2023 Honda Civic: A Trim Comparison

On Oct 25, 2023

With Honda’s high reputation for reliability and durability, the Honda Civic one of the best compact cars on the market. The 2023 Honda Civic lineup returns somewhat changed this year, dropping the LX trim in favor of the returning Type R trim.

Honda Civic Trim Lineup

It has several different trims. Each trim offers a different balance of comfort, performance, and affordability. Our guide breaks down each trim to help you make a choice you can feel good about. Compare Civic models and find the right option for you!

Sport

The 2023 Honda Civic Sport starts at $24,650. It comes standard with a CVT transmission, but you can also opt to change it to a manual transmission, which is free if you opt for the hatchback model. The engine is a 2.0L four-cylinder that’s capable of 158 horsepower and 138 pound-foot of torque.

The Civic has some nice features like Honda Sensing and multi-angle rearview camera with guidelines, Bluetooth, automatic climate control, a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone integration, and eight-speaker sound system and keyless entry among other features. Furthermore, the Sport sedan has a folding rear seat, but the hatchback model gives you 60/40-split-folding seats. This is the best trim in terms of gas mileage, because you’ll get up to 31 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway.

Other features that come standard are part of the Honda Sensing suite. Some of these features include lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, forward collision warning, forward automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control.

EX and EX-L

When comparing the 2023 Honda Civic Sport versus the EX, its is basically an upgrade from the Sport. The 2023 Honda Civic EX is equipped with a 180-horsepower turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and a CVT, plus it offers more in the way of features. The EX-L is the hatchback version.

The smaller additions to the EX make it a much better choice when compared to the Sport. The exterior adds a one-touch power moonroof and heated outside mirrors. On the inside, you get dual-zone climate control, 60/40 split-folding rear seats, a rear-center armrest and heated front seats. For safety, there’s blindspot monitoring to assist you on the road. Get this starting at $26,050.

The EX-L gives you upgraded leather seating and a power-adjustable drivers seat for a total of $27,100.

Touring and Sport Touring

The Honda Civic Touring is the next level of splurging and starts at $29,650. It has all the features any driver could want for safety, comfort, and sensibility. Under the hood, the Touring trims are the same as the EX models. However, the exterior of the Touring adds LED foglights headlights with auto on-off functionality, side mirror turn indicators,18-inch wheels and rain-sensing windshield wipers. The interior gets a number of significant upgrades.

One of the features is a 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster. The 9-inch display infotainment system includes a Honda satellite-linked navigation system with voice recognition and Honda HD digital traffic. Additionally, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wireless device charging, HD radio, satellite radio, and an additional USB ports. Its speaker system is a 12-speaker stereo. The sedan version comes with leather seating for this trim, as well the Sport Touring hatchback model for $30,650.

On top of all that, you’ll get more safety features too – including rear cross-traffic alert and front and rear parking sensors.

Honda Civic Si

The Si is the sportiest version of the Civic sedan that starts at $28,100. The engine in this model is upgraded to a turbocharged 200-horsepower 1.5-liter four-cylinder, which comes with a six-speed manual transmission.

Most of the features are carried over from the Sport trim except that the Si features two-tone cloth upholstery, front seats with larger side bolsters, and a limited-slip differential. Also standard with this trim are wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, the 9-inch touch screen, 12-speaker audio system, satellite radio, and moonroof. On top of that, you’ll get blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and a limited-slip differential.

Type R

Lastly, after sitting out last year, the Type R returns with a powerful 315-horsepower engine. It’s a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, to be exact. The Type R is said to start at around $43,990. The trim offers most of the Si features and plenty more where that came from. High-performance Brembo brakes, 19-inch wheels, an oil cooler, adaptive suspension, a center exhaust with three outlets, a rear wing and a data logging system are just some of the extras included.

It’s also worth noting, two-tone synthetic suede upholstery with sport front seats and a two-person rear seat, dual-zone automatic climate control, a 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster, navigation and wireless device charging are all included. This model easily offers the biggest difference between the Honda Civic models.

(Featured images via Honda)

Conclusion

It’s easy to see why the Honda Civic is such a popular option for drivers. Offering great performance, state-of-the-art features and terrific value for the price, it’s one of the best compact cars you can get for your money. If you are looking for something a little larger, you may want to check out the Accord.