2013 Honda Civic Review and Prices

Styling: No styling changes are in the cards for the 2013 Honda Civic, despite the rap that it’s a virtual carbon copy of the 2006-2011 Civic. True, you need to compare the eighth- and ninth-generation models side by side for the newer version’s more raked windshield pillars, more sharply creased body lines, and reshaped taillamps to be apparent. Exterior dimensions didn’t change, either, though the redesigned Civic did lose about an inch in wheelbase.

Wheelbase is the distance between the front and rear axles. Shortening it typically results in reduced passenger legroom. But Honda cleverly managed to increase the latest model’s rear legroom by a tangible 1.6 inches while also adding more shoulder width. The 2013 Civic will carry over those improvements and should continue among the most spacious cars in the compact class, with fine room for four adults in a notably airy cabin.

However, the 2013 Civic will not be among the more impressive compacts for interior decor unless Honda revamps the grade of materials used in the cabin. Such a change would be extremely unusual for a car in just its second model year. But if Honda determines that enough shoppers are being turned off by the abundance of hard-touch surfaces, it could institute the emergency introduction of more padded panels and richer fabrics for the 2013 version.

Honda won’t be able to do much about Civic’s love-it-or-hate-it bi-level dashboard design. An evolution of the arrangement introduced with the 2006 model, the 2013 Civic will continue with a two-story instrument panel that places a digital speedometer in a cove above an analog tachometer.

The 2013 Civic will also carry over a 5-inch screen located to the right of the speedometer. It houses Honda’s intelligent Multi-Information Display, or i-MID, for various audio, trip, and fuel-economy readouts. On sporty 2013 Civic Si models, the i-MID will again furnish specifications of note to enthusiasts. And on 2012 Civic Hybrids, it’ll continue to trace the apportioning of gas-electric power output and detail fuel consumption. As before, the 5-inch screen will be replaced by a crisp 6.5-inch map display on Civics equipped with the navigation system.

The long, long dashtop is a disconcerting fact of Civic life but the reflections introduced by the transparent plastic covering over the speedometer and i-MID should not be. Honda would do well to address the glare that obscures those instruments – the solution might be as simple as brighter backlighting. The 2013 Civic’s arrangement of main buttons and switches will remain ergonomically sound, though you should plan on some trial and error before mastering the steering wheel’s thumb controls for audio, i-MID, and hands-free mobile-phone functions.

Expect the 2013 Civic lineup to repeat sedans and coupes at five model levels: base DX, volume-selling LX, better equipped EX, leather-upholstered EX-L, and sporty Si. Three models will return as sedans only: the high-fuel-economy Civic HF, the Civic Hybrid, and the natural-gas-fueled Civic Natural Gas.

Appearance differences between the 2013 Civic models should remain modest. DX buyers will likely again settle for plastic wheel covers and black door handles and outside mirrors. Si versions will again sport small front and rear spoilers, fog lamps, and a chrome exhaust tip. The Hybrid and HF will likely reprise their minor aerodynamic touches and special wheel designs, with the 2013 Hybrid further identified by a body-colored grille and blue-accented headlamps and taillamps.

The mileage-minded 2013 Civic Hybrid and HF will likely return with 15-inch wheels and low-rolling-resistance tires. Civic DX and LX models should repeat with 15-inch wheels and tires, EX and EX-Ls with 16s, Si models with 17s. The 2013 Civic EX, HF, Si, and Hybrid models will again come with alloy wheels.

Mechanical: The 2013 Honda Civic almost certainly will carry over mechanically unchanged. All models will again have front-wheel drive and four-cylinder engines. DX, LX, HF, EX, and EX-L Civics will repeat with a smooth-running single-overhead-cam 1.8-liter that should remain at 140 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque (loosely, torque gets a car moving, horsepower keeps it moving). This engine’s horsepower and torque output will continue to trail that of main compact rivals. But performance ought to be fully competitive thanks in part to efficient Honda engineering that should keep the 2013 Civic among the lightest cars in the class.

Notably quicker acceleration will again be the province of the 2013 Honda Civic Si sedan and coupe. They’ll return with a dual-overhead-cam 2.4-liter that should again rate 201 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque. Select turbocharged rivals with upwards of 250 horsepower are faster, but the relatively rational 2013 Civic Si models will again parlay their responsive engine and handling-tuned suspension into genuinely entertaining driving manners. 

The 2013 Civic Hybrid sedan will continue to use Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) gas-electric powertrain. It’ll team a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine with an electric-motor system powered by a lithium-ion battery pack. Expect net gas-electric output to remain 110 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque. This is not a plug-in hybrid, and it can’t accelerate exclusively on electric power, though it can cruise on electricity once up to speed. The Civic Hybrid saves gas mainly by using its electric motor to assist acceleration and by shutting off the engine when stopped, then automatically restarting as the driver releases the brake pedal.

