Honda adds +Luxe to Civic hatch line-up

HONDA Australia has introduced a new limited-edition Civic hatchback in the form of the +Luxe grade that retails for $29,990 driveaway and adds a number of high-end touches to the lower-spec VTi-S variant.

Though the donor car retails for $24,490 before on-road costs, the +Luxe variant adds leather-appointed seats, heated front pews, power-adjustable driver’s chair and bespoke +Luxe badging.

Premium paint is also standard on the +Luxe, which is available in four colours – Brilliant Sporty Blue, Lunar Silver and Modern Steel in a metallic sheen, or Platinum White with a pearlescent finish.

This is in addition to the already standard keyless entry, push-button start, front and rear parking sensors, LaneWatch blind-spot camera system, 16-inch wheels, leather-wrapped steering wheel and front foglights.

No changes have been made to the powertrain, which is a 1.8-litre atmo four-cylinder engine that produces 104kW of power at 6500rpm and 174Nm of torque from 4300rpm.

Drive is fed to the front wheels via a continuously variable automatic transmission, which returns a 6.4 litre per 100km fuel economy rating when in VTi-S form.

Honda Australia director Stephen Collins said he believes the +Luxe grade will perform well on the sales charts as the brand’s end-of-financial year campaign kicks off this month.

“The Civic range continues to be a strong performer in the small car class, particularly with private buyers, while our limited edition models have proven to be popular with customers looking for a great deal,” he said.

“When lined up against its key competitors, the Civic +Luxe hatch offers a superior level of style and sophistication, while also delivering outstanding value for money to customers in the market for a new hatchback.”

For the first five months of 2019, Honda’s Civic sales (hatch and sedan) have slipped 25.8 per cent to 4391 units for sixth place in the sub-$40,000 small car segment behind the Mazda3 (12,682), Toyota Corolla (11,882), Hyundai i30 (11,033), Kia Cerato (8541) and Volkswagen Golf (6238).

However, the Civic remains Honda Australia’s most popular passenger car, and is placed third behind the brand’s CR-V (5541) and HR-V (4901) SUVs, but ahead of Jazz (2622), Odyssey (684), City (362), Accord (66) and NSX (two) in year-to-date sales.