2021 Honda Civic sedan loses manual gearbox option
If you're pining for a 2021 Honda Civic sedan with a standard six-speed manual gearbox, you're out of luck. Apparently, the Civic sedan is ditching its manual transmission for 2021, which means all Civic sedan models will come with a standard CVT automatic transmission.
The base 2021 Honda Civic LX sedan starts at $22,005 and will come with the CVT. It's $250 more compared to last year's base model, but you do get a CVT gearbox in return. However, this makes it costlier than a base Toyota Corolla sedan equipped with a similar CVT gearbox. With the manual gone, the Civic sedan receives a $250 price increase across the board.
But we have good news for manual fanatics. The 2021 Honda Civic hatchback will retain the six-speed manual shifter on the Sport and Sport Touring trims, while the rest also get a standard CVT. The 2021 Civic Type R soldiers on with the manual, as well. As previously reported, the two-door Civic Si is on hiatus, and this severely limits your options if you want a manual Civic.
This comes as no surprise, and we were kind of expecting the Civic sedan to receive the same fate as the 2021 Accord. The newest Accord is only available with either a CVT or 10-speed automatic transmission, whereas previous models were sold with a standard manual stick shift.
The 2021 Honda Civic LX and Sport remains powered by a 2.0-liter four-banger producing 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque. Meanwhile, higher trim variants have a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder motor with 174 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque.
The new Civic Sport sedan is on sale now and starts at $23,805 while the EX and EX-L have base prices at $25,155 and $25,355, respectively. Lastly, the Civic Touring sedan starts at $29,055.
Manual transmission or not, the 2021 Honda Civic remains a brilliant option in the compact family sedan category. We're still mourning the loss of a manually-operated Civic sedan, but Honda is promising something special in the next-gen 2022 Civic.