- Honda is adding a cheaper LX base trim to the 2023 CR-V, as first reported by Capital One.
- The 2023 Civic is adding the LX back as well, and it now starts at $25,000.
- Honda says that these LX models will help the company increase production.
Honda is slashing the base price of two of its most popular models, the Civic and CR-V, thanks to the re-introduction of the base LX trim level. Both previously dropped this value-leader model for 2023, but a Honda spokesperson told CD Honda decided to add the LX back due to “unprecedented demand”.
That’s good news for shoppers on the price front, as this drops the base price of the 2023 Civic by $1,400 and the 2023 CR-V by $3,200. Honda also says it should help on the availability front, as these lesser equipped vehicles will not be production-limited by lack of a microchip.
The 2023 CR-V LX starts at $29,705 and does without most of the equipment offered on the EX. It has 17-inch steel wheels with hubcaps instead of the EX’s 18-inch wheels, and a manual driver’s seat instead of the EX’s power-adjustable seat. And there’s no sunroof, heated front seats, or blind-spot monitoring system. But it has the same 190-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four engine and offers all-wheel drive as a $1,500 option like the other CR-V trim levels.
The Civic LX, which starts at $24,545 for the sedan and $25,545 for the hatchback, is similarly understated compared to the Civic Sport that sits higher in the lineup. It has a 158-hp 2.0-liter inline-four and comes only with a CVT automatic; The Sport and Sport Touring trims of the hatchback still offer a manual, but you’ll pay more for them.
The LX variant isn’t listed on Honda’s consumer site yet, but we found the CR-V LX listed in dealer inventory. Honda says the LX will be added to the website in the coming weeks.
senior editor
Despite growing up on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Caparella developed a passion for the automotive industry during his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually inspired him to relocate to Ann Arbor, Michigan for his first professional auto-writing gig. automobile magazine, he has been part of car and driver Team since 2016 and now resides in New York City.