The 2023 Honda Civic Sort R has set a brand new file for front-wheel drive vehicles at Germany’s Nürburgring racetrack—for those who learn the positive print.

The most recent Civic Sort R lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7:44.8, Honda confirmed Wednesday in a press launch. That is a barely longer elapsed time than the 7:40.1 set by the Renault Megane RS Trophy R in 2019, however Honda is claiming the file below newer guidelines that redefine the size of the observe for the needs of official information.

A Nordschleife lap remains to be round 13 miles, however the file claimed by Renault was set over a barely shorter distance. Beneath guidelines adopted in 2019, the official size of a full lap is 20.8 kilometers or 12.9 miles. Previous to that, it was 20.6 kilometers, or 12.8 miles, which is the observe size at which Renault set its lap time. The Megane RS Trophy R’s lap time over the 20.8-kilometer distance was 7:45.3, so the Civic Sort R was faster on this apples-to-apples comparability.

This enables Honda to reclaim the front-wheel drive Nürburgring lap file for manufacturing vehicles, however once more it requires a little bit of rationalization. The FK8-generation Civic Sort R broke the file again in 2017 with a 7:43.8 time over the shorter lap distance used on the time. The Civic Sort R had set the file one different time previous to that, with a 7:50.6 lap in 2015.

2023 Honda Civic Sort R units ‘Ring file

The most recent file was set utilizing Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, which aren’t normal on the Civic Sort R however can be found by means of sellers, Honda famous. Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires are normal gear on the $43,990 Sort R.

That base value buys a sizzling hatch with 315 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque produced by its 2.0-liter turbo-4 engine and despatched to the front-wheels by means of a 6-speed guide transmission.

Shifting to the Eleventh-generation Civic platform, the Sort R has grown bigger. The wheelbase has grown 1.4 inches over the earlier era, whereas the observe width has elevated by as much as 1.0 inch. Honda additionally claims 8% elevated torsional rigidity and 13% elevated bending rigidity.

Honda in 2022 confirmed a front-wheel-drive lap file at Japan’s Suzuka Worldwide Racing Course, with a production-spec automotive lapping the three.6-mile observe in 2:23.1. We additionally named the Civic Sort R the Motor Authority Finest Automobile To Purchase 2023.