Honda Civic gets a mid-life nip and tuck

In a bid to arrest sales decline and keep its premium segment contender, the Civic, relevant and up-to-date with the competition, Honda Siel Cars India announced a refurbished version of its D-segment saloon today. The Civic which has dazzled car owners and users with its sci-fi exterior and low slung looks coupled to as avant garde an interior treatment now gets an upgrade which is subtle yet right there if one cares to look closely.
Changes are cosmetic in nature and on the exterior they take the form of a new bumper plus a slightly different grille treatment which Honda hopes will give the car a heightened sense of aggression and excitement! The head lights and the tail lamps have also been attended to, with dark smokey surrounds to the former and crystalline octagonal treatment within the latter. There are also new design fog lights on the bumper. And while yet staying with the exterior, the package is completed with the adoption of new design alloy wheels. Also making its appearance with this mid-life refresher pack is the introduction of a new body colour which Honda has named 'polished metal.'

Move into the interior and the first thing which is apparent is the upholstery treatment which is now duo-tone. The door pads and the armrests are now also outfitted in the same hard wearing cloth fabric. A new addition in the space age instrument console is the addition of an intelligent fuel economy indicator. And the most important aspect of the lot when it comes to creature comforts is that the Civic will finally get USB connectivity for its audio player. Unfortunately the process of plugging in your iPod or other device is yet not sanitary, with the USB plug adaptor being housed in the central arm rest which could negate space for other odds and ends.
The new Civic breaks with tradition though with there being not two but three variants. Where all along we had one fully loaded version with either manual or automatic transmission, there will be two trim spec versions of the 5-speed manual (SMT and VMT) along with one top end automatic version (VAT). The Civic VMT and VAT models both get cruise control with the switch to activate this being placed on the right spoke of the steering wheel. Further more, all versions would also have two additional trim highlight packages, just like on the Accord, these being named Elegance and Inspire.
The new Civic won't be much different in pricing from the present model. The range starts from Rs 11.8 lakhs for the SMT and goes all the way up to Rs. 13.44 lakhs for the top end VAT model (all prices ex-showroom Delhi). This is good because the new prices coupled to the additional equipment was what the Civic needed in recent times to hold its own not just again its arch rival the Toyota Corolla Altis but also against being seen to be circumspect. Honda's 2+2 years warranty remains intact as does the company's 24-hr roadside assistance package for all Civic buyers.