Honda put on the official launch of the 2019 edition of its popular Civic model this week, and we learned that the star performer in the automaker’s lineup will get some mild revisions, mostly to do with esthetics.
Mild is the keyword here, since the current generation (the 10th!) of the Civic is still relatively fresh at just three years of age. Still, this kind of time frame is largely sufficient to compel manufacturers to tweak some elements of a model to ensure it’s got sales arguments vis-à-vis competitors.
Style changes at the front accentuate the model’s low and wide athletic stance and sporty good looks with a new piano black upper fascia “wing,” restyled lower fascia, bumper and lower grille, a full-width front splitter, chrome side pod accents, and updated halogen or LED headlights. A chrome accent on the lower rear bumper of the Sedan and new wheel designs for both models – including larger 18-inch rims on the Touring trim – round out the exterior styling updates on the returning trims.
Sport Trims
The biggest change for the Civic in 2019 is the arrival of Sport variants for the sedan and coupe versions. Up to now this iteration has only been available on the hatchback version of the Civic. But we should point out that the new models will not benefit from additional power, not from the 4-cylinder turbo that runs the upper-end trims of the Civic.
What the Sport designation will bring, is a package of popular, mainly esthetic, features, for instance 18-inch wheels, glossy black exterior accents and a rear spoiler (for the sedan).
The Sport versions will also get a 7-inch multimedia screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
The two variants will be available with either a manual gearbox or a CVT transmission. The Honda Sensing package of safety and semi-autonomous drive systems will be offered as options as well.
The Sport versions of the new Civic sedan and coupe are expected at dealerships shortly, along with the other versions of the model.