The 2020 Honda Civic Type R begins arriving at U.S. Honda dealerships February 28 with notable upgrades to ride and handling, braking performance and engine cooling. And Honda’s first-ever performance datalogging app, available exclusively for use with Civic Type R, arrives this spring. The upgraded 2020 Type R also boasts freshened exterior and interior styling, standard Honda Sensing® safety and driver-assistive technology, and a stunning new Boost Blue exterior color, with a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $36,995 (not including taxes and destination).
Since its U.S. introduction in 2017, Civic Type R has gathered near universal acclaim for its combination of potent dynamic performance and day-to-day driving civility. The Civic Type R was named a 2018 AUTOMOBILE All-Star, and a 2018 Editor’s Choice by Car and Driver. The Type R has also garnered an enviable reputation on the track among professionals racing the Civic Type R TCR in the Pirelli World Challenge series and other top Touring Car series, and with enthusiast owners taking their street-going Type Rs to the track.
Like the 2020 Civic Hatchback on which it’s based, the 2020 Civic Type R receives updates to the front and rear bumpers with the addition of body-colored accents to the bumper cutouts. Additionally, Type R gets a new grille design with a 13-percent-larger opening that along with an updated radiator core delivers improved engine cooling in high-demand situations, such as track use, with a decrease in coolant temperature of up to 18° F in testing. In a testament to Type R engineers’ attention to detail, a small reduction in front downforce resulting from the new larger grille opening was countered by a redesigned front spoiler under the bumper, which was made slightly deeper on the left and right sides and modified to include new ribbed sections on each end to deflect air back onto the spoiler.
One of the key features of the updated 2020 Honda Civic Type R is an all-new datalogging app designed to provide Type R drivers with data and scoring information that improves driving skill when driving on the track or other closed courses. A new video from Honda showcases the capabilities of the new LogR™ smartphone app as a driver hot-laps the Streets of Willow in Rosamond, California.
Drivers interact with Honda LogR™ through three main functions: A Performance Monitor provides vehicle information to the driver on the Display Audio screen, while Log Mode records lap times on the track. Finally, the Auto Score function encourages smooth driving by monitoring braking, acceleration and steering, and generating a “driving smoothness” score using proprietary algorithms developed by Honda with the help of professional Honda drivers.
While driving, all interaction with Honda LogR™ is through the vehicle’s Display Audio screen. Both Log Mode and Auto Score also offer more in-depth analysis when the phone is unplugged from the vehicle, including previous drives, performance traces and replays using GPS mapping and detailed vehicle information.
Unlike third-party datalogging apps, LogR™ features exclusive access to the Type R’s onboard computer, delivering more in-depth detail on the vehicle’s performance than aftermarket systems that’s only available through the vehicle’s factory onboard computer.
The new LogR™ app is designed to work exclusively with the 2020 Type R, for both iPhone® and Android™ users. The app is expected to be available for download sometime this spring.
About Honda
Honda offers a full line of reliable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive vehicles with advanced safety technologies sold through over 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The Honda lineup includes the Fit, Civic, Insight, Accord and Clarity series passenger cars, along with the HR-V, CR-V, Passport and Pilot sport utility vehicles, the Ridgeline pickup and the Odyssey minivan.
Honda has been producing automobiles in America for more than 35 years and currently operates 19 major manufacturing facilities in North America. In the first half of 2019, nearly 90 percent of all Honda brand vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, while nearly two-thirds were manufactured in the U.S., using domestic and globally sourced parts.
For More Information
Additional media information including detailed pricing features and high-resolution photography of all 2020 Honda models is available at hondanews.com. Consumer information is available at automobiles.honda.com. To join the Honda community on Facebook, visit facebook.com/honda.
SOURCE American Honda Motor Co., Inc.