Consumer Reports’ First Drive of 2013 Honda Civic: Did They Change Their Mind?

In the 100-plus year-old history of the motoring press, countless cars have been panned. Their makers have reacted in one of three ways: they have either refuted the verdict, often trying to “punish” the offending reviewer, ignored it and went on with their business as if nothing happened or made improvements when the time came to revamp the car.

Honda got pretty upset about the press’ reaction to its 2012 U.S. market Civic to the extent that it gave it a makeover just in time for the 2013 model year. Introducing a significantly improved model 18 months later must be an industry first – but then again, reviews like the one published by Consumer Reports apparently were too much to bear, even if sales soared.

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2013 Honda Civic Sedan and Coupe: All You Need to Know and See [113 Photos and Videos]

It’s not often that an established car company, such as Honda, flops on one of its most important new models. It’s even more surprising when that model, despite being panned by the press, proves to be a hit with the customers.

As you may be aware by now, that’s exactly what happened just 18 months ago when the Japanese carmaker revealed the ninth generation of the Civic: it got panned by Consumer Reports, which denied it a “recommended” rating and dropped it to the bottom of its list. As a result, CEO Takanobu Ito apologized in public and the company rushed in a facelift.

In spite of the 2012 Civic sales being up 40 percent, to 234,029 units, through September, making Honda’s compact model the sixth best-selling car in the U.S., its replacement was unveiled at the LA Auto Show.

The 2013 Civic has received a host of changes that seek to address criticism aimed at the 2012 model. The Coupe remains unchanged, save for new wheels, but the sedan features a black honeycomb mesh grille, new clear-lens corner lights and a taller, more sculpted hood up front and a new trunk lid, taillights and restyled bumper at the rear.

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First Look at 2013 Honda Civic Sedan's Interior and Si Sports Edition

It's only a matter of hours before Honda gives us a talk- and a walk-around the refreshed 2013 Civic at its scheduled press conference at the Los Angeles Motor Show, but in the meantime, here are some new pictures of the compact saloon.

To be more specific, what we have here are the first photos of the car's updated interior and the exterior of the sportier Civic Si edition, which follow an earlier pair of images showing the mid-level EX-L grade.

Honda has taken a lot of flak from the press for the current generation Civic's interior. Consumer Reports, for example, had said that the cabin "feels cheap" and is "a letdown from previous Civics".

From this image, we see that Honda has made some changes to the design of the dashboard, which now features a new center section with different air vents, new controls for the air conditioning system and at least in this grade, more upscale trim with silver finishes and leather padding on the passenger side and the upper parts of the door panels.

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Facelifted 2013 Honda Civic Sedan Bows Ahead of LA Auto Show Debut

Even for a Japanese company, the redesign of a brand new model just 18 months after its launch onto the market is a surprising move and it suggests that there was something wrong with the car to begin with.

It all started with a hammering of the (North American market) ninth generation of the Honda Civic by Consumer Reports, which dropped the car from its "Recommended List" and continued with an admission from Honda Motor CEO Takanobu Ito that the compact model wasn't what it should have been.

Surprisingly, despite all the pounding from the press, the Civic increased its sales this year by 40 percent through September, to 234,029 units…

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New 78.5 MPG Honda Civic 1.6-litre i-DTEC Diesel Priced from £19,400 in Britain

There's a new fuel-efficient model joining the European market Honda Civic hatchback's range, one which is equipped with the Japanese brand's freshly revealed 1.6-liter i-DTEC diesel engine.

Following its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show in September and before it goes on sale in January of 2013, Honda announced pricing for the 1.6 i-DTEC Civic that starts from £19,400 (equal to US$31,100 or €24,200) for the base SE model, rising to £20,595 for the ES and £23,175 for the top-of-the-range EX.

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Buyers Disagree with Consumer Reports Recommendations, Civic, Passat Sales Soar

You may recall Honda’s 2012 Civic comprehensively hammered last year by Consumer Reports. The publication's verdict was such a big blow that Honda decided to speed-up its next redesign and its CEO took responsibility for its poor performance.

One would expect its sales to slump; but instead, they have gotten through the roof. Civic deliveries have increased this year by 40 percent through September, to 234,029 units and Honda’s compact car is on course to regain the segment crown in the U.S. after finishing third last year behind the Toyota Corolla and Chevrolet Cruze.

This brings up an interesting question: how much does automotive experts’ testing weigh on buyers’ decision when the time comes to buy a new car?

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