2022 Honda Civic Type R Prototype Previewed

Honda has previewed the upcoming Civic Type R, now that it has prototypes testing at the Nürburgring. Knowing that the public would soon be seeing leaked photos of the model whizzing around the Rhineland, the manufacture has offered up some flattering images of it wearing a minimal amount of camouflage.

While the paint scheme still manages to break up its lines, this is probably the best look we’ll be getting of the model until the production version is ready to be revealed. For all intents and purposes, this is the 2022 Honda Civic Type R.

From the images we can see the car has a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires wrapped around some fairly large wheels. Brembo brake calipers are hidden behind the spokes as well. But Honda has made it clear that it’s not interested in sharing specifications, so we don’t have any measurements on any of the above.

Still, we’re expecting a lot of the previous Type R hardware to carry over. The manufacturer is assumed to utilize the same 2.0-liter turbo yielding 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque on the current model year. However we’re betting it’ll be tuned to make more power for 2022.

Honda has only confirmed that it will continue offering a six-speed manual transmission while retaining a front-drive biased powertrain, keeping the car true to its roots. Insiders have likewise hinted that there would be a lot of carry-over hardware in general, with plenty of minor improvements taking precedence over any big changes. Considering that most people’s major gripe with the model that’s on sale today has everything to do with its exceptionally bold styling, we doubt there will be much criticism.

It will be functionally identical, however, as the 2022 model year will also be a 5-door. Though it does admittedly look more sedan-like than its predecessor. The Civic prototype also seems to be keeping the centrally mounted exhaust port trio and prominent rear wing. It’s just all framed upon a smoother and more flowing landscape than the angular menace that’s currently on sale. Even the obligatory Type R body kit is comparably tame on the prototype.

While that will help the car from drawing the unwanted attention of law enforcement, some consumers may wonder why a car that’s likely to be a grand or two shy of $40,000 looks uncannily similar to one that’s retailing for $22,000. But your author remains confident that the kind of people interested in buying the Type R will appreciate Honda’s revised styling direction or simply negate it by purchasing some aftermarket bodywork.

[Images: Honda]