Skip to main content

Pretty much anyone who is anyone tests their fast cars at the Nurburgring. That includes Honda, which also includes the two most recent generations of the Type R. Now, the 2022 Honda Civic Type R was spotted making passes at and around the infamous “Green Hell” during testing. In the rain. Let’s hope no one crashed it.

Driving in at race pace in the rain can be incredibly sketchy, but if any car can handle it, it’s the successor to the much-loved Type R.

The new Type R promises to be a FWD monster

A camo livery 2022 Honda Civic Type R shot from the front 3/4
The new Civic Type R at the Nordschleife | Honda

Perhaps the most valuable bit of information from the video posted to the Civic11 Forums is the audio. We haven’t gotten to hear the new Type R yet, and now we have. To be fair, the audio is a bit compressed, but a nice throaty exhaust note can be heard as the prototype works its way up a hill outside the Nurburgring.

Unfortunately, that’s really all we know about the new Civic Type R’s motor. However, silence speaks volumes, and Honda’s silence on the matter leads us to believe not much has changed. Likely, that means we’re looking at a tweaked and revised version of Honda’s K20C1 motor. Additionally, that motor could make an appearance in the new Integra Type R.

Nurburgring testing does not a good car make

A panoramic shot of the Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany on a clear day
The infamous Green Hell | Xavier Bonilla via Getty Images

All that aside, it’s important to remember just how good the last car was. The previous Civic Type R ranks as one of the best FWD cars of all time. Could that be attributed to Nurburgring development? Possibly. However, it could also be that Honda has been doing this for longer than some of us have been alive. The 2022 Honda Civic Type R will be held to an incredibly high bar, so we’d better hope that Nurburgring testing is worth it.

Things look good once you peer inside the new Type R as well. Thanks once again to spy shots, we know that there’s going to be a good bit of carry-over from the current non-R Civic. No bad thing, as the new Civic’s interior is spectacular for the price. However, the Type R will be more expensive, and we’re hoping the interior reflects that.

How much will the 2022 Honda Civic Type R cost?

The new Type R keeps some elements from the old car | Honda

Speaking of more expensive, it’s safe to say that what changes have been made to the new car will drive up the price. It’s important to remember that the last car started around $38,000. Given the changes that’ll surely be made, we expect the 2022 Honda Civic Type R to start up around the $40,000 mark. For that kind of money, the Civic Type R once again needs to prove that it can be the best-driving hot hatchback on the market.

Related

You Can’t Depreciate an Acura Integra Type R