The new 2021 Honda Civic sedan is a carry-over model pounding 158 hp and 174 hp across the lineup for a base price tag of $21,250.
Having a complete redesign in the 2022 MY, the 2021 Honda Civic comes as a carry-over model with the same 158 hp and 174 hp power curves across the lineup. Priced at a base MSRP of $21,250, the Civic 2021 can get as expensive as $28,300 as we prefer the trim hierarchy of LX, Sport, EX, EX-L, and Touring where the LX and Sport relish only the 158 hp thump exclusively. However, its Honda Sensing remains standard for all irrespective of price tags.
The Honda Civic 2021 continues to be boosted for sale against the rivals like the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra, and Mazda 3 with its spacious interior cabin and decent 15.1 cu-ft cargo capacity. Though Honda has dropped the Civic Si model this year, for a spicier flavor, the 306-hp Civic 2.0 Type R still fists in style on the tracks, costing $38,910 in the meantime.
With EX trim of the 2021 Honda Civic, one lands on the most balanced configuration. Having heated front seats with power adjustment, a 7.0-inch infotainment system, bigger 18-inch wheels, and a 1.5L turbocharged engine all being standard at once is simply the best-in-line experience for anyone. All of them make it better packed compared to higher trim as per investment while its upgraded safety gears place it over the likes of lower trims.
"The Civic has a sterling history of reliability, high resale value, practicality, safety, and efficiency." - Kelley Blue Book
The 2021 Honda Civic is offered in 5 trims, ranging between an MSRP of $21,250 - $28,300. The base LX and Sport trims feature a 2.0L, Naturally Aspirated (NA) engine as standard, and the EX trim and above offer the more powerful 1.5L Turbo engine. For a bump of $1800 over the standard LX, the Sport trim offers paddle shifters, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, 7.0-inch infotainment with 8 speakers, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.
The range-topping 2021 Civic Touring brings upscale luxury in the form of Heated Rear Seat outboards, Voice Recognition, a 450-watt 10-speaker audio system, Sat-Nav, and LED Headlamps with Auto On/Off feature. On the Exterior, If you like the black accents on the Sport trim, you get it as a $2,576 option for the Touring trim, adding sporty cues like 18-inch black alloy wheels, black interior panel, lower doors, and grille.
Model |
LX |
Sport |
EX |
EX-L |
Touring |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MSRP(CVT) |
$21,250 |
$23,050 |
$24,400 |
$25,600 |
$28,300 |
Key Features |
Honda Sensing |
Adds/Upgrades to LX Trim |
Adds/Upgrades to Sport Trim |
Adds/Upgrades to EX Trim |
Adds/Upgrades to EX-L Trim |
Multi-angle Rear-view Camera |
Apple Carplay and Android Auto integration |
8-Way Power Driver’s Seat |
Leather-Trimmed Seats |
Heated Rear Seats |
|
4-speaker audio |
Leather-Wrapped Steering Wheel and Shift Knob |
One-touch Power Moonroof |
Automatic-Dimming Rearview Mirror |
Honda Satellite-Link Navigation System |
|
Driver Selectable Mode |
7-inch Display Audio Touchscreen |
Heated Front Seats |
HomeLink Remote System |
450-Watt Premium Audio System |
|
16 inches wheels | 18 inches Alloy wheels |
17 inches Alloy Wheels |
|
LED Headlights with Auto-On/Off |
"Its fun-to-drive nature and focus on practicality makes the Honda Civic a compact car we're happy to recommend." - Car and Driver
With a standard CVT gearbox, the 2021 Honda Civic jolts with two engine options: a 2.0L I-4 engine producing 158 HP and 138 lb-ft of torque, and a 1.5L Turbo I-4 engine making 174 HP and 162 lb-ft torque. The 2.0L motor is offered with the base LX and Sport trims. For the 1.5 Turbo engine, the 2021 Civic range kicks at $24,400 from EX trim onwards.
Having a Driver Selectable Mode of ECON, Normal and Sport, one feels the confidence to make shifts specifically for the Civic Sport and Civic Touring configuration. That being said, the strut suspension on the front and multi-link suspension on the rear maintain the wheel geometry on the corner dives for decent stability without compromising on traction.
Coming on the performance front, the Civic hits the ground to accelerate from 0-60 MPH in 8.2 seconds while the quarter-mile takes 16.3 seconds. Also, a top speed of 119 MPH is just a moment of flooring away. However, the ventilated 11.1-inch and 10.1-inch disc brakes in the front and rear respectively in pairing with ABS and Brake Assist keep the surge limited.
