Honda Civic Type R Moves to the Front of the Ring

Honda Motor Co.’s 2017 Civic Type R has set a new record for a production front-wheel-drive car at Germany’s famed Nurburgring Nordschleife course.

The hot hatchback lapped the 12.8-mile track in seven minutes and 43 seconds, which is three seconds faster than the previous best set last year by a Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S. The 2017 Civic Type R’s time is seven seconds faster than that of the previous-generation model.

The car is powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that makes 306 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated with a 6-speed manual transmission.

Honda attributes the record time in part to the Type R’s improved cornering performance, which is the result of a longer wheelbase, wider tire, independent multilink rear suspension and improved aerodynamics. The enhancements allowed the car to enter some turns 6 mph faster than was possible with the previous Type R, according to the carmaker.

Lamborghini set the overall record for production cars at Nurburgring earlier this year with the Huracan Performante supercar, which took just six minutes and 52 seconds to lap the course.