Civic-minded: Honda Cars PH launches face-lifted models

KUWAHARA (left) presents the Mugen, one of the two new Civic models launched, the other being the Modulo version

There are two more new additions to this year’s list of choice cars as Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) launched the face-lifted Honda Civic model at Greenbelt 3 in Makati recently.

For the brand’s third new model launch in 2014 after the all-new City and Accord models, Honda unveiled the Mugen and Modulo Civic models, boasting refreshed exterior styling more dynamic, aggressive and sporty than their predecessor.

Buoyed by the automotive market’s sales uptrend, HCPI is expected to launch two more new models this year.

The Civic has had a strong following since it was introduced in the 1990s in the Philippine market, characterized by its premium brand perception and spirited driving dynamics as well as its wide segment reach, from an executive daily commute to a custom tuner’s project car.

The new Civic is available in both 2- and 1.8-liter engine displacements, both mated with five-speed automatic transmission with paddle shift feature and with a maximum power output of  152.88 horsepower at 6,500 revolutions per minute for the 2-liter variant and  139.07 HP at 5,500 rpm for the 1.8-liter variant.  Honda unveiled the EL Mugen and the E Modulo variants that are fitted with genuine Mugen and Modulo aero kits including a front under spoiler, rear under spoiler, side under spoilers, wing-type rear spoiler and emblems. The third variant is the 1.8 S base model.

‘Face of Honda’

“The Civic has become the face of Honda in this country. Through the years, the Civic has earned its place in the hearts and minds of Filipino motorists. The entry of the ninth-generation Civic in 2012 showed Honda’s resilience in times of difficulty—we launched it with only one variant imported from Japan,” said Toshio Kuwahara, president and general manager of HCPI.

Mugen Motorsports is a high-performance tuning outfit founded in 1973 by Hirotoshi Honda, son of Honda founder Soichiro Honda.

The Mugen variant is fitted with a sports grille while the E Modulo has a new honeycomb grille with a single bar chrome accent, which it also shares with the base variant 1.8 S. Both the EL Mugen and E Modulo variants come standard with fog lights, chrome handles and power retract side mirrors with integrated side turn lights.

Inside, the new Civic’s new two-tiered dashboard greets the driver and passengers with a new 7-inch touchscreen display audio. It features functions such as hands-free telephone (HFT) and audio streaming via Bluetooth connectivity. For more on-board entertainment options, the Civic is also equipped with different ports such as an auxiliary port, two slots of USB ports and the new HDMI port that lets you connect and mirror your smartphone on the touchscreen display audio.

For added convenience and safety, the Civic features multifunctional steering controls that are designed for more intuitive operation and allow the driver to operate the car’s intelligent multi-information display (i-MID), which shows information such as the fuel consumption and vehicle settings.

The new Civic is equipped with driver and passenger SRS airbags and antilock braking system (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) as standard, while the EL Mugen variant comes with additional side airbags, side curtain airbags, vehicle stability assist (VSA), child seat anchors, and driver and front passenger seatbelt reminder.

Starting prices for the base model 1.8 S is P978,000 and P1.118 million for the 1.8 E Modulo and, lastly, P1.368 million for the 2.0 EL Mugen. The new Civic is available in five colors: crystal black pearl, modern steel metallic (only for the 2.0 EL Mugen and 1.8 E Modulo), white orchid pearl (for the 2.0 EL Mugen and 1.8 E Modulo with an additional cost of P20,000), carnelian red pearl (for the 1.8 variants only) and taffeta white (for the 1.8 S only).