The Honda Civic GX sedan runs on natural gas and the 2013 version should repeat at 110 horsepower and 106 pound-feet of torque. It’ll remain essentially a special-order model aimed at government- and commercial-fleet users

Unless Honda surprises with a major powertrain update, the 2013 Civic’s transmission choices would again leave the car technically challenged against top rivals. Expect DX and LX models reprise a five-speed manual transmission as standard equipment. Some rivals use a six-speed manual, but the majority of compact-car buyers choose an automatic transmission and the 2013 Civic’s continued use of a five-speed automatic instead of a six-speed would keep it slightly out of step with its top competitors.

In transmissions, the greater the number of gear ratios the greater the opportunity to use the engine most efficiently. Honda insists its five-speed transmissions deliver the desired performance and fuel economy without the added cost and complexity of a six-speed. On 2013 Civics, the five-speed automatic would again be available at extra cost on DX and LX models and come standard on HF, EX, and EX-L models.

The 2013 Civic Si probably will continue only with a six-speed manual transmission, while the 2013 Civic Hybrid will again use a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which acts like an automatic but employs a rheostat-like delivery of power rather than set gear ratios

Don’t anticipate any retreat on the ride and handling front. Road manners should remain among the best in the compact class with outstanding isolation from bumps, accurate steering, and confident control through turns.        

The list of standard safety features on every 2013 Civic will again include Honda’s Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) antiskid control to minimize the likelihood of sideways slides. All 2013 Civics will again have front disc brakes but unless Honda adjusts its specifications strategy, only EX, EX-L, and Si models will continue with rear disc brakes instead of rear drum brakes.

Features: Honda creates trim levels through an escalating set of well-defined features and the 2013 Civic will hue to that policy. Every 2013 Civic model will again come with power windows, a tilt/telescope steering wheel, and a front armrest storage console.

But don’t expect the very basic DX models to suddenly be available with air conditioning, power mirrors, power locks, or cruise control, or get a full-feature version of the i-MID. You’ll probably need to step up to the LX sedan or coupe to get those perks on a 2013 Civic. Same for map lights, automatic up/down power driver’s window, a full-color i-MID, and steering-wheel controls for audio and Bluetooth hands-free mobile-phone connectivity. 

No change is expected in 2013 Civic EX-model equipment. It should again include a power moonroof, variable intermittent windshield wipers, 12-volt accessory outlets, outside temperature gauge and, on EX sedans, a rear center armrest with cupholders. The 2013 Civic HF model will again be tuned for maximum fuel economy but will otherwise remain outfitted similarly to an EX sedan with automatic transmission.

As per Honda tradition, the “L” in EX-L will again denote leather upholstery and in the 2013 Civic the hide covering will remain accompanied by heated front bucket, heated mirrors, and automatic on/off headlamps, among other amenities. The 2013 Civic Hybrid’s features will again mirror those of the Civic EX models and it’ll also remain available with EX-L-level leather appointments.

In addition to the aforementioned powertrain, suspension, and styling modifications, the 2013 Honda Civic Si coupes and sedans will continue with sport-tuned exhaust systems, specially bolstered front bucket seats, and a sequential dashboard graphic altering the driver to approach of the engine’s rpm redline. Honda should continue to make 2013 Si models available with grip-maximizing summer-tread 17-inch tires, as well.

The 2013 Civic’s basic audio system almost certainly will remain a 160-watt CD unit with an auxiliary jack for digital music players. Expect LX Coupe, EX and EX-L sedans and the Hybrid to again have six speakers instead of the standard four. And EX and EX-L coupes and Si models should again come standard with a 360-watt audio system with six speakers and an 8-inch subwoofer.

Honda is likely to continue furnishing a USB iPod/flash-drive interface as standard on all 2013 Civics except the DX model. Unfortunately, it’s also likely to continue to furnish Bluetooth hands-free mobile-phone connectivity only on EX, EX-L, Si, and Hybrid models. Withholding Bluetooth connectivity from DX, LX, and HF models would again deny more than half of all 2013 Civic buyers a factory-installed version of this emerging safety adjunct.

By contrast, Bluetooth is available on the volume of Hyundai Elantra and Ford Focus production, and is optional or standard on every version of the Chevrolet Cruze. Honda would also look a little stingy if it again omits the exterior temperature readout on 2013 Civic DX, LX, and HF models.

Civic’s voice-activated navigation system is easy to program and responds fairly accurately to spoken commands; it should remain available on the 2013 EX, EX-L, Si, Hybrid, and Natural Gas models and would again add XM satellite radio.

To enhance cargo versatility, the 2013 DX, LX, and HF models will retain a one-piece folding rear seatback while the EX, EX-L and Si models get 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks. The rear seatback in Hybrid and Natural Gas models doesn’t fold.