Honda has confirmed the new Civic Type R will start from £30,995 in the UK when it reaches showrooms in July 2017. Britain is expected to be the car's biggest market.
That's only a modest increase over the just-retired Type R, and with similar monthly payments for PCP pricing, from £299 a month on a three-year 5.9% contract.
More to the point, the new Type R undercuts the car widely regarded as the current big-league hot hatch king, the Ford Focus RS, which starts at £32,265 – although the Ford does get an extra pair of driven wheels, and a bigger dollop of horsepower.
Bear in mind that sub-£31k sticker only applies to the entry-model Honda Civic Type R. The plusher Type R GT model is the one most buyers are expected to go for, with sat-nav, wireless phone charging, dual-zone climate control and blind spot monitoring, and that one costs an extra £2000.
2017 Honda Civic Type R: highlights
- Manual gearbox
- 316bhp turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder – a development of the previous car's engine
- Triple-exit exhaust
- First Civic Type R with multi-link rear suspension
- Current holder of the Nurburgring lap record for a front-wheel-drive production car
