Honda Civic gets updated for 2025 model year

The current 11th-generation Honda Civic was launched in the Philippine market in late 2021. Now that it’s reaching the three-year-old phase this year, the time is just about right for Honda to introduce a few changes.

In fact, Honda in the US market has given us a preview of what to expect with the Civic’s minor model change for the 2025 model year. They announced the return of the Civic hybrid in the US market, and along with it came a few photos of the facelifted 11th-generation model.

The changes are fairly subtle, and they mirror the redesigned front bumper design we first saw with the Japan-market Civic RS hatchback. There’s a larger front grille and lower intake that has a honeycomb design. The side intakes that used to house LED foglights have been revised and became slimmer; a bit closer to the Civic Type R’s design.

Honda did not reveal much at the back apart from the Sport Touring and Hybrid badges. The Civic hybrid previewed was wearing smoked taillight lenses, which could indicate the Sport Touring is the equivalent of the RS variant here in the Philippines.

Lastly, the visible changes for the 2025 model year are a handsome set of diamond-cut 18-inch alloy wheels. We would not be surprised if the wheel eventually finds its way to various old and new Honda vehicles with a 5x114.3 bolt pattern, as it’s a common practice for Honda enthusiasts who want that “OEM+” style look.

Honda also said the 2025 Civic will get “feature enhancements”, but did not provide much information about it. Most probably, the “feature enhancements” could mean new additions to the Civic’s infotainment system, the LaneWatch cameras, or even new features in the Honda Sensing ADAS.

As for the engine, the Civic is likely to retain its 1.5-liter VTEC Turbo unit, while the e:HEV version is something to look forward to as it has more power and more torque than the ICE version. We found the e:HEV powertrain in the all-new CR-V as a more potent and more engaging package than the standard 1.5 turbo, and we believe it should be the same for the Civic as it shares the same platform with the CR-V.

With Honda USA labeling the updated Civic for the 2025 model year, this means the US market could be getting it by around the second half of 2024. As for the Philippine market, we’ll have to wait for the ASEAN market version to be launched before making any realistic guesses as to when it will arrive here.