- Honda is adding a cheaper LX base trim to the 2023 CR-V, as first reported by Capital One.
- The 2023 Civic is adding back the LX, too, and it now starts under $25,000.
- Honda says these LX models should help the company ramp up production.
Honda is lowering the base price of two of its most popular models, the Civic and CR-V, thanks to the reintroduction of the base LX trim level. Both had previously dropped this price-leader model for 2023 but a Honda spokesperson told C/D that Honda decided to add back the LX due to "unprecedented demand."
That's good news for shoppers on the price front, as it causes the 2023 Civic's base price to drop by $1400 and the 2023 CR-V's to drop by $3200. Honda also says that it should help on the availability front, as these less well-equipped vehicles won't be as production-limited by the microchip shortage.
The 2023 CR-V LX starts at $29,705 and does without much 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 it doesn't have a sunroof, heated front seats, or a blind-spot monitoring system. But it does have the same 190-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four engine and it offers all-wheel drive as a $1500 option like other CR-V trim levels.
The Civic LX, which starts at $24,545 for the sedan and $25,545 for the hatchback, is similarly decontented compared with the Civic Sport that sits a level higher in the lineup. It has a 158-hp 2.0-liter inline-four and comes only with a CVT automatic; the hatchback's Sport and Sport Touring trims still offer a manual, but you'll pay more for those.
Neither LX version is listed yet on Honda's consumer site yet but we found CR-V LXs listed in dealer inventory. Honda says the LXs will be added to the website within the coming weeks.
Despite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout 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 led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.
