What Car? Q&A - Should I wait for new Honda Civic Type-R

Q: I am looking at changing my car to a Honda Civic Type-R. I have heard there is going to be a special edition very soon – do you have any information or details? Do you think it’s wise to buy it or wait for the replacement Civic, if there is going to be one soon?
Jon Scott

A: You’re right that there is going to be a special edition to mark the end of the current Type-R. It will go on sale late summer or early autumn.

Honda tells us that the car won’t have any more power than the standard model or any suspension changes either. It will look a little different to the usual car and perhaps come with more equipment as standard.

More details will be released on August 1, so come back to Whatcar.com then to find out for certain whether it’s worth considering instead of the standard car.

If you need to replace your car soon then it remains one of our top choices, but there will be a Type-R version of the next-generation Civic. Mainstream versions of the new Civic arrive in January.

Although there’s no official confirmation, and no real details as a result, insiders agree it would be daft for the company not to produce one.

It could take a year after the standard car’ January arrival before it goes on sale, however, so it might not suit your timetable. If you do buy a Type-R now, expect the new model to knock a few percent off its residual value.

If you can wait for the new Type-R, you’ll probably be rewarded with more power and, if Honda does its job properly, even better handling than the Type-R offers now.