The MY19 Honda Civic Sedan is here! With a minor facelift from it's previous Bold statement restructure in 2016. The New Civic Sedan still has the same number of standard models, 5, starting from the Base VTI all the way to the top VTI-LX, so what's changed in the new facelift Civic?
Here, I'm talking about the Mid Spec VTI-L, which comes in at around From $31,795 drive away, adding $600 extra for metallic paint. One thing you will notice is that All civic sedan models will now come with the Black front grill standard except for the Base VTI, compared to the previous Civic where it was only available on the RS Model. To me, it give the styling a bit more sportiness and looks better compared the Chrome grill.
The major feature that is now standard on this Model is Honda Sensing, which was previously only available on the flagship VTI-LX, this offers AEB, FCW, LDW, LKAS, ACC and high beam support assist. This is a big tick for me and for Honda, with most buyers now wanting/needing the active safety tech to now be basically standard on all models, this however is still not the case with Honda, but is has improved with now the VTI-L, RS and VTI-LX now standard with that active safety Tech. The cloth seats are really comfortable and give good support. The the VTI-L will also come with a leather wrapped steering wheel. It will get your usual front/rear sensors, reverse camera, 17inch alloy wheels and Apple CarPlay and android Auto. One of my favourite features though is Lane watch. This is a camera under your left mirror which will appear on the touch screen when you turn on your left indicator. Which is really handy, you get to see what's on your blind side without having to turn your eyes off the road, look it may not be Blind spot monitoring, but still very handy.
Power from the Civic VTI-L comes from the previous 1.5LT Turbo Petrol engine, which is put together with a CVT transmission. CVT's are everyones favourites, but I think it actually works pretty well with this engine, it drives smoothly and just seems to work well together. With 127KW and 220NM of torque, it definitely gets the job done for you and has plenty of power. But with the turbo, it may get a bit noisy if you really put your foot down. Fuel consumption has risen from 6.0l/100km to 6.3l/100km which isn't a deal breaker for me, it's still pretty good for the engine size and the car itself. The steering overall is fairly good, but at low speeds it can feel a little bit heavy especially going around corners or reverse parking.
The Apple CarPlay and Android Auto worked well and I didn't have any complications when using it. I love the digital Speedo in the car, it clear and bright and seems to be very accurate when giving you readings. The reverse camera isn't the best i've seen and used, but it's not horrible.
Now with the complications, The new MY19 Civic has had a couple of removals from some it's models, in this VTI-L spec, you'll no longer get DAB radio and paddle shifters, which look aren't deal breakers, plus your getting Honda sensing which is great, but would of been nice to keep those and add Honda sensing rather than have to compromise those to add the safety into this model. You'll also get a lack of rear USB charging and air vents as well, look the Civic Isn't the biggest Sedan out there, but it should have at least have one of those two options.
The Civic is Baked with a Standard 5 year Unlimited Km warranty, which is pretty solid, no roadside assistance. You also get Tailored serving which is similar to capped price servicing which is also an added bonus.
Overall the new Civic Sedan MY19 needs to definitely be on your shortlist if your looking for a Sedan, Great safety Tech, followed with a great interior and exterior styling and very good technology.