The 2019 Honda Civic will launch next month at an expected starting price of Rs 16 lakh to rival models like Toyota Corolla Altis, Hyundai Elantra, and Skoda Octavia
The tenth-gen Honda Civic debuted at the Auto Expo 2018 in February 2019 and is on its way to the Indian market. However, the model that we will get isn’t the same as that was showcased last year. Instead, we will get the facelifted version in the form of 2019 Honda Civic to help Honda give the Toyota Corolla Altis, Hyundai Elantra and Skoda Octavia a run for their money.
The 2019 Honda Civic, unlike the eighth-gen model sold earlier, will launch with both petrol and diesel engines. While the popularity of diesel engines has been on a downward slope, a vast majority of buyers of premium models still prefer the economy of a diesel engine over the refinement of a petrol unit.
The 2019 Honda Civic will share its engines with the latest generation CR-V. This means that the petrol variant will be powered by a 2.0-litre iVTEC engine that offers 152 bhp and 189 Nm. It comes mated to a CVT. For the CR-V, this engine-transmission combination offers an ARAI-certified mileage of 14.4 kmpl, but as the new Civic will not weigh as much, one can expect a slightly higher mileage.
The diesel option available on the 2019 Honda Civic will be a 1.6-litre EarthDreams unit, which, again, debuted on the latest-gen Honda CR-V. While the same engine is available in both single-turbo and dual-turbo options abroad, India gets only the former. This helps the carmaker price the new CR-V realistically and will even help it put a justifiable price tag on the new Civic.
The 1.6-litre motor offers a maximum power of 118 bhp and a peak torque of 300 Nm. It comes mated to a ZF-sourced 9-speed automatic transmission. On the Civic, the motor should also come mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. For the CR-V, it delivers an ARAI-certified mileage of 19.5 kmpl, but for the 2019 Honda Civic, it should deliver even better fuel efficiency due to the lower kerb weight.
The 2019 Honda Civic looks all set to shake up the rather dull D1-segment space with its futuristic looks and tech-laden interior. The earlier India-spec Civic lost popularity owing to the lack of diesel engine, but the new model doesn’t suffer from this and will be available with modern petrol and diesel engines that should help it take on the trio of the Toyota Corolla Altis, Hyundai Elantra, and Skoda Octavia.