Honda Civic News

Last month Honda Australia reopened orders for the supply-limited Civic Type R hot hatch and the entire allocation was exhausted within an hour.

Honda Australia has dropped a new allocation of its supply-limited Civic Type R hot hatch.The Japanese carmaker has claimed there’s “strong customer demand” for this hot hatch and customers that have signed up will be prioritised.Now with a starting price of $79,000, drive-away, the Honda Civic Type R is $4900 more expensive than it was when it was last on sale. It’s now also over $23,000 more expensive than the top-specification regular Civic variant, the e:HEV LX.A highlight change with this 2025 production run is a new 'Racing Blue' exterior paint colour option. It replaces 'Rally Red' in the colour options. 'Championship White', 'Crystal Black' and 'Sonic Grey' continue to be offered and are all no-cost options.There’s also a new optional carbon-fibre spoiler available for an additional $5300.Power still comes from a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine which produces 235kW of power and 420Nm of torque.This is mated exclusively to a six-speed manual gearbox with drive sent to the front wheels only.It’s still covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty with five years' 'premium roadside assistance'.Logbook servicing is required every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever comes first, and the first five services are capped at $199 each.“Civic Type R has captured the imagination of Australians for generations and continues to represent the pinnacle of performance in small cars,” said Honda Australia Director of Automotive Robert Thorp.“We’re pleased to welcome the new Racing Blue colour providing a genuine performance model halo presence.”Looking beyond the Civic Type R, Honda is soon set to announce model year updates for the CR-V and ZR-V SUVs which will include more hybrid trims and Google Built-In software for the multimedia system.Additionally, the new-generation Prelude is set to launch in mid-2026 and later in 2026 Honda will launch its first electric vehicle (EV) in Australia.

Honda's hybrid car plan to ride emissions law wave

Does size matter? It’s an age-old question but when it comes to cars, it’s complicated.Most car reviews - rightly - will cover whether the model represents good value for money. That will usually include a focus on what is and isn’t included in the standard features list, the safety offering, quality of materials and more.Often this will include whether you get enough metal for your money. Is the car big enough for the price?My question is, should size factor into the value of a car? And how do you fairly determine value when each buyer has a different budget?I understand that everyone has different requirements when looking for a new car. A family of five will require more space than a family of two, or a single person, for example.But I would argue that size should not determine whether a car represents good or bad value for money.Again, I appreciate that many people will want as much car as they can get for their money, based on how they will use it. But surely things like overall vehicle quality, the drive experience and how the car makes you feel are just as important.Here’s an example. A Honda Civic e:HEV L costs $49,900 (drive-away). When compared with old foes like the Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla, it is seen as being quite a lot of money for a small hatchback.For roughly the same price as the Civic, you could buy an entry grade large seven-seat SUV like a Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe, Isuzu MU-X, or a Toyota Kluger.But just because you can get a bigger car for the same price, should you?If you don’t need the space, then I say you shouldn’t. And not just for reasons like the environmental impact of large vehicles, or the sheer space it takes up on the road. Although those reasons are also valid.If a smaller car ticks other boxes including being fun to drive, that should be enough.Back to my example - the Honda Civic hybrid is an excellent car. I would argue it’s the best small passenger car (as in, not an SUV) on sale in Australia. It has excellent build quality, a solid standard features list, a handsome design, nicely executed interior and an exceptional and efficient powertrain.Something like that is a perfect car for me. And I don’t feel like I would be ripped off buying this instead of a larger car.Similarly, if someone has the means to buy a premium car instead of something from a mainstream brand, that’s fine. As Donna Meagle famously said in Parks and Recreation, “Treat yo’self!”Sure, a circa-$60,000 BMW 120 hatch may not have the same level of standard features as a higher grade Toyota Corolla or Mazda3 - which cost $20,000 less - but who cares?If you have your heart set on a premium car like a BMW and you’ve got the money for it, then it doesn’t matter if it’s missing a few features.Whether it’s the materials in the cabin, the way it drives or the feeling you get when driving a premium European car, a model like that often just feels more special.A couple of years back I lived with a Peugeot 308 Premium GT hatchback for four months. That specific grade at the time was priced at $48,990 before on-road costs. Again, there was a lot of commentary about that being a lot of money “for a small hatchback”.I am not suggesting it’s cheap - it clearly isn’t. But that is an excellent little car that made me smile every time I got behind the wheel. I would be happy - proud even - to own one.To reiterate, there is nothing wrong with trying to get as much car as possible for your budget. If you want as many standard features as you can possibly get for $40k, and you are less fussed about how the car drives or its perceived quality, terrific. And there’s no shortage of options, especially with the growing number of Chinese brands offering affordable models.But equally, no one should be shamed for spending big bucks on a car that isn’t the size of a boat, or if it doesn’t tick every single box on the standard features list.

