It is hard to imagine that it has been over a year since the Honda celebrated the 40th birthday of the Civic brand by releasing the redesigned 2012 Civic Model. Sounds like great plan right debut a new civic right on a major brand milestone, it sounds like a truly good will story. Unfortunately Honda was completely caught off when the 2012 Civic and Civic Si were racked over the coals for not being a big-enough leap forward and, where interior materials were concerned, taking a step backwards.

2013 Honda Civic – Showing off all of its new shiny bits

Sure the new car looked an awful lot the old one, and sure it wasn’t on par with the Civic’s competition on the fuel economy front, but these another negative factors did not seem to deter the population of North America from purchasing one. In fact the Civic remains one of the best-selling cars on the continent.

The first thing you’ll notice is the updated exterior styling. Civic sedans get new chrome-trimmed upper and lower grilles, new bumpers, new head- and taillight lenses, and reshaped sheetmetal for the hood and trunk. Chrome accents adorn the new grille and lower front bumper, making the car look more distinctive in a class that’s gained a lot of style in recent years which can also be said about the model ranges new selection of rims. While they were at it, Honda’s engineers made a few alterations to the underlying body structure to improve rigidity and increase the Civic’s chances of success in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s new small-overlap crash test. Note that the engine and transmission options have not changed and that the above styling revisions only affect the 4-door Civic; the coupe’s styling remains the same.

2013 Honda Civic – Front 3/4 view

The revisions are more than skin deep, though. The 2013 Civic gets the latest version of Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure, dubbed ACE II. It features additional structures designed to disperse crash energy in small-overlap front-end collisions, something the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has recently begun evaluating. Honda expects the 2013 Civic will get the top rating in this new IIHS crash test. Other safety features include side curtain airbags with a rollover sensor, and forward-collision and lane-departure warning systems go in the Civic Hybrid.

2013 Honda Civic – Rear 3/4

While the coupe doesn’t benefit from the exterior styling tweaks, both models have an upgraded interior with revised upholstery, soft-touch materials and new silver accents. The Civic also comes with additional standard equipment including an i-MID display, a rear view camera, an exterior temperature gauge and Bluetooth/USB/iPod connectivity. Lastly, there’s additional sound deadening material and a thicker windscreen to limit noise, vibration and harshness.

2013 Honda Civic – Interior Shot

Honda won’t wait long to get the new Civics out on the street – the improved LX and EX sedans will go on sale the same day the car is unveiled at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, with coupes, Hybrids, Si, HF and Natural Gas models to follow over the next two months.