Japanese automakers are used to make interesting plays with the names for their concoctions, specially those intended to stay in their homeland. During the 1990s and 2000s, cases such as Laputa, Moco and Pajero showed their (misguided) interest in Latin languages, while Naked, That’s and Zinger were the jokes for those who prefer English. Not to mention all the badge-engineered variations. However, when the vehicle is planned to go abroad they become much more conservative. One famous example of the last group is the redesigned duo you are just about to meet.
Since Civic’s current generation was released only three years ago, it is still too early to invest in midlife facelifts. On the other hand, this is an European C-segment vehicle, which means its direct competitors are as tough as Ford Focus, Peugeot 308, Renault Mégane and Volkswagen Golf. And the North-American Civic had just received some last-minute tweaks some months ago, although this does not mean as much as one might think: these two are completely different cars. While the first is offered as sedan and coupé, Europe has an exclusive one adapted to its own preferences. It uses an exclusive platform and is sold as hatchback and station wagon. So when one of them gets any important update, it is just a matter of time to see something similar appear for the other.
And why do they receive the same name? Because this particular one has a great reputation around the entire world. When people hear “Honda Civic”, their very first thoughts usually include quality, value and reliability. Therefore, the more vehicles an automaker can associate to such positive image, the better it is. Toyota, for instance, works the same way with Corolla: while Levin and the U.S.-exclusive facelift are appearing for the first time, Japan has had a totally-different Corolla Axio lineup for a long time. One of the latest automakers to experiment this strategy is VW, which released a new large sedan for China and U.S. three years ago and named it Passat, just like the forty-year-old European hit. But let us go back to the Japanese duo.
Honda’s dealerships will receive slightly facelifted Civics, whose biggest styling features are the reinvented front and rear bumpers. But you are also going to find new side skirts, new daytime running lights, LED strips for head and tail lights, and a black-finish spoiler. The only internal update is the new Connect infotainment system, which includes a seven-inch touchscreen, DAB and improved Android connectivity. When it comes to engines, neither the hatchback nor the station wagon bring any surprise: you can fill a 1.6L with diesel and get 118 hp, or take a 1.8L to work with gasoline and reach 140 hp. But if Civic’s attractive design makes you want to extract more fun from your driving, there are two options which might sound interesting.
One of them was already presented, and appeared at the last Paris Auto Show beside its urban siblings. Civic Sport is the electric-blue hatchback showed by this article’s pictures, and stands out in the crowd thanks to its exclusive styling package: more aggressive bumper with more air intakes at the front, 17” alloy wheels at the sides, spoiler at the rear, and black roof lining at the cabin. But since it sticks to the regular engines, you might want to wait a couple more months for the new Type R. It will offer even more design accessories, but its most important update will lie under the compact hood: Honda will equip its hot hatch with a turbocharged engine for the very first time. Until now, you can only dream with its latest conceptual version.