The Honda Civic follows in the footsteps of its Type R sibling, gets an aesthetic update and adds a new trim level

David Lopez @espacionblanco 30 January 2020 4 min.

Although the Type R was the first to be updated, now it’s the turn of the rest of the Honda Civic range, which also adds the new Sport Line version

Honda surprised everyone three years ago when it launched the tenth generation of the popular Civic, which adopted a more elegant yet muscular look, undoubtedly reinforced by the ever radical and appealing Type R variant. It was precisely the latter that received a small update a few days ago, which now also applies, though in a less radical way, to the rest of the Civic range.

The changes to the Honda Civic begin on the outside and, more specifically, focus on the front end, where a new grille has been fitted that is now symmetrical with respect to the fog lights, along with smoother surfaces and new trim pieces, giving the front a cleaner and more aerodynamic look. Continuing with the front, the front light unit now features LED technology along with daytime running lights, which have also been redesigned.

Moving to the side, depending on the version you choose, Honda offers the Civic new wheel designs: 16-inch for the Comfort version, with a sporty look in Shark Grey finish, and 17-inch for the 1.0 Elegance and Executive versions, while for the 1.5 Sport Plus version the wheels are also 17-inch but in Piano Black finish. Continuing with finishes, the Civic’s colour palette has been modified with the addition of the new Obsidian Blue finish and, also, Orchid White is replaced by Platinum Pearl White.

The interior also sees improvements, though of a lesser scale. Here we find new door panels, which help give the Civic a higher-quality look and, for greater comfort on board, the 1.0 Executive and 1.5 Sport Plus versions now feature 8-way power adjustment for the driver’s seat. The improved interior also includes its infotainment system, which now offers greater ease of use with new physical buttons for both it and the climate control system, something customers had been requesting from the brand.

Where there are no changes is in the mechanics of the Honda Civic, so we will continue to find the 1.0 VTEC Turbo petrol engine producing 126 CV and 200 Nm, while the most powerful option is the also petrol 1.5 VTEC Turbo engine, delivering 182 CV and 240 Nm. Both engines can be paired with a six-speed manual gearbox or a CVT automatic transmission that adds paddle shifters on the steering wheel.

The Honda Civic adds the Sport Line version

Emphasising the sporty character of the Honda Civic, the brand introduces a new version called Sport Line, which takes its design cues from the Type R, is linked to the 1.0 VTEC Turbo engine and can be combined with the Comfort and Executive versions. In addition to the new cosmetic changes, the Sport Line version adds front and side skirts, a rear diffuser, a small rear spoiler, 17-inch wheels in Piano Black finish and a complete LED front light unit.

Inside the Sport Line version there are also small changes in favour of a sportier feel, most notably the red stitching as a contrast on the seats, steering wheel, gear lever and door panels, as well as aluminium pedals. Standard equipment for this version includes the Honda Connect infotainment system, which features DAB digital radio and compatibility with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay; while if you opt for the Executive Sport Line version, the infotainment system also gets a rear-view camera.

The new Honda Civic can be ordered at the brand’s Spanish dealer network , with the first deliveries starting next February.