Hybrid included as Honda fully debuts refreshed Civic

Previewed in a single teaser image in January, Honda has officially debuted the facelift Civic sedan and hatch in North America ahead of commencing sales in June.

Turbo out, hybrid in

The subtle makeover coming three years after the internally designated FE’s global reveal, the main highlight centres around the re-introduction of a hybrid powertrain that officially becomes the most powerful non-sporting derivative below the Type R.

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Outpowering the North American Si that sits below the Type R, the self-charging hybrid combines a normally aspirated 2.0-litre petrol engine with an electric motor similar to that used in the CR-V and Accord.

Replacing all models powered by the 1.5-litre turbocharged engine, the hybrid develops the same 147 kW as the Si, but 55 Nm more for a total of 315 Nm. As with the turbo, the amount of twist is routed to the front wheels through a hybrid specific CVT.

What else has changed?

While no performance figures were revealed, Honda did confirm the inclusion of a drive mode selector with two settings; Econ and Normal on the LX, and a Sport mode on the trim grade of the same name.

Besides the hybrid, which serves as the flagship powertrain above the carryover normally aspirated 2.0-litre petrol, the Civic’s revised aesthetic consists of a wider grille, restyled headlights with darkened clusters, and in the case of Sport models, dark accents, sportier bumpers and door sills, colour coded inserts and 18-inch machined alloy wheels.

New on the colour side are four hues; Solar Silver Metallic, Urban Grey Pearl, the sedan-only Sand Dune Pearl and Blue Lagoon Pearl reserved solely for the hatch that a become a North American first three years ago.

Inside, Honda has mainly added more specification items in the form of dual-zone climate control, heated front and a sunroof on Sport versions of the hybrid.

All hybrid models also receive a grey interior, while the Touring become the beneficiary of the nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system, as well as the 12-speaker Bose sound system.

On the safety side, all variants, regardless of powertrain, receive Honda’s Sensing system as standard, which comprises Land Keep Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collison Warning, Collision Mitigation Braking and Road Departure Mitigation.

Reserved for Sport models is the added inclusion of Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Blind Spot Monitoring.

Not yet for South Africa

Built at Honda’s Greensburg Plant in Indiana with the sedan originating from the Alliston, Ontario plant in Canada, the Civic will reportedly have a starting sticker of $30 000 (R550 990) and as mentioned, go on-sale in June.

As is stands, it remains to be seen whether any of the changes will be applied to the South African-spec Civic RS, which comes via the Ayutthaya facility in Thailand where only the sedan is produced. 

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