- The 2012 Honda Civic Type R Mugen 2.2 debuted on Thursday, but Honda's U.S. arm tells Inside Line it won't be coming here.
- Honda's European unit says that plans for the Civic Type R Mugen 2.2, including volume predictions and pricing, have yet to be finalized.
- Strangely, the 2010 Honda Civic Type R Mugen did not sell out.
NORTHAMPTON, England — The 2012 Honda Civic Type R Mugen 2.2 debuted on Thursday, but Honda's U.S. arm tells Inside Line it won't be coming here.
"We have no plans to sell this car in the U.S.," wrote Chuck Schifsky, an American Honda Motor Co. spokesman in response to an e-mailed query from Inside Line.
Honda's European unit said in a statement that plans for the Civic Type R Mugen 2.2, including volume predictions and pricing, have yet to be finalized.
The Civic Type R Mugen 2.2 gets a sport suspension, upgraded brakes and a performance body kit.
The cylinder bore and stroke have been increased, boosting output to 256 horsepower.
"Compared to a standard Honda Civic Type R, both power and torque are up 30 percent," said Honda.
The Civic Type R Mugen 2.2 is described by the automaker as "a tribute to the Honda K20 2.0-liter engine, which has ceased production in Japan."
"Environmental pressures mean naturally aspirated engines are rapidly being superseded by other engine architectures and technologies," said Hiro Toyota, vice president of Mugen Euro, in a statement. "We may never see the like of the K20 in a mainstream production car again, so felt it only fitting we mark the occasion with this special 2.2 version of the Honda Civic Type R."
Strangely, of the 20 2010 Civic Type R Mugens, four remain unsold.
"It's possible Mugen Euro may offer them with the reworked engine," said Honda.
Inside Line says: You'll have to admire this high-performance Honda from afar.
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squidmeir says:
04:09 PM, 01/23/2012
P.S. Had Honda actually put this engine (or any similar displacement derivation), there would be one getting parked in my driveway right now.
squidmeir says:
04:07 PM, 01/23/2012
I bought an Si IN SPITE of the boosted options available on the market. I agree with Lions. I simply prefer the natural response of a good NA engine, and other than Honda's marketing preference to delay VTEC crossover, I have no complaints. The current Si's with proper VTEC crossover (pre-2012) and even the Type R and other cars gain quite a bit of midrange and total acceleration just by eliminating that one tuning issue. Then you have the fact that despite the power deficit on paper, they have low, tight gearing, lighter weight (sometimes by as much as 300-500lbs), and produce 90+% of their peak torque over roughly 6,000RPM, which actually makes them a lot more accessible to drive than most people are willing to give them credit for. I have driven high 10-low 11 second cars, so I know what a genuinely fast car feels like. The Si is not fast, but it sure is a fun, pure drive for a car in its class. It is also very fun to hear an engine absolutely revving its guts out (of any cylinder count or displacement), rather than the fairly sterile experience of cramming boost down its throat.
The other reason I bought it is their generally well sorted out suspensions and lighter weight, which make for a lively, predictable, and well sorted out chassis. The biggest reason I prefer NA here is because Honda's strategy of low revs, relatively low torque and high RPM's also tends to pollute the front end a lot less under power, which just makes it more enjoyable to drive IMO.
The build quality, MPG, reliability and resale value certainly didn't hurt either.
mr_y82 says:
01:44 PM, 09/18/2011
tcnail...
I agree with MOST of what you say, but this statement is a bit broad: " When I see a civic si on the road, I see someone who made a purchase on poor aesthetic tastes and name recognition alone." Do you feel the same about the new k24 driven civic? Anyone not satisfied with the power can easily add some horses, and the care take in building, along with the various upgrades are worth in, for a person wanting a sporty pratical car, compared to the other civics..
I agree they should have make the standard SI a little more poweful (i.e. like the Mugen...), but... I just ordered a new SI for my wife. It has adequate power, a nice suspension and needs to upgrades no be a sporty little daily driver. Would I like to see 250hp? uh... yeah! And Honda could have managed that reasonably, but I think given Honda's reputation for reliability etc... and reading reviews of the new SI, I think saying people buy it on name recognition alone is a bit off... maybe recognizing that the name equals great reliabilty... It's no prelude, but it's not especially ugly. For the difference in price compared to mazdaspeed 3 etc... I think the civic SI can be justified... If you want to spend the difference, build/boost the sucker!