The interior of the eagerly awaited next-gen Honda Prelude has been revealed thanks to a Japanese YouTuber who has given us a glimpse into the cabin.When the Prelude concept made its debut in 2023 at the Tokyo mobility show it had blacked-out windows so the interior remained a mystery. It’s also highly unlikely it even had a finished interior at that point.Now thanks to Japanese YouTuber Unadon we’ve been given a guided tour inside the two-door 2+2 seater sports car and it's not quite as groundbreaking as we hoped.If anything the cabin, dashboard, controls and instruments are much the same as the cockpit in the current Honda Civic.Sure the new Prelude’s cabin is sporty and the two-tone sports seats with embossed Prelude headrests look modern and luxurious, but the climate control dials, honeycomb mesh air vents and steering wheel will all be familiar to anybody who has bought a Honda in the past few years.The rear seat is more or less a hard grey-coloured featureless bench without any form of obvious lateral support or even moulding for rear passengers.It’s unlikely the back seats will ever house the two people they’re designed to accommodate given the lack of space back there with the heavily sloped roofline and limited legroom. Unadon discovered how cramped it is when we ventured back there. There are also two ISOFIX points if child seats need to be installed.Unadon also gives us a look at the boot under the Prelude's liftback tailgate, revealing a small but deep area behind the rear seats that appears to be about 200 litres in capacity. He also folds the rear seats down to open up even more load carrying space.The Prelude, which is expected to make its European launch by the middle of 2025, will be hybrid only and use a petrol-electric system similar to the unit in the Civic. A manual transmission won't be available either.It's still not been confirmed for Australia, but our fingers are crossed.

Audi will finally launch the facelifted A3 Sportback range in Australia in the second quarter of this year, to take the fight to the rising tide of fast-improving Chinese hatchback alternatives.

Honda and Nissan simply should not merge. When it was announced that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed last December “for consideration of a business integration between the two companies” was terminated on February 13, many people would have breathed a sigh of relief.

Sometimes the best cars are amongst the worst sellers.

The small-car segment is stagnant at the moment and consumers are starting to wonder where the replacements for the ageing Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Hyundai i30 are, amongst others. Well, some are coming, others may not, and Kia may just have the answer you seek.

Honda has announced the Civic will transition to a hybrid-only lineup for 2025, as the brand makes minor design tweaks and adds upgraded software technology to the range.The base-model 1.5-litre petrol variant is out, with both variants now being powered by a 2.0-litre direct-injection four-cylinder engine that produces 135kW/315Nm through an electronic continuously variable transmission as standard.It comes paired to twin electric motors – one to power the front wheels and the other to acts as a generator to charge the 1.05kWh lithium-ion battery pack when braking.That improves fuel consumption across the range to 4.2L/100km, putting it closely behind the Toyota Corolla's 4.0L/100km figure.The Civic will be dearer for 2025, with the now entry-level e:HEV L variant priced at $49,900 drive-away nationally, up $2700 on the previous starting price of the petrol version.The updated top-spec e:HEV LX is $900 more at $55,900 drive-away.The top-spec Toyota Corolla – which is a hybrid – is about $6000 to $7000 cheaper than the Civic once you factor in on-road costs. The Volkswagen Golf is also a fair chunk of change cheaper than the Civic.It is still significantly cheaper than more premium alternatives such as the BMW 118 ($56,500), the Audi A3 ($53,100) and the Mercedes-Benz A200 ($56,200), all at before on-road costs.The updated Civic gets a refreshed front bumper that deletes the previous model's fog lights. There are new 18-inch alloy wheel designs.Inside, the bottom-spec e:HEV L loses some standard features that were previously allocated to its petrol predecessor, such as wireless charging, an auto-dimming rear view mirror and eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat.The top-spec e:HEV LX has those as standard and adds leather-appointed seats and a panoramic sunroof over the e:HEV L.Both models add software upgrades, including Google built-in, which integrates Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play into the car’s 9.0-inch multimedia touchscreen.Both cars are now also hooked up to the new-generation of the Honda Connect app, which allows owners to monitor their car’s location and fuel levels as well as lock/unlock their car remotely.Upgraded Honda Sensing safety technology also improves the car’s driver safety assist technology through what Honda said is “improve front camera software”, though that is the extent of the details.The Civic currently boasts a five-star ANCAP safety rating in line with 2022 protocols. It carries 11 airbags and standard safety features like Lane Keep Assist, Traffic Jam Assist, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Traffic Sign Recognition and Adaptive Cruise Control.As before, the Civic is covered by a five-year/unlimited km warranty, which includes five years of free roadside assistance and capped price servicing at $199 for the first five visits.Prices are calculated at national drive-away