Reports are coming in, and it looks like the Honda Civic Type R will see a small price increase starting in May of 2018. As Cars Direct reports, the Civic Type R will see a baseline price increase of $600, raising the entry cost to $35,595 including destination which also saw a $5 increase across the board. This isn’t the first time the Civic Type R has seen a price increase but nearly triple that of the $215 price increase that went into effect for November 2017. For what it’s worth, the entire Civic lineup sees an increase, but models below the Type R will only increase by $100.

This news comes right on the heels of Ford’s announcement to execute damn near all of its car lineup, including the Focus RS, at least for now. If Ford doesn’t bring the next-gen Focus RS to U.S. shores, the Civic Type R will have just one true competitor, the Volkswagen Golf R – a model that comes in at $5,040 more than the Type R as of the time of this writing. Of course, you could count the Subaru WRX STI as a competitor, and we do, but – despite its similar performance – it’s not really a hatchback. It’s also more expensive, though, hitting the wallet for a minimum of $36,995 or $1,400 more if you include Subaru’s $860 destination charge.

So, while Honda has increased the pricing of the Civic Type R mid-year, with no sign of any improvement whatsoever, it’s still the cheapest performance hatchback on the market, even if you include the non-hatch WRX STI.

Why Did Honda Increase the Price of the Honda Civic Type R

There’s no official word as to why Honda decided to increase pricing mid-year. It would have made more sense to wait for the 2019 model to go on sale, but Honda decided otherwise. Cars Direct seems to think that the automaker did it simply because it can. And, to be honest, we have to agree. The Civic Type R is the definition of hot hatch, and there are plenty of fanboys that want one considering this generation is the first to make it to the U.S. market.

In the end, it’s still a cheaper proposition to the Golf R and WRX STI, and it comes pretty well equipped. It has that aggressive body kit, raked stance, 20-inch wheels wrapped in Continental tires, Brembo brakes, navigation, wireless charging, and sports seats, among other things. It’s not exactly under-equipped anyway, and it has decent power to go with it.

With that said, the SUV market is still booming, and with more automakers dropping out of the car game slowly but surely, you may want to jump into a Type R while you can. There’s no telling when Honda will decide it’s not worth it to keep the Type R on sale here as well.

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Engine Type

Turbocharged In-Line 4-Cylinder

Turbocharger

Single-Scroll MHI TD04 with Internal Wastegate

Boost Pressure

22.8 psi

Displacement (cc)

1,996

Horsepower (SAE net)

306 HP @ 6,500 RPM

Torque (SAE net)

295 LB-FT @ 2,500-4,500 RPM

Fuel economy (City/Highway/Combined) (mpg)

22 / 28 / 25

Curb Weight (lbs.)

3,117

0 to 60 mph

4.9 seconds

Quarter-mile

13.5 seconds at 108 mph

Top Speed

169 mph


Further Reading

Read our full review on the 2018 Honda Civic Type R.

Read our full review on the 2018 Volkswagen Golf R.

Read our full speculative review on the 2019 Ford Focus RS.

Read our full review on the 2018 Subaru WRX STI.