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 weve 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 2.5 inches shorter wheelbase and a compact, space-saving torsion beam rear suspension in place of the North American markets 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 Civics sporty intentions, Honda retuned the suspensions spring and damper settings for a sportier ride, added 17-inch alloy wheels, and has also added a 0.8 inch wider rear track for a better foothold of the road.

The Civic Type-S will be available with two engines, both of which produce 140 horsepower. The first is a 1.8-liter 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 Hondas super-refined 2.2-liter 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 60 mph in about 8.1 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 center console. The interiors 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 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-liter, 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 Sis 197-horsepower, 2.0-liter motor. Its 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.