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Friday, February 22, 2013

2013 Honda Civic Review

Check out all of the great updates on the 2013 Civic in the review from autoblog.com




By Chris Paukert




"When we initially heard rumors of an "emergency refresh" coming for the 2013 Civic, we honestly didn't expect much – the era of massive year-over-year changes died decades ago, after all. Butwhat arrived at November's Los Angeles Auto Show was a whole lot more comprehensive in scope than what we anticipated.

To begin with, the 2013 Civic's nose features a thoroughly updated look, with a more complex hood stamping, larger mesh grille opening framed by a chrome-edged smile, more expressive headlamps and a reworked lower fascia with a fillet of brightwork that does wonders to help the design look more upscale. In profile, with the exception of fresh wheel patterns, the look stays largely as it was for 2012, with the same aggressively raked greenhouse and fuss-free sheetmetal contours. Out back, a redesigned trunklid houses a better-integrated license plate pocket and a chrome trim strip is bookended by larger and more elaborate two-piece taillamps. Overall, we think the look is a major improvement, appearing far more sophisticated than the 2012 car, which was at best an incremental improvement over the admittedly radical eighth-generation model.


But the 2012 Civic's personal Waterloo wasn't really its exterior – it was inside where the car stumbled. A quick peek at Honda owner forums reveals that existing Civic drivers who came in looking to trade their cars for a 2012 model were disappointed with the noticeable cheapening of cabin materials. That's been rectified for 2013, with more soft-touch plastics, convincing faux stitching on the dashboard and doors, a richer headliner, nicer upholstery and, in general, a more premium aura.

The unique two-tier dashboard strategy remains, and while it looks busy, it's quite easy to get used to. Items like a backup camera, Bluetooth telephony/streaming audio and Pandora integration are welcome standard equipment additions, but the biggest improvement to the cabin isn't something you can put a finger on, because it lies beneath. A canopy of additional sound deadening has been added to the firewall, wheel wells and flooring, and a thicker windshield and front-row side windows further mute the outside world. Hondas have rarely been known for their noise abatement abilities, but the 2013 update helps bring a welcome composure to the Civic's cabin, cutting powertrain noise noticeably under acceleration, and road and wind noise everywhere else."


Get the full article at: http://www.autoblog.com/2013/02/21/2013-honda-civic-review/#continued

Vist Pacific Honda at: www.pacifichonda.com to check out the 2013 Civic



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