re looking at an absurd time. I mean, how much can you attribute to chassis rigidity? Let’s say for the sake of argument that it’s 2 percent of its total time, or 10 seconds. Which would put it at 8 minutes total, or within 2 seconds in either direction of a Viper, a 911 Carrera S, and a Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black.

    Reply
    1. Jeff Glucker Avatar
      Jeff Glucker

      Yes but then it doesn’t get the FWD record… which is 7:54

      Reply
      1. Alan Cesar Avatar
        Alan Cesar

        Fair point.

        Reply
  3. Eric Masek Avatar
    Eric Masek

    that’s the 7:48 mark, not :58.

    Reply
  4. Bret Avatar
    Bret

    Impressive. Now let’s see them set a time with a car pulled from the production line on OEM rubber. A cage can make a big difference.
    Will this beast be available in the USA?

    Reply
    1. dead_elvis Avatar
      dead_elvis

      “No we won’t see one over here”

      Reply
  5. Tanshanomi Avatar
    Tanshanomi

    I can’t hate on front wheel drive. I am probably a borderline FWD fanboi, if there actually were such a thing. Frankly, have had a lot of fun in FWD cars, and it’s a much better choice for day-to-day use anywhere ice and snow are likely.

    Reply
  6. Dean Bigglesworth Avatar
    Dean Bigglesworth

    FWD is perfectly fine in the dry, and can still be good in the rain. But when you have months of snow and ice it gets extremely boring.

    Reply
    1. Alan Cesar Avatar
      Alan Cesar

      Obviously you don’t know about the handbrake.

      Reply
      1. salguod Avatar
        salguod

        The handbrake on my ’05 Mazda3 with its rear diss and tiny little handbrake drum is too wimpy for much fun in the slippery stuff.
        My daughter’s ’03 Protege, with it’s rear drums, generates a lot more grins with proper application of the hand brake.

        Reply
      2. Dean Bigglesworth Avatar
        Dean Bigglesworth

        Can be sort of fun playing around in a parking lot, but that’s about it. Also handy for turning when your car wants to slowly plow straight into a divider at 20kph, despite studded winter tires.

        Reply
  7. JayP Avatar
    JayP

    I’d love to get a set of those tires.
    310 hp is no good unless you can put it down.
    I’ll have something to do tonight on GT6- using my stock ST to see if I can beat 7:50.

    Reply