Road Test: 2014 Honda Civic Coupe EX
Story and photo by John LeBlanc
After taking a ten-count knockdown punch from automotive critics with its half-baked 2012 Civic makeover, Honda has been coaxing its best-selling compact lineup up off the mat with a continual stream of tweaks and updates. And the latest has been applied to the 2014 Civic Coupe two-doors.
As you may already know, Honda was forced to perform what the automaker called “an emergency refresh” to its 2012 Civic sedan only one model year after its launch. The rush job included some quickie exterior touch-ups, suspension changes, and a slightly redesigned interior. For the 2014 model year, Honda is continuing its Civic redemption act with upgrades to the front-wheel-drive, five-passenger four-door sedan and two-door coupes with revised powertrains and the addition of some big car luxury and safety features.
Despite the market moving away from small, front-wheel-drive coupes, the Civic two-door still has a few rivals. They include the Hyundai Elantra Coupe, redesigned-this-year Kia Forte Koup, Scion tC and Volkswagen Beetle. The 2014 Civic Coupe range starts with the $20,569 (all prices include freight and pre-delivery inspection fees) base model LX. My tester was a mid-range $22,629 Civic Coupe EX.
Feel free to thank Hyundai-Kia Motors for my 2014 Civic Coupe EX for being equipped like a small luxury car. Mainly to keep up with the value-packed Elantra and Forte, the Civic Coupe EX trim level has everything found in the base LX and adds, well, more. Heated front seats, multifunction leather steering wheel and a huge centre dash screen that houses everything from an upgraded sound system to a rear backup camera to a new lane change safety system can be found. The only option was a $1,260 continuously variable automatic transmission that replaces the standard five-speed manual gearbox.
If not as luxurious as the VW Beetle, the two-door Civic’s interior is a big step up in regards to quality materials and fit and finish compared to the woeful 2012 models (my sincerest condolences if you own such a vehicle). If Acura sold an ILX Coupe, my 2014 Civic Coupe EX model would be a good starting point. And the standard high-tech additions only add to the Honda’s upmarket appeal.
Although it’s only seven inches in size, the Civic Coupe EX’s new Display Audio capacitive touchscreen is responsible for a lot of the car’s functionality. The sexiest bit is the introduction of HondaLink, an application-based platform that allows users to connect their smartphone to the car, allowing access to online and cloud-based content and information. And if your smartphone happens to be an Apple iPhone 5 or newer, you’ll be able to continue your virtual relationship with your hands-free Siri personal assistant.
The second significant new gadget in the EX trim is Honda’s LaneWatch, a camera integrated into the passenger-side rearview mirror that provides an image on the Display Audio screen of what you would usually see if you visually checked — like, using your brain and eyes — over your right shoulder. It’s a cool idea. I guess. But I never trusted the image enough not to shoulder check, and I recommend you don’t either.
And if you do need even more luxury goodies in your compact two-door, the $29,003 Civic Coupe EX-L Navi adds leather seating, a navigation system and the CVT as standard kit.
While the tweaked-for-2014 Civic Coupe gets fresher front and rear styling and a few fancy new gadgets, Honda also applied the same drivetrain upgrades to the two-doors as it did to the four-doors. For all Civics except the high-performance Si, a 1.8-litre four-cylinder gas engine soldiers on. There’s only a single overhead, no direct injection or turbocharging. But a more free-flowing exhaust bumps horsepower up by three to 143, while pound-feet of torque creeps up by one to 129. Against the likes of the 179 hp Scion tC or the 236 lb.-ft. Beetle TDI turbo-diesel that doesn’t sound like a lot of mojo emanating from underneath the Honda’s hood. But keep in mind that the Civic Coupe EX is targeted at buyers looking to save fuel. And that’s where the new CVT comes into play as well.
Compared to the outgoing five-speed automatic, Honda says the new CVT is lighter, has a 22% wider ratio spread and less friction. The result is an improvement of 0.4 litres per 100 kilometres in the city for a 6.7 estimate — better than the Beetle TDI’s 7.2 rating. As well, the Honda’s 5.0 L/100 km highway rating is a titch better over the VW’s 4.8 number. For my week of primarily urban driving in the compact Honda Coupe, I saw an indicated average of 7.8 L/100 km.
More importantly, for day-to-day driving, the Civic Coupe EX’s CVT doesn’t exhibit a gratuitous amount of whining or the high levels of noise found in comparable Toyotas and Nissans. The Honda even offers steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters to work your way through its “fake” gears. The rest of the small Honda coupe’s driving experience is strictly mid-pack. Its steering is decidedly light. Its ride is a bit choppy over bad pavement, and its handling is comfort-biased.
In the end, the 2014 Honda Civic EX comes across as a comfortable, fuel-efficient and well-equipped small two-door. I question the value of some of its modern gadgets, but the Civic’s overall premium feel and Honda’s continuing fight to get the car back to its former top-ranking means it's worth a serious look.
WHAT I LIKED: Excellent fuel economy; premium interior; lots of high-tech goodies
WHAT I DIDN'T: Rivals offer more power and refined ride and handling
Type of vehicle Compact, two-door coupe
Engine 1.6L SOHC I4 gas engine
Power 143 hp @ 6,500 rpm; 129 lb-ft of torque @ 4,300 rpm
Transmission Continuously variable automatic transmission
Brakes Front disc/rear drum with ABS
Tires P205/55R16 M+S
Price (base/as tested) $20,955/$22,215
Destination charge $1,674
Natural Resources Canada fuel economy (L/100 km) 6.7 city; 5.0 highway; 7.8 as-tested
Standard features Heated front seats; LaneWatch blind spot display; Display Audio System/HondaLink/Rearview camera/HandsFreeLink/Bluetooth wireless mobile phone interface; AM/FM/CD audio system/MP3/Windows Media Audio playback capability and 6 speakers/USB device connector; leather-wrapped steering wheel/cruise control; power moonroof; automatic climate control with air filtration system; power windows with auto-up/down driver’s window; Smart Entry with Push Button start; and more.