We’ve covered quite a lot about the facelifted Honda Civic for the last couple of months. The thing is, that was the North American version and there are bound to be differences in specifications for Southeast Asia.
Great news for Civic fans in the country then as the new look has finally made its way to the region. It has made its ASEAN premiere in Thailand (where it's built), and there are a lot of changes to cover.
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Unlike the North American Civic, the 1.5-liter turbo lives on in ASEAN. That said, power and torque figures are retained from the pre-facelift model. That means 176hp and 240Nm of torque. That engine is then paired to a continuously variable transmission.
Of course, there are also changes to the Civic e:HEV, but not under the hood. Horsepower and torque figures are carried over and make a little less compared to the US version. Combined output is rated at 181hp with the electric motor pushing out 315Nm of torque. For comparison, the model in the West makes 200hp and 335Nm.
In Thailand at least, the lineup has been simplified. It has been trimmed down to three with the EL+, EL+ e:HEV, and RS e:HEV. The EL+ is the equivalent of the V, while the RS is, well, the RS.
For the EL+ models, the wheels are the same as before, but the front bumper has a new design and extended marginally by 3mm. The honeycomb grille pattern is the same one found in the US model, and the tail lights get a darker tint.
Moving to the RS, most noticeable are the new 18-inch wheel with an eight-spoke design and a gunmetal finish. The mirrors are painted gloss black, so to are the door handles and rear spoiler, an RS exclusive.
We’re genuinely surprised that the built-in Google system and Google services made its way to the Southeast Asian versions as well. There are new graphics for the digital instrument cluster, as well as the infotainment system. The RS gets an upgraded Bose premium sound system with 12 speakers. We’re hoping that the door panels on non-RS variants are now of the soft touch variety.
Now that it’s out in Thailand, it’s a good time to ask when the Philippine debut will be held. So far, there are no teasers from Honda Cars Philippines or any of the sort. However, one could say that it’s just around the corner given how quickly we get our units from Thailand soon after regional premieres.
