2012 Honda Civic Hybrid (photos)

Honda's Civic Hybrid receives a variety of updates for the 2012 model year. Some of those changes are visual and some happen under the hood. Read the full review of the Honda Civic Hybrid.

Up front, a body colored grille with blue highlights, headlamps with a slight bluish tint, and a lower air dam with a smaller opening for less wind resistance.

The Hybrid model also features a small lip spoiler and a light-blue tint over the reversing lights.

The Hybrid's battery pack is located at the back of the trunk and, while it doesn't take up much space, it does block the pass-through into the cabin.

Unique wheels round out the major visual differences between the Hybrid and standard Civic models.

From a dozen or so paces away, you'd be hard pressed to know that there was anything special about this sedan.

However, look under the hood and you'll find a 1.5-liter gasoline engine with Honda's IMA electric assist.

Power flows through a CVT to the front wheels. Users have the ability to select one of three modes: normal, sport, and low.

With the help of the Civic's Econ mode, accessible with this green button, the Hybrid was able to achieve an EPA estimate of 44 city and 44 highway mpg.

Inside, the Hybrid is identical to the standard model.

Honda's dashboard features four separate areas of information delivery.

Firstly, there's the large tachometer which, on a CVT-equipped vehicle, usually just hangs between 2,500 and 3,000rpm.

At the top of the dashboard is this brow, which contains the digital speedometer, fuel gauge, and mpg meter.

To the right of the speedometer, is the I-MID screen. This 5-inch display is where the user can find a variety of information about the vehicle's hybrid and infotainment system.

Users are able to view the status of the battery charge on this screen.

Audio source is also able to be displayed here. In the case of iPod playback, album art is also displayed.

Bluetooth audio streaming and hands-free calling join the Civic's roster of digital audio sources.

The Civic also supports XM Satellite Radio, CD, and USB audio.

Fuel economy information is also able to be displayed here. We were able to achieve the Civic's 44 mpg claim, but not maintain it for the week. We'd dropped to 40.3 mpg when the Civic Hybrid went back to Honda.

The optional Honda Satellite Linked Navigation system is identical to the one in the Civic EX-L that we previously tested. For more info about its inner workings, check out our photos of that vehicle.