The next Honda Civic Type R hot hatch could come with four-wheel drive, at least according to comments made by Honda BTCC driver Matt Neal.
According to the manufacturer’s factory racing squad Team Dynamics, Honda is considering switching up the Type R’s drivetrain to keep up with the rear-wheel drive Subaru Levorg next year.
Neal told TouringCarTimes: “The next Civic is a four-wheel drive car so we can do it. OK, it doesn’t have a boxer engine, but we can do what they’ve done and we would just have to go rear-wheel drive with them, that’s what (TOCA) have pushed the formula into.”
Next Civic will have four-wheel drive
Current BTCC rules disallow the use of four-wheel drive, but the fact that the next-gen Civic, which is due to go on sale in 2017, has four-wheel drive means that the road going Type R could follow suit.
Honda generally likes to keep the production Type R as close to the racing versions as possible, but many have argued that the Type R’s front-wheel drive setup limits it against hyper hatches like the Focus RS.
Making the switch to four-wheel drive for a production car would give the Type R the edge it needs to keep up with competition, while allowing Team Dynamics to use rear-wheel drive for racing.
AWD for road, RWD for racetrack
“It’s been spoken about doing it next year, but that’s up to Honda, Neal said. “The new car comes out in January, but it’s whether we switch to the new Civic in 2017, or whether they want us to continue to promote the Type R which carries on until 2018.”
The switch to four-wheel drive would be a first for the Type R, but given that this current fourth-gen model is the first turbocharged car in its history, Honda clearly isn’t shy about experimenting.
One of the most powerful front-wheel drive production cars ever, the Civic Type R is powered by a 306bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre engine and can hit 0-62mph in just 5.7 seconds, with a 167mph top speed.
