Five-Point Inspection: 2013 Honda Civic Sedan

The 2012 Civic featured cheap, flimsy plastic materials. Some surfaces were grainy, and not pleasant to feel or look at. Touch points and knobs were also made of cheap feeling plastic. True, the Civic is a cheap car, but Honda should’ve at least tried to dress it up a little bit. Competition from Dodge and Hyundai offering far premium looking interiors as well as better feeling fabrics and surfaces simply outdid the Civic.

For 2013, Honda follows in the same mindset as its competition. The Japanese company now goes a step beyond what other compact cars offer. The Civic’s leather surfaces (when so equipped) feel better than what’s usually offered in the compact segment while the standard cloth is upgraded too. Dark, shiny plastics, replace the grainy hard plastics of the old Civic while the eco-styled beige dash top has been replaced with a black surface with a more premium feel. Add on minor trim upgrades like brushed aluminum and chrome bits as well as textured control knob grips and the new Civic’s interior is decidedly upscale.

For 2013 the Civic gets extra sound-deadening material in the dash, floor, doors and elsewhere, which allows you to carry on a conversation with your passengers while on the highway. Honda also says that a stiffer front subframe along with new thicker glass in the windshield and front doors help reduce noise, vibrations and harshness (NVH) which does its part in making the Civic a far more liveable vehicle.

Its electric power steering has been tuned up and is quicker than before. Beyond the steering, the car’s stiffer front springs and beefier front sway bar help it feel composed and confident on the road, especially when taking corners.

While a sportier Civic does exist (the Si model), the base car has that fun-to-drive and responsive attitude that you expect from Honda, something we haven’t seen in some time.

For those wondering, the old 2012 Civic had a very basic level for $15,955, called the DX. For 2013 that model has been dropped, with the nicely equipped LX being the new base model. Unfortunately this does mean the new price of entry for the Civic is substantially higher at $18,165.