2019 Honda Civic Coupe Sport Review


Intro
It is not easy to be the best seller in the ultra-competitive automotive market, and in Canada, the Honda Civic has done it for 21 consecutive years. Although the form factor has evolved, the Honda Civic continues to deliver a reliable car that is both practical and fun to drive.

Based on the acclaimed 10th generation Honda Civic Sedan, the 2019 Honda Civic Coupe is one of the only remaining compact coupes in the market. While SUVs and crossovers are all the rage right now, there is nothing that screams freedom and individual personality like a coupe.

Thanks to Honda Canada, I was loaned the 2019 Honda Civic Coupe in the newly introduced Sport trim for one week to test drive. Below is my unbiased review.



Exterior
For 2019, the exterior of the Civic is redesigned to look more matured and premium. The biggest difference is in the front. The signature wing design incorporates black front grill and black headlight housings for a continuous look. The same design principle is applied to the lower grille. It is now integrated with the black fog light housings. The end result is a more integrated look that makes the font fascia wider and more composed.

On the side, the high belt line and sloped back silhouette creates a sports car persona. Chiseled door and rocker panels gives the lower part of the side profile some unique visual ques. For the Sport trim, Honda offers up-sized 18" wheels that are identical to the ones on the Civic Si.

The sporty vibe continues to the rear. One of the first things you will notice is the black-painted deck-lid spoiler that also functions as third brake light. It bridges the two taillights and makes the Civic very distinguishable at night. The lower bumper incorporates a large diffuser in the middle and black honeycomb decorative air curtains on the sides for a more matured look that mirrors the front fascia. For the Sport Trim, the center-ported dual mufflers are capped by a wide rectal-linear style chrome exhaust finisher.

I very much enjoy the look for the 2019 Civic Coupe. It is bold but yet composed. The Sport trim adds some unique styling to make the car appear sleeker and more aggressive.











Interior
The 2019 Civic's cabin is clean, modern, and comfortable. There is a surprising amount of premium materials appointed throughout the cabin at this price range. Soft-touch materials are strategically placed where your hands would touch, like the dash, steering wheel, armrests, and door panels. Whenever hard plastics are used, they are textured to look and feel more expensive than they are.

Long character lines and a double deck center console gives the interior of the Civic a futuristic vibe. The charging ports are located in the lower deck, but there are cord passthroughs to allow your smartphones to be charged on the upper deck. The cup holders in the center console has been redesigned to accommodate larger beverages. The Sport trim come with red gauges, aluminum sport pedals, and paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. I wish they can add an aluminum dead pedal for a more complete look.

The heated front seats are made of  a combination of cloth and synthetic leather. They are comfortable and supportive. It is interesting that the 8-way adjustable power seat for the driver is only available in the sedan. The manually adjusted seats do provide a large range of height adjustment, just be ready for a little bit of arm workouts.

Sliding the front seats forward reveal surprisingly large openings to the rear cabin. The headroom of the rear cabin is limited by the sloped roof and the legroom is limited by the shorter wheelbase. Despite those limitations, two adults could still fit comfortably in the back for short to medium length drives. Squishing three in the back is best reserved for emergencies.

Honda engineers have added sound insulation in the floor, trunk, and front fenders for a quieter cabinet. This makes the interior of the Civic feel more premium than some of its competitors.














Infotainment
The infotainment system has been updated to include physical buttons and a volume/power knob on the left side of the 7" infotainment display. You wouldn't think this is such a big deal until you have experienced the awful touch-screen slider that was in the previous generation. The display itself is bright and crisp, with nicely organized layouts and reasonably fast responses. Both Android Auto and Apple Carplay are standard.

The instrument cluster has a digital display in the center and two LED bars on the sides. The left bar shows engine oil temperature, and the right bar shows fuel level. The digital center display has a nanalog looking tachometer on the outside, and an area to display an array of vehicle information on the inside. You can easily interact with the center screen via the re-designed buttons on the steering wheel. I find the new layout to be intuitive and easy to operate.

The standard audio system in the Civic is not going to blow you away. However, the much quieter cabin makes the listening experience more tolerable.




Safety and Driver Assistance
For the 2019 model year, all Civics come standard with Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver-assist features. They include:
  • Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
  • Low-Speed Follow (Low-Speed Follow not on MT),
  • Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™)
  • Forward Collision Warning (FCW),
  • Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) and
  • Road Departure Mitigation (RDM)
  • Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
  • Automatic high beams
EX trims and higher also come with Honda LaneWatch, which displays the rear passenger vies on the center display when the right turning signal is activated. The video feed is captured by a rear facing camera that is integrated into the passenger side rear mirror. I find the system to be quite usable, but you will still have to shoulder check to be thorough.

The 2019 Honda Civic earns 5 star safety rating from NHTSA.


Driving
All 2019 Honda Civic Coupes come with either a 2.0L naturally aspirated engine, or a 1.5L turbo-charged engine. Our Sport trim tester comes with the humble 2.0L, but it is surprisingly capable. The engine produced 158 hp of horsepower and 138 lb.ft. of torque. You can choose from either a manual 6-speed or a CVT transmission to send the power to the front wheels. The CVT in our tester behaves much more lively than some of the other ones I have experienced. The car feels light and peppy, with smooth and linear acceleration. If you absolutely hate the sound of a constant engine rpm, using the paddle shifters would allow you to simulate gear changes.

What I really like about the Civic though, is how balanced it feels in tight corners. The engineers at Honda tune the suspension to be rigid enough to avoid excessive body roll, but soft enough to absorb road disturbances nicely. The steering is also superb. It is precise and provides more feedback than some of its competitors. It is a joy to zip around town in the Civic coupe, and I don't find merging on the highway a struggle as well.

The naturally aspirated 2.0L engine is fuel efficient. The civic is rated for 8.3L/100km city and 6.6L/100km highway. Our mostly city test drive provides a fuel economy rating of  8.4L/100km.



Cargo Space & Storage
You will be surprised how big the trunk is from the outside. There is 343L of cargo space in the trunk. Folding the 40/60 split rear seats gives you additional storage space in the rear cabin. The trunk partition is slightly more restrictive than I would like, but honestly you wouldn't buy a coupe for its practicality.

The small item storage options in the cabin are plentiful. They include a large center console storage compartment, deep size door pockets, and a unique double-deck front center console design that provides additional storage options.







Verdict
The 2019 Honda Civic Coupe reminds me why the Civic remains the best seller in the segment. It is a a sporty looking car that is also reliable, fun to drive, and safe. The updated infotainment system and the now standard Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver-assist features keep the Civic just a step ahead of the rest of the competitions. For 2k more, I would opt for the TOURING trim as it comes with a more powerful turbocharged engine, leather seats, and an upgraded audio system.

Test Vehicle
2019 Honda Civic Coupe Sport
MSRP
$28,165 CAD including Freight & PDI
Color
Rallye Red

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