Specifications |
1. Pricing starts at $19,780 including delivery for the coupe model with a CVT
2. The car is officially rated for 30 mpg city, 39 highway or 33 overall. 3. The Civic is currently the only car with Honda’s new “Display Audio” system. 4. For 2014, the car gets Honda’s Lane Watch side-view camera 5. Horsepower and torque increase mildly to 143 hp and 129 lb-ft |
Preview
Numbers aside, feedback on the new compact was less than positive and
one year after its launch, the Civic underwent emergency surgery to come out
with revised looks and repackaged content better able to compete in an
increasingly competitive market.
That brings us to the 2014 model year and once again, Honda has
something hidden up its sleeve. For 2014 they went back to the drawing board
for a second time to re-think the affordable compact, scrapping its automatic
transmission in favor of a CVT.Then again, it’s hardly a surprise considering the brand-new Corolla is
also being packaged with exactly that.
Interior
This isn't a new generation, so the cabin is pretty much the same as last year's model with one key exception. For 2014, you get a similar touch screen to the unit found in the larger Accord. I'm a fan of it there and nothing's changed in this application.
The base model comes with a rear-view camera, but stepping up to the mid-level EX trim and above also brings in Honda's Lane Watch, a camera mounted on the passenger side mirror that gives you a much wider angle.
You can access Siri directly through the car and starting with the EX model, you can also get Honda's Display Audio that essentially mirrors your iPhone so you can use it through the car's screen. In the future, it will allow drivers to port a growing list of applications from their smart phone onto the in-dash display.
Honda offers a navigation app that costs $60 and is one of a handful currently included under an “approved” list of programs. The company says it won’t open Display Audio to be a free-for-all because it isn’t safe. Translation: playing Angry Birds and driving don’t mix.
For now, the iPhone 5 is the only compatible device and the Civic is the only car sold with Display Audio. Both of those facts will change soon, but in the compatibility case it’s because other device manufacturers are still working to make their handhelds work with the system.
Otherwise it’s the same cabin as the 2013 model year. Leather seats are available in the top-trim EX-L, but most models put your bottom in cloth buckets. Other premium feature like heated seats and navigation are also reserved for the most expensive version. That is, unless you have the right kind of cell phone and buy the right app. Bear in mind that it uses data from your mobile plan.
Under The Hood
The base model is still available with a five-speed manual for $19,170
(sedan) or $200 less for the coupe, but the traditional automatic is a goner as
of 2014.As you can probably guess, the new transmission is supposed to bring
fuel economy gains. But they’re small. The base CVT model is rated for 30 mpg
in the city, 39 on the highway and an overall 33. That’s two more in the city
and one on average.
The more
efficient “HF” model sees bigger gains with 31 in town 41 on faster
thoroughfares or 35 on the whole, which is three in the city, two on the
highway or three mpgs on average. The same 1.8-liter engine powers the front wheels, but a new exhaust means
it’s a little more powerful with 143 hp and 129 lb-ft.
Pricing for the CVT-equipped coupe starts at $19,780 including delivery
while the top-tier EX-L model with navigation gets a similar increase and comes
in at $24,830. Honda claims the car is actually a little bit faster to accelerate
compared to the traditional automatic model. Power is supposed to come on
sooner after the driver depresses the throttle, although the difference isn’t
prominent enough to stand out on its own.
The CVT isn’t particularly noisy and to the company’s credit, it feels
fairly responsive. Coupe models come with paddle shifters, and dropping the
shift lever from “D” to “S” leaves the car hanging on to its current ratio
until you tap one of the paddles. It isn’t quick like, say, a dual-clutch
gearbox and the simulated shifts seem sort of silly. The “S” implies sportier
characteristics, but the Civic isn’t designed to be a performer. For 2014, it
gets a slightly thicker rear stabilizer bar that should help it handle better
although the real-world merits of that enhancement are debatable. A revised exhaust makes the 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine a smidgen
stronger, but the gain is too small to make a real difference during day-to-day
driving.
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