5lv8 says:
11:00 AM, 09/10/2011
It is nice to see Honda trying to keep up with other quick cheap cars, but how much will it cost? (This is irrelevant because it is not for sale in the United States.) I could see looking at this car for around $25,000, but I prefer the Mustang GT once it approaches $30,000. The grotesque spoiler will have to be optional though. They seem to get uglier and uglier with Japanese imports.
pathos says:
10:47 PM, 09/09/2011
It needs more power to keep up with the competition. Less ugly wouldn't hurt either, but the STI (and less so the EVO) are not exactly lookers. And the fact that it is imaginary in the US makes a bit pointless to us here...
tcnail says:
07:44 PM, 09/09/2011
lions208487 says:
"No turbo is as satifiying as a naturally aspirated engine with power. "
This guy probably drives a V8 Mustang, Challenger or Camaro and counts with this thumbs.
gotak says:
"Hi reving is overrated if there's no guts in it. I find a big shove into the seat you get from a turbo 4 with some real torque over a high reving engine. "
Excellent point, for example, the mazdaspeed 3 costs about the same as the civic si but the mazda pulls like a demon out of hell compared to the anemic SI engine.
Take note, to compare a Hyundai turbo 4 to a mazdaspeed turbo 4 or a GTI turbo 4 is like comparing a Ford Crown Victoria V8 to a Corvette V8. The turbo 4 in the Sonata is Hyundai's second attempt at making a turbocharged car. You should question the logic of a person comparing a Hyundai turbo, a soft riding, family sedan to this car.
I dont much like hondas especially in the performance department, but this car looks good on paper and in picture. NA 2.2L busting out 256 hp, thats how they should make all civic si's. When I see a civic si on the road, I see someone who made a purchase on poor aesthetic tastes and name recognition alone.
Take a good look at the pictures of this car. This car is a civic in name only, look at the body, there is no current honda civic hatchback available on the US market. Interior looks great, the wing is a bit ostentatious but as long as its functional, I think the wing looks good, gives the car a distinctive character. This car is a proper sport compact if it delivers on the numbers its promising.
I bought a 2011 Mazdaspeed 3, if I had the choice between the Mazda and the Mugen Civic, I'd still choose the Mazda, but I'd think about it for a minute before making a decision. ;)
lions208487 says:
10:45 AM, 09/09/2011
No turbo is as satifiying as a naturally aspirated engine with power.
gotak says:
08:27 AM, 09/09/2011
"rowboat2 says:
06:59 PM, 09/08/2011
a hyundai turbo 4 can never come near this engine... a high revving n/a is inherently satisfying... a small turbo 4 is just not the same. It's like comparing a diesel engine to a gasoline engine.
the turbo 4 will never rev as freely, power as linear and never as rewarding to rev."
Hi reving is overrated if there's no guts in it. I find a big shove into the seat you get from a turbo 4 with some real torque over a high reving engine.
ambee514 says:
04:45 AM, 09/09/2011
Really? Really?!? REALLY?!?!?!?!?!
No US release for the type R again? Guess Honda boys will just have to once again turn to the aftermarket to give their Civics a spoiler like that
scottyscooter says:
04:17 AM, 09/09/2011
"dmpete says:
Why does Honda even bother, oh that's right it's a Mugen, not really just a Honda. I still don't get why we can't get the type R, it makes no sense. It's not as if they don't sell enough civics over here, the numbers don't lie, they practically sell out every year. I don't get Honda, they need to take Ford's cue here and make the civic a global car, not have 15 different versions for 87 countries. They would save money on design and we could finally get a crack at that type R."
I don't know a ton about the Civic, let alone the version that they sell outside of the US, but I was always under the impression that the Civic that they sell in other countries is much more "upscale" than our USA Honda Civic. There is a much more healthy market abroad for compact cars, so they tend to have better compacts. Is the USA ready to pay $25,000 for a nicer base model Civic? $30,000+ for a Type R? As you pointed out, Honda sells tons of their cheap Civics over here (practically selling out, by your estimation) so what would be their motivation to divert from their currently successful formula?