The 2014 Honda Civic Coupe boasts a new exterior that significantly increases its curb appeal so that it now looks like a sporty 2-door coupe, but the drive is more smooth and easy like its sedan stablemate.
| STATS | Starting Retail Price | As Tested Price | HP / Lb-Ft |
| 2014 Honda Civic Coupe EX | $21,090 | $21,090 | 143/129 |
| EPA Rating MPG | As Tested MPG | ||
| Rating: BUY IT! | 29/38/33 | 35.2 |
The last time they changed-up the Honda Civic Coupe was in 2012 and the results were less than well-received. Honda heard everyone, and they went back to the drawing board to bring us this 2014 Honda Civic Coupe with a whole new look that is much, much better.
A coupe needs to look sporty and this one manages to look very sporty with a new grille and headlights as well as new taillights and bumpers. It hardly resembles its former self, which is a relief. Now it looks modern, aggressive, and sporty, instead of like a sedan with just two fewer doors.
The interior also got some attention and is a nicer environment in every way. There’s less plastic and more cushy surfaces for resting your elbows. The materials feel and look better so the overall impression is one of quality rather than bargain basement cost cutter.
The instrument cluster shouldn’t really be called a cluster as it extends out across the dash to present a lot of information in just one glance. Things are spread out further towards the passenger side than in many vehicles and it works, keeping your eyes never far from the road as only a slight glance down is required to see everything.
The 7″ display screen used to access the infotainment system and also display the rearview camera is well-placed, but suffers from horrible glare issues. In particular, if you open up the sunroof you either can’t see the screen at all, or risk being blinding for life by the reflection from its surface. A minor issue, but one that will definitely irritate on warm, summer days.
A feature that you will grow to love is LaneWatch which activates along with your right turn signal and shows your blind spot on the display screen. It’s angled down pretty far, so you really get a good shot of the curb which can be incredibly helpful if you’re cutting a tight corner where the curb could get you in trouble.
The 2014 Honda Civic Coupe has a 143 horsepower 1.8 liter 4-cylinder engine with 129 lb-ft of torque all hooked up to a CVT. It’s one of the smoother CVTs out there and it manages the car well. You’ll find plenty of power off the line, though it definitely falls short of the sporty promise of its exterior.
The same is true of handling. It’s smooth, tight, and well-centered, but is feels for all the world like a sedan. It looks like a sports coupe inside and out, yes, but that’s where the sports part of the equation ends. This drives like a sedan.
It’s also available with a manual transmission and there are sportier trims available. That’s likely where you’ll want to be looking if you want the drive to match the looks.
On the other hand, if you want the fun looks of a sports coupe, but the smooth, comfortable, un-fussy drive of a sedan, then the 2014 Honda Civic Coupe EX is a great option.
On the TFLcar scale of:
- Buy it!
- Lease it!
- Rent it!
- … or Forget it!
I give the 2014 Honda Civic Coupe a Buy It!
Check out our video review of the 2014 Honda Civic Coupe…
Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.
