Hard to believe, but the 11th generation Honda Civic has been around since 2021. As such, it’s pretty much ready for a mid-cycle refresh sometime this year. Now, normally carmakers would like to keep the exact timings a closely guarded secret, but in the case of Honda, they outed the launch timing themselves.
On the surface, the announcement of the Civic RS seems to highlight the availability of a 6-speed stick to go with its turbocharged 1.5-liter. Though we’d wish to get that drivetrain combo for our market, let’s face it: it’s not exactly a volume seller so the chances of us getting that are slim.
Thus, let’s look at something that most people missed out on: the refreshed looks.
See, the Civic RS prototype unveiled by Honda has a different front-end to that of the Civic Hatchback already on sale in Japan. The front bumper is entirely new with sharper surfacing, a wide lower bumper (note how small the functional area is), and slim vertical side intakes. The grille also looks to have modified. Though it keeps the general shape as it did before, the opening looks wider at the bottom than at the top (take note that the Civic Hatchback never had the controversial nose bump of the sedan). The front fog lamps also look to have been omitted.
With the Civic solely available as a 5-door hatchback in Japan, we could only guess what the updated sedan could look like. However, expect it to carry on relatively unchanged perhaps with the exception of new or revised bumpers.
At this point, Honda hasn’t made any official announcements surrounding the revised Civic so these updates could very well be a JDM-exclusive. The production Civic RS hatchback, however, will be made available starting the fall of this year (September to December) for the Japan. Still, expect an updated Civic to arrive in one form or another sometime this year.
More on the Honda Civic:
Minor and very minimal changes
ReplyDeleteHatchback vs Sedan is minimal... From what planet are you from?
DeleteHonda JP showed the hatch. The sedan will likely be revealed later, but will have the same changes.
DeleteI can barely spot the difference. Grille???
ReplyDeleteGrille. Bumpers.
Deleteyou have to place the old and new one side by side to notice the difference.
DeleteHonda PH should make the Civic hybrid the RS and the current RS should be the V variant. Then they should offer the V with a manual transmission for the TRUE enthusiast class and not the puro porma/arthritis enthusiast.
ReplyDeleteNakikiusap po kami Honda Cars Philippines, lagyan niyo naman po ng manual variant ang Civic. Please makinig naman kayo. Tingnan niyo, hindi masyado mabenta, kasi hindi na yung mga enthusiasts ang nasa isip niyo na prospect buyers, pero Civic yan eh, marinig mo lang yan na word, unang papasok sa isip ay 'tunable', 'easy to work with', 'maganda i-modify'. Pero ngayon, meron rin naman yung Type R, pero masyado naman. Onti lang ang makaka afford.
ReplyDeleteThis.
DeleteHonda and Mazda don't understand that sedans and hatchbacks, no matter the grade, are enthusiast vehicles at this point. No one who just wants a basic vehicle would settle for these body types when you have plenty of crossovers to choose from.
Nobody buys manual anymore.
DeleteI bought one so your argument is invalid.
DeleteThere is nothing to tune with these puny 1.5L turbo engines, it doesn't even have real VTEC anymore. Manuals are for taxi and jeepney drivers. Even real race cars aren't manual anymore.
DeleteHow many percent are manual transmission buyers?
Delete