07 May Turbo Civic for 2015

Too bad it’s not exactly the turbo Civic that we want.

By Brian Gillespie
Photos courtesy of American Honda

Honda unveiled its new Civic last April at the New York International Auto Show. The car shown is a two-door, but the Civic will not only come as a coupe but also as a sedan and a five-door hatchback. Unfortunately, word on the street says that we won’t be getting the 275-320hp turbo K20A Civic Type R next year. Boo hiss. 

The 2016 Honda Civic coupe unveiled at the New York International Auto Show.

The Civic Si will get a turbo, but by means of a 1.5 liter L-series engine. It’ll probably come in two- and four-door flavors and put out 200-plus hp with a six-speed manual transmission. I guess that’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, but it still hurts. The U.K.  and probably others around the world will get the real-deal Type R. It’s not all bad news, though; we should get the Type R in either 2016 or 2017. No word on what body style they’ll use. Will it be the U.S.-designed coupe or sedan? Maybe the five-door hatchback from the U.K. I vote for the hatch.

Honda's U.K.-built five-door Civic hatchback.

The Civic Si’s turbo L15 is good news for those who want to modify their Fit or CR-Z, though. It should bolt right into those cars. The new Fit reminds me of the early Civics—compact and sporty. A turbo L15 engine swap would make that car a blast to drive. Maybe Honda is toying with the idea of a putting the turbo L15 into one of those cars. A CR-Z Si with an L15 turbo motor? That would be good. A lot of people think the CR-Z was a missed opportunity. It had the looks of a modern CRX but the heart of an Insight.

As for the rest of the Civic lineup, it looks like the LX and EX will get a new 2.0L R-series engine and the base DX a naturally aspirated L15. There’s also supposed to be a 2.4L K-series engine in one of the Civics. Then there’s Acura–they want a new entry level performance car in the mold of the Integra or RSX. What will they do?  No matter what, it’s a good time to be a Honda fan.