Honda updates Civic coupe, adds CVT to best-selling passenger car
by Dan Ilika
Facelift to Civic coupe model follows on heels of similar redesign in sedan in 2013
LOS ANGELES—Alliston, Ont.’s native son is getting a slight facelift for the 2014 model year, the automaker announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Built at the Honda Canada Manufacturing plant north of Toronto since 1988, the Honda Civic coupe variant will receive some slight styling upgrades in 2014, less than a year after the automaker launched the similarly styled Civic sedan.
The update marks the coupe’s second styling change since a complete redesign in 2012.
Following the overhaul of the Civic sedan, Honda turned its attention to the Civic coupe, implementing a host of exterior design changes that include a more aggressive grille, fender, hood and headlight design.
Designers at Honda also took aim at new taillight lenses, sportier front and rear bumpers, new side mirrors and new wheel designs, with larger size wheels on some models.
The Civic Si coupe gets the same styling enhancements as the standard coupe but adds Si-exclusive design cues, including a unique lower front bumper garnish, larger rear decklid spoiler and distinctive front and rear air diffusers.
Both the Si coupe and sedan models get larger, 18-inch wheels and tires with new wheel designs.
Inside, a host of all models get a host of interior refinements, including new seat fabrics, door panel trim and audio panel colour coordination.
Under the hood of the Si coupe and sedan, the 2.4-litre four-cylinder i-VTEC engine gets a slight bump in power, with 205 peak horsepower and 174 lb.-ft. of torque.
The engine comes mated to a six-speed manual transmission and a helical limited-slip differential.
Across both the sedan and coupe models, Honda has implemented a few feature upgrades, including an available continuously variable transmission (CVT) to replace the five-speed automatic in the DX, LX, EX and Touring models.
The CVT is mated to Honda’s 1.8L i-VTEC powerplant in those models.
Push-button start, lane departure warning and satellite navigation are available in some coupe and sedan models.
All in all, the upgrades to the 2014 Civic look like wise moves from the automaker.
