One of the biggest questions surrounding the newest Civic Type R is will Honda lose a few hardcore fans with its force-fed motor? After all, so much of the Type R’s identity lies within its high-revving, shrieking, normally-aspirated motors. More often than not, people who argue volumetric efficiency are Honda heads – and that efficiency is something to be proud of. Nevertheless, 9,000 rpm may be a thing of the past with economy cars, even the highly-tuned ones. Therefore, Honda’s got with the times and slapped a blower on their 2.0-liter VTEC which sits behind the new Civic’s front axle.

Orido gives the Type R an armful of lock as he tucks the nose into a tightening corner.

While the sound might be lacking, it seems that the performance has only improved. Now, performance is one thing, but the influence of a turbocharger can dull the driving experience with flat, lifeless power delivery and a muted soundtrack, though this isn’t always the case. Here, it seems that while the roaring VTEC noise that has been fetishized over the years isn’t quite as pronounced. However, the upside to this situation is that the thrust out of corners is noticeably stronger than with the old atmospheric lumps.

While all this torque makes Orido tread with a bit of caution on the slippery roads, the traction and acceleration are demonstrably strong. In addition, the turn-in capability is so much so that Orido appears to be driving on a dry surface; his confidence hasn’t been diminished whatsoever by the adverse conditions. With every apex nailed, tremendous acceleration out of the corners and amazing stability under braking, it seems like this Type R is a huge step forward in every direction except noise – but let’s not nitpick.