Model |
2021 Honda Civic |
2021 Toyota Corolla |
2021 Mazda 3 |
2021 Hyundai Elantra |
---|---|---|---|---|
MSRP |
$21,250 |
$24,200 |
$20,650 |
$19,650 |
Engine |
2.0L Inline-4 |
2.0L Inline-4 |
2.0L Inline-4 |
2.0L Inline-4 |
Transmission |
CVT |
6-Speed Manual |
6-Speed Automatic |
CVT |
Drivetrain |
FWD |
FWD | FWD | FWD |
Power |
158 hp @ 6,500 RPM |
169 hp @ 6,600 RPM |
155 hp @ 6,000 RPM |
147 hp @ 6,200 RPM |
Torque |
138 lb-ft @ 4,200 RPM |
151 lb-ft @ 4,400 RPM |
150 lb-ft @ 4,000 RPM |
132 lb-ft @ 4,500 RPM |
0-60 MPH |
8.2 secs |
8.2 secs |
7.9 secs |
8.3 secs |
Quarter Mile |
16.3 secs |
16.2 secs |
16.2 secs |
16.4 secs |
Top Speed |
119 MPH |
117 MPH |
116 MPH |
116 MPH |
Based on the data, the Civic is 0.3 seconds slower than the Mazda 3 in 0-60 MPH sprint but is 3 MPH faster on the straight in its top speed punch. On the other hand, the Corolla is almost $3,000 more expensive yet is only at par with the Civic in 0-60 MPH. However, it falls short by 7 MPH against the Civic in terms of its redline.
"Honda proves that power and fuel efficiency need not be mutually exclusive." - Car and Driver
The 2021 Honda Civic range can be as much as 409 miles on average with its combined mileage return of 33 MPG and 12.4-gallon fuel tank. However, one can even achieve 42 MPG on the highways if the Civic turbo is employed.
Model |
2021 Honda Civic |
2021 Toyota Corolla |
2021 Mazda 3 |
2021 Hyundai Elantra |
---|---|---|---|---|
MPG (City) |
30 |
29 |
28 |
33 |
MPG (Highway) |
38 |
36 |
36 |
43 |
MPG (Combined) |
33 |
32 |
31 |
37 |
Fuel Capacity (Gallons) |
12.4 |
13.2 |
13.2 |
14.0 |
Range (City/Hwy/Combined) |
372/471/409 |
383/475/422 |
370/475/409 |
462/602/518 |
Going by the mileage, the Civic is 2 MPG more efficient than the Mazda 3 but has a 0.8-gallon smaller fuel tank resulting in a parallel range economy. While, the Elantra enjoys a gap of 109 miles over Civic with its 1.6-gallon larger fuel capacity and 3 MPG better mileage.
"The overall interior design of the Civic is practical and straightforward and doesn't pretend to be anything other than family-friendly." - Carbuzz
The 2021 Honda Civic's cabin is modern and very spacious, but at the same time, with rotary dials and sub-par plastics, "stylish" may not be the right word for it. It seats up to five adults with ease across the two rows for all trims along with sunroof from EX onwards. With the 2021 Civic, finding the perfect seating position is pretty convenient with the power-adjustable front row seats (EX, EX-L and Touring Trims only).
If you expand your budget to $24,200 for the EX trim you’ll get heated front seats. Meanwhile, for those willing to spend $28,600, the 2021 Civic Touring offers an even more impressive list of standard features including leather upholstery and rear heated row. Practicality is well catered in the Honda Civic too as the cargo capacity of 15.1 cu. ft. happens to be the highest in its class.
Model |
2021 Honda Civic |
2021 Toyota Corolla |
2021 Mazda 3 |
2021 Hyundai Elantra |
---|---|---|---|---|
Seating Capacity |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Front Row (Head/ Shoulder/ Leg) (in.) |
39.3/ 57.0/ 42.3 |
38.3/ 54.0/ 42.0 |
38.0/ 54.8/ 42.3 |
40.6/ 56.5/ 42.3 |
Rear Row (Head/ Shoulder/ Leg) (in.) |
37.1/ 55.0/ 37.4 |
37.1/ 51.7/ 34.8 |
37.2/ 53.5/ 35.1 |
37.3/ 55.6/ 38.0 |
Cargo Capacity (cu. ft.) |
15.1 |
13.1 |
13.2 | 14.2 |
Compared to the competition, the Civic has got a 2 cu-ft larger cargo capacity than the Toyota Corolla and Mazda 3. This variation reduces to 1 cu-ft when it confronts the Hyundai Elantra. In terms of seating space, the Corolla is a little more cramped in the rear row than the Civic due to its 2.6-inch smaller legroom. Coming down to the infotainment systems, the entry-spec Civic LX trim is fitted with a 5.0-inch touchscreen and a 4-speaker sound system.
