Honda's Hottest Civic Sees a Second Price Bump

It’s a smokin’ deal compared to the first Honda Civic Type R to land on American shores. That vehicle, which carried a VIN ending in “1” without any numbers in front of it, went on the auction block at Bring-a-Trailer last June. A lucky(?) buyer took the Civic hatch home for $200,000.

Certain dealers marked up their own early examples, but greater availability and the passage of time soon had a predictable impact on the hot hatch’s window sticker. The Civic Type R remains an aspiration car with a mid-30k price tag.

Now it’s Honda’s turn to jack the Type R’s price, but it’s not likely to rattle anyone in the market for a compact four-door with a bad attitude.

$605. That’s the extra dough you’ll spend on Honda’s 306-horsepower front-drive hatch following the price increase. The inflated sticker works out to an additional $600 tacked onto the MSRP, plus an extra $5 for destination. All told, you’ll be on the hook for $35,595. Late last year, Honda HQ made the decision to add another $215 to the car’s price, making this the second increase in a year.

According to CarsDirect, all other Civics see a $100 increase in their base price, plus the boosted destination fee.

While inflation is as unavoidable as death and taxes, few people enjoy spending more on the object of their desire, especially when the object remains unchanged. And the Type R is just that, having added no new features for mid-year 2018. Decked out in top-spec Touring trim, the Type R piles on the Honda niceties (not to mention the exterior add-ons).

It’s not likely the extra $605 will see would-be buyers wander over to a competing dealer, but a few might take a second look at the much calmer Civic Si. The Type R still undercuts the price of its chief rival, the Volkswagen Golf R, by quite a bit (a tick over five grand). While not available as a hatch, the Subaru WRX STI falls solidly in the same size and power category as the Honda, though its standard all-wheel drive gives the Subie a performance edge.

Buyers interested in drifting through the roundabouts near their home can look forward to paying an extra $1,360 for the STI, compared to the Type R.

[Image: Honda]