Road trip down south with the All-New Civic with Honda SENSING - media test drive with the Honda team

Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) conducted a media test drive event in Tagaytay and Nasugbu, Batangas. The drive showcased the 11^th Generation All-New Honda Civic and one of its most notable features, the Honda SENSING. To ensure the safety of the participants, HCPI implemented health and safety protocols such as antigen swab testing, extensive vehicle disinfection, wearing of facemasks, physical distancing, and ensuring that everyone who joined was fully vaccinated.

Participants were welcomed by a lineup of six (6) units of the All-New Civic with all its variants: S Turbo CVT Honda SENSING, V Turbo CVT Honda SENSING, and RS Turbo CVT Honda SENSING. This allowed them to get a closer look at the All-New Civic’s new clean-cut look, range of high-tech features, and standard VTEC turbo engine through the bustling streets of Metro Manila to the picturesque winding roads and open fields of Tagaytay and Nasubgu, Batangas.

The All-New Civic displayed its blend of elegance and sportiness complemented by its sleek character lines. The added character was evident through the Civic’s long hood, sloping roofline, and front pillar that was pushed back by nearly 2 inches, which elongates its hood for a premium silhouette. Visibility has also been improved, all thanks to the design changes with its door mirrors. Upfront, it gets a pair of newly shaped headlights that either house full LEDs or projector halogens. For style and functionality, Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) are also available throughout the range.

Meanwhile, the sporty RS Turbo CVT Honda SENSING variant flaunted its array of exterior upgrades that make it stand out in the All-New Civic lineup. RS-exclusive details include black-painted side mirrors, door handles, shark fin antenna, and trunk spoiler, along with chrome-finished dual-exhaust pipes for a sportier look.

Throughout the drive, the participants got to experience first-hand the All-New Civic’s interior, with its minimalist design and top-notch quality materials. Furthermore, its improved noise, vibration, and harshness levels provided a comfortable relaxing ride.

Participants were kept entertained by the All-New Civic’s touchscreen display audio that either measures 7-inches or 9-inches. Both screens are Android Auto and Apple CarPlay capable, while the larger screen has Wireless Apple CarPlay that is exclusively available in the RS variant. These infotainment systems power 4 speakers for the S, and 8 speakers for the V. The RS variant, on the other hand, comes with a 12-speaker Bose sound system.

Other standard features such as the automatic climate control, dual-zone that is exclusive on the RS variant, and rear air vents that are available for both the V and RS made the drive even more relaxing. A 7-inch digital display with an analog tachometer displays audio and Bluetooth functions, while the larger 10.2-inch full-digital cluster is exclusive on the RS - all these are supported with steering wheel-mounted controls.

By driving through a mix of urban and provincial roads, the test drive exhibited the performance capabilities of the All-New Civic. The country and mountain drive showcased smooth off-the-line accelerations with the 1.5-liter 4-Cylinder DOHC VTEC Turbo engine found in all grades that produces 178 PS and 240 Nm of torque, mated to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). The engine produces 5 more Ps and 20 more Nm of torque vs the 10^th generation’s 1.5 VTEC Turbo, and 37 more PS and 66 Nm of torque, vs the 10^th generation’s 1.8 Engine. Aside from the All-New Civic’s all-Turbo variant range, the compact sedan gets driving modes including Econ, Normal, and the RS-exclusive Sport mode. The vehicle’s agile handling capabilities were also tested in handling uphill climbs and fast downhill corners all while providing a smooth and powerful ride.

Aside from the capabilities of the All-New Civic, the test drive event also highlighted the Honda SENSING. In pursuit of Honda's mission of a collision-free society, the Honda SENSING is now standard in all variants of the 11^th generation All-New Civic. The test drive event involved exercises to showcase the different functions of the Honda SENSING. During the highway drive, participants were able to test the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow (LSF<), which aims to make highway drives a more pleasant experience by maintaining the speed based on the car in front of you, including automatic braking and acceleration as needed. On top of this, they were able to try the Low-Speed Follow (LSF), which makes it easier to drive in stop-and-go traffics, a perfect feature that's set to make your EDSA rush-hour crawl a little more bearable.

Another feature that they also got to try was the Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), which guided steering to keep the vehicle well-positioned inside its lane. Its safety feature of the steering wheel vibrating, and an icon popping up on the digital display showed that the vehicle senses the car departing the lane without the use of turn signals.

Furthermore, the Road Departure Mitigation System with Lane Departure Warning (RDM with LDW) was also demonstrated. The RDM feature prevents the vehicle from leaving the road. Lane Departure Warning (LDW), on the other hand, notifies the driver when the car is going off course. The system only does this when the driver departs the lane without using the turn signal lights.

Participants also got to experience the latest addition to the Honda SENSING suite of safety features, the Lead Car Departure Notification System (LCDN). It alerts the driver of the vehicle when the car in front has moved ahead from a standstill.

Lastly, the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) warns and helps the driver avoid a frontal collision or reduce the impact when unavoidable by providing the driver with visual and audible warnings. It will also automatically apply the brakes when necessary. The audible alarm will stop once the system detects that there is no more risk of collision.

These improved Honda SENSING features are a result of a single monocular camera with a wider field of view compared to previous iterations of Honda SENSING, combined with improved software offering better vehicle, motorcycle, bicycle, pedestrian, and road marking recognition.

As the All-New Civic boasts a 5-star safety rating under the new 2021 ASEAN NCAP assessment, safety and peace of mind were thoughtfully considered during the drive through the roads of Tagaytay and Nasugbu. The experience also allowed the All-New Civic to highlight its other standard safety features across all variants such as the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) and Hill Start Assist (HSA). Other safety features also include Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), Child Lock, ISOFIX Child Seat Anchor, Security Alarm, and Immobilizer. Driver and Front Passenger Airbags and Side Airbags are also available across all variants.

Overall, the test drive event gave the participants a safe and exciting first-hand experience of the driving capabilities and ride comfort of the All-New Civic. With its stylish exterior styling, comfortable and spacious interior, advanced safety, and technology features, the All-New Civic with Honda SENSING proves its command of different driving conditions.

The All-New Civic is available in all 37 Honda Car dealerships nationwide with the following variants, suggested retail prices (SRP), and colors:

Variants and Suggested Retail Price:

• S Turbo CVT Honda SENSING - PHP 1,290,000
• V Turbo CVT Honda SENSING - PHP 1,498,000
• RS Turbo CVT Honda SENSING - PHP 1,690,000

Colors:

• Morning Mist Blue Metallic (new color; V Turbo CVT Honda SENSING and S Turbo CVT Honda SENSING)
• Meteoroid Grey Metallic (new color; RS Turbo CVT Honda SENSING, V Turbo CVT Honda SENSING, and S Turbo CVT Honda SENSING)
• Ignite Red Metallic (exclusively for RS Turbo CVT Honda SENSING)
• Platinum White Pearl (RS Turbo CVT Honda SENSING and V Turbo CVT Honda SENSING only)
• Lunar Silver Metallic (exclusively for S Turbo CVT Honda SENSING)

*Platinum White Pearl- Additional PHP 20,000

Head on to Honda’s VIRTUAL SHOWROOM now or visit the nearest Honda Cars dealership to know more about the All-New Civic, the Honda SENSING, and the latest promos and offers from Honda.