We’re now looking at the
mid-life facelift, the 2019 Honda Civic. No big change from the
well-received 10th-generation Civic, which is expected. After all, the Civic is
targeting its third consecutive year as America’s number one retail-selling car
and its eighth straight year as the top retail-selling compact car (excluding
fleet sales).
The refreshed 2019
Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe boast updated styling, a new Sport trim for both
body styles and standard Honda Sensing tech on all trim levels. The styling
updates are evolutionary, and focuses on further accentuating the Civic’s low
and wide stance. In front, there’s a new piano black “wing” on the grille
(replaces chrome) and a restyled lower fascia. The look now is one-piece
instead of three, and there’s a full-width front splitter and chrome side pod
accents, too. It looks the same to us, but Honda says that the LED and halogen
headlights have been updated.
At the back,
there’s now a chrome accent on the lower rear bumper of the Sedan and new wheel
designs for both two- and four-door models – including larger 18-inch rims on
the Touring trim in the US.
There’s a new Civic
Sport trim positioned between the LX and EX, which Honda claims offers the
looks and features budget-conscious enthusiasts are looking for. The Sport gets
piano black on the lower front fascia and side pod accents, and for the Sedan,
an added rear decklid spoiler. A splitter-style rear lower bumper incorporating
a Civic Si-style chrome polygonal exhaust tip is included. 18-inch 10-spoke
rims round things up. The Coupes seen here are in Sport trim.
The Sport is
powered by a 2.0 litre naturally aspirated DOHC i-VTEC engine mated to either a
CVT automatic with G-Shift Control or a six-speed manual for lucky Americans.
The new trim also gets an updated seven-inch Display Audio with Apple CarPlay
and Android Auto integration and volume button.
In the kit
department, all 2019 Civics from LX to Touring will come with Honda Sensing as
standard. The pack includes Collision Mitigation Braking System with Forward
Collision Warning, Road Departure Mitigation incorporating Lane Departure
Warning, Lane Keeping Assist System and Adaptive Cruise Control. Honda says
that for the 2019 model year, Sensing is either standard or optional on all its
models in the US. The company plans to make it standard on all US cars by the
2022 model year.
This facelift is
only for the Civic Sedan and Coupe; with the Hatchback, Civic Si and Civic Type
R remaining untouched for now.
