VIDEO: 2016 Honda Civic – Apple CarPlay in action

The biggest news today is undoubtedly the local launch of the new 2016 Honda Civic – the tenth-generation of Honda’s iconic C-segment mainstay has been completely revised for this year with a fresh new look, a new turbocharged engine and a slew of new technologies.

One of the key additions is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, making the Civic one of the first cars in Malaysia – together with new Volvo XC90 and the W213 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the latter also launched today – to come with the functionality straight out of the box. We’ve put together a short video explaining how the system works with CarPlay (and only CarPlay, for reasons you’ll see later on).

Starting up CarPlay is easy enough – just connect your iPhone to a dedicated USB port, located underneath the (very HR-V-esque) gearlever “bridge,” and the icon will pop up on the Display Audio infotainment system’s main menu. Tap on it (remembering to unlock your phone beforehand) and voilà – the display now shows an iOS interface built specifically for a car.

2016 Honda Civic 1.5T Premium Display Audio 5

Once in, however, you’ll find that there really isn’t all that much to do. You can make a call by pressing the Phone icon – this jumps straight to Siri, which enables you to say the name or number that you intend to dial; if you prefer, you can also access your contacts or an old-fashioned keypad to dial the number by hand.

Want to dictate a message, or have one read to you through Siri when you’re on the road? You’re limited to SMS and iMessage on the built-in Messages app – there’s no support for other services like WhatsApp or Line at the moment.

You also won’t be able to access Waze or Google Maps for navigation – yes, you’re stuck with the not-very-accurate Apple Maps to guide you to your destination, which must be a scary thought for some people. There’s also no multitouch support for the seven-inch touchscreen, so you can’t pinch to zoom into the map.

Apple CarPlay in the Maps (left) and Music (right) apps

Music options are, thankfully, a lot more fully-featured. Apart from built in Music app – which houses songs bought from the iTunes Store, as well as the Apple Music streaming service – you’ll also be able to use Spotify and Deezer, as well as listen to podcasts and audiobooks through their respective apps.

So, what about Android Auto? Well, the new Civic does support the system, but unlike CarPlay, it’s not built into the phone from the get-go – it’s an app that you’ll have to download from the Google Play Store, and it’s not available in Malaysia. It could be worth the wait for it to arrive here, however – you get to use the handy Google Maps instead, and the even handier Waze will make its way to the system in the coming months.

The best news? The Display Audio system is available on all Civic variants sold in Malaysia – yes, even the base 1.8S – so they will all have support for CarPlay and Android Auto from day one. For more information on the new 2016 Honda Civic, read our full launch story here; you can also find out how it drives in our review, which you can find here.

GALLERY: 2016 Honda Civic 1.5L Turbo Premium

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Jonathan Lee

After trying to pursue a career in product design, Jonathan Lee decided to make the sideways jump into the world of car journalism instead. He therefore appreciates the aesthetic appeal of a car, but for him, the driving experience is still second to none.

 

Comments

  • SpongeWai on Jun 09, 2016 at 9:46 pm

    good news is nice

    bad news is haih, only available for APPLE je

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 7
    • P2macai on Jun 09, 2016 at 10:08 pm

      Can update map? Can watch video or tv?
      If no, my kancil 12 inches headunit is much better

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 12
      • I suppose more interesting to play with the media device than experiencing the turbo+CVT combo (which gonna be so bored)

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 5
        • kamal on Jun 10, 2016 at 9:20 am

          CVT = tekan kuat enjin gooorrrrrr…. Turun bukit = drag gear enjin gooorrrrr lg hahahaha…. baik pandu lahan2 la

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 1
          • LUCKY ME din book yesterday. Few cases Civic turbo OVERHEATING reported in Thailand. Tow truck came to tow away the new Civic. Google it guys

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 21 Thumb down 6
        • Honda is dumb. Why got not Android? Only got Epal?

