To be pitted against the likes of Skoda Octavia, Toyota Corolla Altis and Hyundai Elantra, the new Honda Civic will launch in the coming weeks in India. Ahead of that, the car has been officially revealed at the ongoing national media drive in Bangalore. Images are credit to Auto Punditz.
New Honda Civic will enter the D-Segment sedan space. It has already been spied in Red and White colour options. The design features a coupe like roofline, LED headlamps and tail lamps, LED DRLs, sporty front bumper with chrome accents for fog lamp housing and piano black inserts on its front grille. The new Honda Civic also gets a chrome strip at the rear.
Interiors come with sunroof, refined leather seats, large touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. It also gets cruise control, dual zone AC with rear AC vents, arm rest with glass / cup holder, etc. Dashboard is dual tone, while interior is finished in ivory leather upholstery. The already plush cabin, looks even more premium thanks to the chrome accents on steering mounted controls, AC vents, and center console.
New Honda Civic comes with a smart key. Which not only allows keyless entry, but also allows remote start / stop of the engine. You can also operate power windows, sunroof and the tailgate with this remote smart key. It also gets automatic wipers, seat belt reminder, door opening alert, push button start, 8 way power adjustable driver seat.
The Honda Civic will also receive a range of driver assistance and safety features. These will include 6 airbags, ABS and EBD as standard features along with wireless charging, collision warning, cruise control, etc. Though not crash tested in India yet, but ASEAN NCAP rating for new Civic stands at 5 stars.
While the previous generation Honda Civic lacked a diesel engine option, the new gen Civic will get a diesel engine offering for the first time. This will be a 1.6 liter EarthDreams diesel engine which also powers the CRV. It delivers 120 PS and 300 Nm via 6 speed MT. Mileage as per ARAI, is best in class 26.8 kmpl. Though the same engine is offered with 9 speed AT on board the CRV, there is no automatic option on offer with Civic diesel option.
Petrol engine is in the form of 1.8 liter 4 cylinder iVTEC. This engine delivers 141 PS and 174 Nm. Mileage claimed is 16.5 kmpl. Transmission is via CVT automatic gearbox. Mileage claimed is 16.5 kmpl. No manual option for petrol engine.
2019 Honda Civic for India measures 4656 mm long, 1799 mm wide, 1433 mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 2700 mm, turning radius of 5.85 meters. Kerb wt for petrol model is 1,300 kgs and that for diesel model is 1,353 kgs. Boot space is 430 liters. 17 inch alloys are standard, wrapped in 215/50 rubber. To be sold as a CKD, new Honda Civic is expected to be priced at a premium over rivals. Expect prices to start in Rs 18-20 lakh range.