The angriest Civic to date

Honda's zingy, UK-built Civic Type R hatchback has just landed Down Under (more here), but Japanese Honda tuning specialist Mugen has just turned out the ultimate version of its four-door sibling.

Say hello to the Mugen RR, which is a Japan-spec Civic Type R sedan with added potency and in-yer-face visuals.

It's worth pointing out here that the standard Civic Type R sedan sold in Japan already outgrunts the Civic Type R hatch that has just debuted in Oz -- it puts out 168kW, compared with the latter's 148kW.

But the Mugen mob has gone one step further by cranking up the wick to the tune of 177kW, which eclipses even the Oz-spec Subaru Impreza WRX (169kW) -- and the Civic achieves this without resorting to turbocharging.

The power hike is largely the result of a free-flowing induction system that includes a high-efficiency exhaust manifold and dual-exhaust system.

To cope with the added grunt, the Mugen RR also cops stiffer spring rates, adjustable sports dampers and lightweight alloy wheels shod with Bridgestone Potenza RE070 RR tyres. It rides 10mm lower than the standard Civic Type R.

Mugen has also been liberal in its use of carbon composite and aluminum materials, resulting in a 15kg weight saving, which means the RR tips the scales at a relatively trim 1240kg.

Conceived as a road car that can also serve as a track-attack weapon, the RR comes with Recaro-designed sports seats and a short throw gearlever for the six-speed, close ratio box.

There's not much chance that passers-by will mistake it for a garden-variety Civic, thanks to an aggressive (but not overdone) Mugen body kit and blacked-out rims.

Each car will reportedly be hand-built to order starting from this September, and sold through official Honda dealers. The plan is to do a limited run of 300 units.

The Mugen RR costs the equivalent of $45,920 in Japan, which isn't an absurd ask, considering we pay $39,990 for the less powerful Type R hatch that just launched here. However, it does sound a bit pricey when you consider that the standard Type R sedan costs only $27,250 in Tokyo.

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