Honda Civic 2013 first impressions at UAE launch

When we were at the GCC launch of the 2013 Honda Accord in Dubai, the Japanese carmaker used the opportunity to launch two other products at the same event. One was an autonomous robot lawn-mower named Miimo that looked like a sleek vacuum cleaner. The other was the facelifted 2013 Honda Civic.

As you may have heard, the new Civic that debuted in late 2011 as a 2012 model was hastily sent back to the drawing board for a quick refresh, after severe criticism from the media and public, even though it was doing fine in sales where it mattered, in the United States market. When we drove it, we criticised it for its cheaper cabin trim, conservative styling and softer handling, but felt it was still a competent car for its target market, hindered largely by its relatively high price.

Displayed at the UAE press conference, the 2013 Civic certainly looks better than what is on sale right now, lifting styling cues found in the America-only Civic Coupe. The exterior features new front and rear styling. It also sits on some newly-designed alloy wheels. Inside, soft-touch materials have been added to the upper sills of the front doors only, while there is a new padded patch of faux stitched-leather on a section of the dashboard that faces the front passenger. That’s about it with the visual changes, although there is talk of tweaks made to the steering and suspension for sharper handling.

The 2013 Honda Civic is set to debut in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and other GCC countries by March this year.

Keep track of future updates in the Honda Civic buyer guide.