Skip advert
Advertisement

TTS Performance Honda Civic Type-R review

Supercharged Honda Civic Type-R boasts 337bhp

Evo rating
RRP
from £5,170
  • Neat installation, impressive delivery
  • Pricey, not quite as quick as you'd expect

We’ve tried supercharged Honda Civic engines before, but they’ve always been attached to skeletal Ariel Atoms. This one is in more normal hatchback surroundings. It has a Rotrex supercharger putting out 0.7bar of boost at 8000rpm, while in the nose of the car the standard radiator has been replaced with a combination of front-mounted intercooler on the left third and a high-performance radiator on the right two-thirds.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The first thing that strikes me is how normal, un-shrieky and tractable the engine is. Given that, according to TTS Performance, the supercharger boosts power by 70 per cent and torque by 60 per cent over the standard car, the initial impression isn’t quite as fizzing as you’d expect. The ramp up is as smooth as with the naturally aspirated engine, just more vigorous. And although there is no longer a VTEC kick as you trip into the upper reaches of the rev-range, the engine undoubtedly crescendos to the red line, getting hungrier and increasingly powerful the longer you hold each gear.

Overall the TTS Type-R has a very classy feel to it, and it’s certainly quick, if not quite 337bhp quick. Avonvale Honda is currently offering the modifications as a showroom upgrade, which backs up the feeling that it is a high-quality conversion, although at over £5000, so does the price. Combine the ’charger with TTS’s brake upgrade, LSD and KW suspension set-up and it could make an interesting alternative to a Mugen…

Specifications

EngineIn-line 4-cyl, 1998cc, supercharger
Max power337bhp @ n/a rpm
Max torque227lb ft @ n/a rpm
0-605.7sec (est)
Top speed160mph (est)
On saleNow
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 2025 review – 'N0' tyre makes Porsche GT3 RS a wet weather weapon
Michelin GT3 RS tyre
Reviews

Michelin Pilot Sport S 5 2025 review – 'N0' tyre makes Porsche GT3 RS a wet weather weapon

Michelin has developed a wet and cold weather tyre for the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and it’s brilliant
23 Apr 2025
Why the Vauxhall Astra should have been given a different name
Vauxhall Astra GSE
Opinion

Why the Vauxhall Astra should have been given a different name

It’s time to reassess a perennially underrated hatchback, says Porter
17 Apr 2025
Aston Martin Vantage (1993 - 2000) review – Britain's 550bhp hand-built muscle car
Aston Martin Vantage V550 – front
Reviews

Aston Martin Vantage (1993 - 2000) review – Britain's 550bhp hand-built muscle car

One of Aston Martin's last true hand-built models, the ludicrous twin-supercharged Vantage was a muscle car crossed with a stately home
24 Apr 2025