2016 Honda Civic trim variants can be confusing for new car buyers

With the expansion of a Honda Sensing ™ active safety option across many 2016 Civic trim levels, buyer beware! It’s up to you to know what you’re buying at the close of sale.

Last week we read of a 2016 Honda Civic Sedan buyer that wasn’t sure that he or she had the Honda Sensing ™ active safety feature on board. Was the buyer’s uncertainty directly related to MSRP, or had an otherwise well meaning sales associate steered the buyer into an appropriate price point?

See that printout on the driver’s side of the Civic, read it!

Granted, there’s much excitement, a bit of angst, distraction, and possible confusion the day that we dig through optional features, trim levels and then commit to a new or used car purchase -- especially the first time around, it’s not always easy.

Last week while reading through a conversation thread on a 10th generation Honda Civic owner’s forum, I tripped upon a question that I believe to be a bit too prevalent in today’s world of what at times seems like a mountain of trim and subsequent option packages. This 2016 Honda Civic buyer wasn’t aware of the limitations of their particular Civic, or what features they had purchased specific to the trim level of their car. Read our most recent 2016 Honda Civic drive experience here.

Honda makes it easier than many makers when it comes to picking the trim package that’s right for you. Here’s an example. However, salespeople, some of them new to the brand, or even worse, working a car lot of multiple brands and specifications, are not always familiar with the new car model, and, will steer a customer into a car based on MSRP and what the buyer is “comfortable” with, as to that monthly car payment, insurance, extended warranty, trade in value, etc.

In the car game, what you see is what you get, usually

Generally, that side window mounted Monroney dealership invoice tells you not only the total MSRP of your car of choice, but the estimated fuel efficiency, engine and transmission specifications, standard and optional features specific to the car that ‘it’s attached to. While this would all appear to be easy enough, when test driving multiple cars, conversing with the salesman, sales manager, finance manager, etc, details can often drop through the cracks on your way to new car ownership. How’s your new Civic holding up? Our friend “toccata” thought that he or she had purchased a 2016 Civic EX-L with Honda Sensing

And that assumption could be potentially dangerous. Personally, I’d be looking to the dealership sales associate for an answer or two. 2016 Honda Civic trim variants can be a bit confusing for new car buyers. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the most technologically advanced Civic in the maker’s history before signing on the bottom line. You’ll be glad you did.