The Honda With The Most Horsepower Per Dollar

These days, getting the most out of your hard-earned money is more important than ever, especially when it comes to vehicles. There are loads of selections out there, and tons of segments to choose from. It’s also safe to say most of you reading this are fans of the more powerful cars, so it’s important to try and find the most powerful car for the best price, something which can be hard to do.

If you are, in fact, longing for something with enough oomph to set your heart alight but won’t do the same to your wallet, Honda offers a couple of models which can do both of these things with ease. However, one in particular stands out. It’s the Honda Civic Type R, and it currently offers the best horsepower-per-dollar ratio of any Honda on the market today. Most of us already know about the Civic Type R’s penchant for speed, but how do the numbers break down?

The Civic Type R Is One Of America’s Hot Hatch Kings

Civic Type R Key Points

• A rating of 0.007 horsepower-per-dollar or $142 for each horsepower
• Presently in its sixth generation
• The FL5-gen is the second generation of Civic Type R to be offered for sale in the States
• A starting price of $44,795

The Civic Type R is one of those nameplates which transcends the pressing weight of time passing, as even the EK9 Civic Type R, the first generation, is still highly sought-after and coveted for its timeless approach to simple, fast motoring. That recipe has, largely, remained over the last 27 years, although the current Type R is a bit more technologically savvy, and less spartan than its ancestors.

These days, the Civic Type R takes advantage of a slew of performance-improving tech that the EK9 could only have dreamed of. Nearly every part of the Type R is improved in some way compared to the standard Civic Hatchback. Virtually, only the body panels, glass, and lighting remain the same on its exterior, while its interior is completely transformed with red-on-red everywhere.

Under its hood, a member of the famous Honda K-Series engine family resides, and is equipped with a turbocharger which provides the FL5 Type R with well over 300 horsepower, and helps it achieve that 0.007 horsepower-per-dollar figure we mentioned previously. Another thing the FL5 can take credit for is propping up the hot hatch segment in the US, as the segment has seen dwindling sales over the past decade or so.

The Civic Type R Gets Up And Goes

When it comes to hot hatchbacks, the Civic Type R is, definitely, no slouch. The FL5’s main event lives right under its ventilated hood. As we touched on earlier, a Honda K-Series motor does the heavy lifting. More specifically, the K20C1 turbocharged inline-four, which has powered the Civic Type R for nearly 10 years now. It seems, when Honda finds an engine that does a good job, they stick to it.

In order for the K20C1 to stay with the times, things like its turbocharger and bottom-end have been upgraded through the years. As for its turbocharger, the FL5 received a more compact housing for better airflow and efficiency, along with an impellar wheel which carries a higher blade count, meaning the turbocharger can move more air in a smoother manner, making for more uniform forced induction.

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The K20C1 itself boasts a unique design, and has since its inception. Basically, the motor’s crankshaft is positioned at an 8-millimeter offset from the centerline of the engine’s bore. In other words, the crankshaft doesn’t sit directly in the center of the engine, but slightly off to one side. This is meant to increase engine efficiency by decreasing something called friction loss, a phenomenon which occurs when the pistons, which are connected to the crankshaft, rub against the engine’s cylinder walls.

The K20C1-bred power is fed through a six-speed manual transmission, with no automatic on offer. As for the FL5’s drivetrain, Honda employs the use of a helical limited-slip front differential, which uses angled gears that have the ability to transfer power to whichever wheel has the most grip at any given time. This helps to minimize understeer and improve traction without needing to back off the throttle as much around a corner. It’s an important ability to have, especially around a track.

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A Pair Of Type R Competitors

Below, we’ll compare the basic specs of the FL5 Type R and our two competitors, along with their pricing and horsepower-per-dollar rating:

Volkswagen Golf R

In the world of hot hatchbacks, it can be argued that the Volkswagen Golf GTI is more popular and has done more for the motoring world than the Civic Type R. These days, the hottest of the Golf is the “R” variant. Unlike the CTR, it boasts an all-wheel drive drivetrain and more horsepower from its 2.0-liter turbo four-pot than the Civic Type R. In essence, if you’re just looking for pure speed from a hatchback, the Golf R looks to be your best bet, so long as you don’t mind not having the option for a manual transmission.

Toyota GR Corolla

However, you’d be remiss to ignore Toyota’s entry into the American hot hatch market, the GR Corolla. It’s a relatively new model, having only been in production now for two years. Despite its new-kid-on-the-block personality, it’s become quite popular. Like the Golf R, it also boasts all-wheel drive, although it produces less power than both the Type R and the Golf R from its 1.6-liter turbo four-banger.

Is The FL5 Civic Type R Worth It?

After comparing the Type R with a couple of other hot-hatch entrants sold in the US, it seems to sit right in the middle regarding its horsepower-per-dollar figure and the amount you have to pay for each hp. It also doesn’t feature the all-wheel drive that both the GR Corolla and the Golf R have.

In the grand scheme of things, it seems the GR Corolla is the best value for money. It’s got all-wheel drive, a price tag of under $40,000, and the best horsepower-per-dollar figure between the Volkswagen Golf R and the Honda Civic Type R. But the Civic Type R boasts scalpel-like handling, and the kind of driver engagement the others can’t match.

Source(s):
Automobiles.Honda.com