Every other model gets a 7.0-inch touchscreen display. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity have been integrated as standards too. Upfront, two USB ports, and a single 12-volt outlet are available, but the rear is kept bereft of any. In terms of exclusivity, one gets a Honda Satellite Navigation System for the Touring to track yourself. Some of the notable interior and infotainment features of the 2021 Honda Civic are:
"The Civic sedan's fastback profile resembles the Accord" - Autoblog
The exterior styling refinements made to the 2021 Honda Civic sedan lineup include a blackened Honda-signature "wing" grille crossbar and the headlights getting a sporty blackout treatment. The new 2021 Civic sedan will be offered with a choice of 8 different colors: Crystal Black Pearl, Cosmic Blue Metallic, Aegean Blue Metallic, Rallye Red, Modern Steel Metallic, Lunar Silver Metallic, Platinum White Pearl, and Molten Lava Pearl.
The Honda Civic sedan remains mostly unchanged from its predecessor, however, the 2022 Honda Civic will mark an all-new generation of the automotive marque. The 2021 Civic sedan still gets the distinctive sport-back design as its outgoing version and will come with LED headlights and taillights along with 18-inch alloy wheels as standard for the Touring edition.
Model |
2021 Honda Civic |
2021 Toyota Corolla |
2021 Mazda Mazda3 |
2021 Hyundai Elantra |
---|---|---|---|---|
Curb Weight (lbs.) |
2,771 |
3,110 |
3,100 |
2,725 |
Length (in.) |
182.7 |
182.5 |
183.5 |
184.1 |
Width (in.) |
70.9 |
70.1 |
70.7 |
71.9 |
Height (in.) |
55.7 |
56.7 |
56.9 |
55.7 |
Ground Clearance (in.) |
6.3 |
5.3 |
5.5 |
5.3 |
Wheelbase (in.) |
106.3 |
106.3 |
107.3 |
107.1 |
In terms of exterior dimensions, the Civic weighs almost 250 lbs lighter than the Corolla and Mazda and so does the Hyundai Elantra. This translates to a considerably lower foward dive on braking and lower lateral shift on the corners for both Civic and Elantra, thereby, improving the dynamics. On top of that, the Civic has 1-inch higher ground clearance too than the rests for an easy travel of the platform. Some of the notable exterior features are:
"It just might be the best sport compact currently on sale." - MotorTrend
The 2021 Honda Civic scores the highest possible rating of “Good” in all IIHS crashworthiness tests along with the 2021 Top Safety Pick award. It even marks an overall 5-star NHTSA safety rating. In addition to these, one gets the preference of the Honda Sensing suite of driver-assist features and other advanced assets that have been mentioned below:
In terms of exterior design, the 2021 Honda Civic steals the show in comparison to the Corolla. Both the sedans do however have a premium interior but Corolla's infotainment system is easier to use even though it lacks Android Auto compatibility. But in an overall sense, the Toyota Corolla is the closest competitor to the Civic and puts up quite the battle.
The 2021 Mazda 3 has always been a very radical offering in this segment. But, comfort is a key aspect in which Mazda has made a lot of sacrifices to bring about its award-winning form factor. It's not much but when you pitch it against the well-balanced Honda Civic that has made its name in practicality, space, and reliability, the premium tag of the Mazda 3 sedan quite doesn't keep it afloat.
The 2021 Honda Civic is a much better package overall and holds practicality and reliability as its strong points. But the all-new Hyundai Elantra has made strides in this and with impressive new radical looks and ample performance, it adds up to the previously lagging reliability and practicality boxes. It sure has made the right changes and Honda should be rightfully careful here.
For consumers looking for a modern and smartly styled sedan with practical interiors, outstanding resale, reliability ratings, along with a flexible choice of peppy powertrains, the 2021 Honda Civic is a splendid specimen for $21,250. Its arch-nemesis, the 2021 Toyota Corolla gives it a very tough fight, and we would stack it neck-on-neck, in all aspects.