It's the moment so many American Honda performance enthusiasts... no, scratch that, performance enthusiasts have been waiting for: the 2017 Honda Civic Type R is here, and it's coming soon to showrooms in the United States.

Yes, you heard me correctly, it's coming to the U.S. to challenge the Ford Focus RS and Volkswagen Golf R.


Let's just cut to the chase: what's under the hood. Pop it, and you'll find a U.S.-built 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 pumping out 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque—to the front wheels. Yes, it'll likely have a bit of torque steer, but Honda's tuned the suspension specifically for Type R duty with specific spring, damper, and bushing settings, not to mention new control arms and knuckles.

A helical limited-slip front differential is standard, as are three-chamber dampers that are part of a passive adaptive suspension system.

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Hope you like to #GiveAShift because Honda's going to offer the Civic Type R exclusively with a 6-speed manual transmission complete with rev matching.

2017 Honda Civic Type R, 2017 Geneva auto show

2017 Honda Civic Type R, 2017 Geneva auto show

Stopping power is aided by 4-pot Brembo brakes with cross-drilled rotors up front. While we'd prefer they were 19s, the Type R features 20-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in 245/30R 20 Continental ContiSportContact 6 tires.

Of course, the design of the Civic Type R will surprise no one as it looks basically like the prototype version unveiled a year ago. Up front you'll find an angry-looking Civic with flared fenders, gaping air intakes, and brake cooling ducts.

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Inside, it's standard Civic fare although there are a few elements unique to the Type R. This includes heavily bolstered seats, some specific trim, and a Type R driver's meter.

Honda's not talking pricing but you can expect a starting price in the mid-$30,000 bracket. Sales start in the spring.