Honda has pepped up the Civic range with a modest facelift for 2015. We’ll see the car in the metal at the 2014 Paris motor show next week, but here’s an early look.
The design is gently scrubbed up, with a sportier front end that incorporates daytime running lights in a reprofiled front bumper.
There’s a new rear bumper, too, plus side skirts, LED lights and a black-finish spoiler bar. The changes apply to both Civic hatchback and the cavernously booted Tourer estate models.
Not much is new then… What about the new 2015 Civic Sport model?
Yes, this sounds more promising. Think of the newly announced Civic Sport as a stepping stone to the full-blown Type R coming in 2015. And it will be full blown; the new one is turbocharged for the first time.
The Sport model isn’t. It sticks with much more humble engines and the supposed extra spice comes from the styling kit you see in the photos here of the electric blue car.
You get unique 17in alloy wheels, colour-coded spoilers and a Type R-effect front styling pack with extra air vents. Inside is a black roof lining and sportier badging.
And the engines in the new Civic Sport?
Not so sporty now… The 118bhp 1.6-litre diesel or 140bhp 1.8 petrol are your lot.
All the 2015 Civic models come with Honda’s new Connect infotainment system, which syncs with Android smartphones, includes DAB and has a seven-inch touchscreen.
Come back next week for more news on the Honda Civic Type R, also due to make a splash at the Paris motor show.