2025 Honda Civic facelift coming to Malaysia next month – what to expect from the 11th-gen FE refresh
Honda Malaysia’s first new model introduction for 2025 will happen from the get-go, with the Honda Civic facelift set to make its local debut in January. The timeline for its Malaysian launch was revealed by the company when it opened the order books for the C-segment sedan last week.
The refreshed FE was supposed to have been launched in Malaysia before the year was out, as one of the two new models HMSB had planned to introduce here this year. The delay is minor, given that it is just four months on from its entry into the Thai market.
What can we expect from the facelift of the 11th-gen Civic, of which more than 28,000 units have been sold since it was launched here in January 2022? Well, there’s no mention of variants that will come with the refresh as yet, but it should effectively mirror that offered by the pre-facelift.
The outgoing car was presented in four variants forms, with these being three petrol units, the 1.5L E, 1.5L V and 1.5L RS, and a sole hybrid, the e:HEV 2.0L RS, which sat at the top of the civilian Civic range locally.
That four version line-up should be retained with the refresh. There were whispers going about that one of the lower variants could be dropped, in this case the E, given that most buyers away from the RS – which led the way for the petrol powertrain in terms of sales – tended to opt for the V, but the base version is certain to remain in place, since it is integral to fleet sales (the PDRM uses the E as a patrol car). So, very much status quo in terms of variants offered.
Of course, a facelift means exactly that, and new exterior revisions abound, led by a redesigned front bumper. The changes at the front end introduce a more prominent protruding lower section as well as a thicker grille that reduces the car’s distinctive large ‘forehead’. The grille itself is now a hexagonal honeycomb mesh design for both the main and lower sections.
The look was first presented by the RS Prototype at Tokyo Auto Salon 2024 in January before being seen in series production form days later on the facelift’s debut in the US. Mention has been also made that the e:HEV RS will feature a new 18-inch matte grey alloy wheel design, and it remains to be seen if there are any changes to the petrol wheel design.
As indicated on the facelift for Thailand, the present powertrains will carry over into the refresh unchanged mechanically and in terms of output. On the petrol versions, a 1.5 litre VTEC Turbo four-cylinder engine offering 182 PS at 6,000 rpm and 240 Nm of torque from 1,700 to 4,500 rpm, mated to a CVT, continues to hold court.
Meanwhile, the e:HEV RS is equipped with the automaker’s Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) system as seen previously. This combines a 134 PS and 189 Nm 2.0 litre naturally-aspirated Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine, acting primarily as a generator, with an electric motor, which offers 184 PS (181 hp, or 135 kW) and 315 Nm from 0-2,000 rpm, with power sent to the front wheels via an electric CVT.
Equipment levels on the new car should also remain largely unchanged, from the single-zone air-conditioning on the petrol variants and a dual-zone AC on the hybrid and fabric uphholstery on the base variant and leather on the V onwards to the inclusion of the Honda Connect suite of telematic services, which is presently available from the V grade on.
Some new bits do go on. In Thailand, the nine-inch touchscreen head unit now comes with wireless Android Auto connectivity to join wireless Apple CarPlay available previously, so that should also make its way here on models equipped with the particular Advanced Display Audio HU (the present base E features a seven-inch Display Audio unit).
Buyers can also expect to see a Google built-in setup on the higher-spec variants, although it remains to be seen if the Malaysian-spec e:HEV RS will get the 12-speaker Bose Premium Audio setup as offered on the model in Thailand. Should that come about, it will replace the eight-speaker system seen on the pre-facelift.
As with the pre-FL, all variants of the refreshed Civic will feature the automaker’s Sensing suite of driver assistance systems, consisting of collision mitigation braking (AEB), lane keeping assist, road departure mitigation with land departure warning, adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow and lead car departure notification. The automaker’s LaneWatch camera system has been retained, and so it should again be found on the car from the V grade on.
As for prices, we can expect there to be very little deviation from that seen on the pre-FL, based on pricing seen in Thailand for the facelift, which has been lowered slightly compared to when it the pre-FL was launched in the Kingdom back in August 2021.
Meanwhile, in its final Malaysian price revision made in July 2023, the 1.5E was priced at RM131,900, the 1.5L V at RM144,900 and the 1.5L RS petrol at RM151,900. At that point, the e:HEV RS was priced at RM166,500, but this was then subsequently increased to RM167,900.
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