This is what happens when four generations of the Honda Civic Type R go head to head in a drag race

There have been many comparisons between vehicles in the same segment, with the aim of finding out which is the best of them all. But on certain occasions, it can be very interesting to compare every generation of the same model, especially when it is a sports car like this one. This is what our colleagues at Carwow have done with the Honda Civic Type R, a vehicle that has come face to face with four of its generations.

The Honda Civic Type R has been -and still is- a cult car among motoring enthusiasts. It is one of the hot hatchbacks par excellence and, across each and every one of its generations, it has delivered impressive figures given the type of car it is. Today, the Japanese sports car has 320 CV, a power output that until not so long ago was only within reach of supercars, but its predecessors are by no means lacking.

The first time we saw the Type R name was on a small Honda Civic EK9, specifically in 1997. This sixth-generation Civic revolutionised the world of sporty compacts thanks to its mechanics and tuning. It had a 1.6-litre engine capable of delivering 185 CV, a power figure considerably higher than that of the cars of the era. Unfortunately, this sporty version of the Civic was never sold in the United Kingdom, so it has not taken part in the video.

We must go directly to the Honda Civic EP3, a car that underwent several major evolutions compared with the previous generation. Inside, it had a 2.0-litre VTEC powerplant delivering 200 CV, putting serious pressure on the competition, such as the Golf GTi. It was in 2005 that production ended and in 2007 its successor arrived, whose role is quite prominent in the Carwow video.

The Type R FN2 makes an appearance in the drag race but with two units. One of them is completely stock, which means that under the bonnet lies a 2.0-litre heart producing 201 CV, with performance very similar to the previous generation. What is interesting about this video is that, among the participants, we find a Type R FN2 Mugen, a limited special edition in which power was increased to 245 CV and torque was set at 240 Nm. On the other hand, the Mugen units also featured improved aerodynamics, suspension and brakes, with the aim of creating a much more radical car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX1EfVoDuFc

At the same time, the last two Civic Type Rs have also taken part in this interesting contest, in which acceleration, braking and cornering have been put to the test. As expected, the newest Type Rs have come out on top in many respects thanks to their 310 and 320 CV respectively and the presence of a turbo and several mechanical calibrations up to today’s technology. However, more power does not always mean more fun and the Carwow guys had several doubts when choosing the winner.

Technical specifications of this car

HatchbackHonda Civic3 versions · from 36,300 €