Honda moving up mid-cycle refresh of Civic amidst criticism

In response to a harsh criticism from reviewers and the model's first failure to earn a coveted Recommended rating from Consumer Reports in recent memory, the automaker has apparently decided to pull ahead the model's refresh to 2013 instead of 2014. The report quotes John Mendel, American Honda Executive Vice President, as saying that his company is "appropriately energized" by feedback from critics and customers alike. At the same time, the executive stressed that he wasn't sure exactly how much the manufacturer could do or how quickly it could be accomplished.

Critics have specifically found issue with the vehicle's overly soft handling and muddled, plastic-laden dash design, especially as competition in the segment has matured and grown even more compelling. While the 2012 Honda Civic initially saw a spike in consumer interest, shoppers may have trickled off; something that analysts say is highly unusual for any Honda model, let alone this onetime leader of the compact segment.

What will the refresh bring? We can only imagine that Honda will work to cure the ails that Consumer Reports has specifically called out by improving the interior and rolling in additional content.