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 12
  • Tong Sampah on Jun 09, 2016 at 9:49 pm

    I like that…”without waze, its pretty useless”! exactly!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 28 Thumb down 1
  • Tong Sampah on Jun 09, 2016 at 9:52 pm

    can try if the following works?

    http://www.carplaylife.com/how-to/how-to-enable-waze-navigation-on-apple-carplay/

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • Leafable on Jun 09, 2016 at 10:12 pm

    Wow Honda dont messing around with OEM parts. Well done.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 2
  • omegle on Jun 09, 2016 at 10:22 pm

    I see someone’s a fellow 9gagger, haha

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 6
    • Hafriz Shah (Member) on Jun 09, 2016 at 10:40 pm

      Guilty as charged :)

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 1
    • Ollie on Jun 10, 2016 at 12:20 pm

      Malaysia – still the only country in the world where adult human beings can proudly admit to being ‘9gaggers’. We’re behind not only in cars, I suppose.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • I’ve never been a huge fan of Japanese cars but damn I want this. Can’t wait to test drive it.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
  • seancorr (Member) on Jun 09, 2016 at 10:38 pm

    Audi’s MMI and Google Earth combo on their cockpit display is the way to go.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 2
  • ColaBear on Jun 09, 2016 at 11:27 pm

    you need iPhone to fully enjoy the features, why not SA consider to free iPhone for purchaser?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 3
  • Semi-Value (Member) on Jun 09, 2016 at 11:35 pm

    nice feature but after a while ure probably just going to use the phone from the phone itself

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 2
  • kenny_lim on Jun 09, 2016 at 11:55 pm

    still active even if car in motion or only active when the car in stationary mode?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Pauline on Jun 10, 2016 at 12:31 am

    will replace it will aftermarket head unit.

    this is completely rubbish.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 8
  • Does epal maps still bring u to holland even thou u wanna go spain?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 4
  • I think it is not expensive to give function such as radio with RDS function rite? i notice from City V and Jazz the Head Unit lack of this and now follow with New Civic.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • leonardo on Jun 10, 2016 at 8:49 am

    Questions:
    1. What are the differences between the 3 variants? The review above is the 1.8L. What about the rest?
    2. Have Honda resolved the overheating engine issue as in Thailand affecting the new Civics now?
    3. Are the airbags still using Takata?
    4. What is the 0-100km times for the other variants?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 9
  • heybadigol (Member) on Jun 10, 2016 at 8:57 am

    Same as with BMW connected apps (no love at all for Android for the time being), iPhone users get the goodies. But even then, it doesn’t have Waze. In my opinion, better save RM8k and get the mid spec Civic. LED lights are nice to have, but the normal lights are just fine.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
    • waters on Jun 10, 2016 at 11:31 am

      I would say get the cheapest one. The 1.8L at 113k is more than sufficient for daily driving.
      Tried and tested engine as well, a bit underpowered though.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Android Auto on Jun 10, 2016 at 9:00 am

    for android phone you need to download Android Auto app from other source, for Play store malaysia the app is not available for download yet.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
    • PlaySafeDriveSafe on Jun 10, 2016 at 10:26 am

      Hopefully can download apk files somewhere…just like what we do to android boxes supplied by TM for Unifi subscribers.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • Ben Yap on Jun 10, 2016 at 9:32 am

    can uber or grab car partner app be used on this?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • David Ten on Jun 10, 2016 at 9:39 am

    Apple Car Play? Totally useless at the moment…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 2
  • Shaekey on Jun 10, 2016 at 10:39 am

    I wonder if the head unit work with HDMI mirroring… I mean can you control HDMI mirroring via the HU touch screen?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • LittleMin on Jun 10, 2016 at 11:56 am

    Good job Honda Malaysia for being so generous in terms of specs and equipments!!

    Can seriously feel the sincerity as a car dealer, not simply wanna earn the most profit from buyers, like some stupid dealer who doesnt even provide basic features, like VSC.

    Ohya, and also, already get hybrid incentive from government but ehh how come the price of that car is still so expensive?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
    • waters on Jun 10, 2016 at 12:51 pm

      Which car, boss?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
      • LittleMin on Jun 13, 2016 at 2:29 pm

        The CKD 2.4 D-segment HYBRID model, guess yourself.

        It’s almost same price like it’s competitor D-seg 2.4 litre model, when the competitor doesn’t get Hybrid incentive..

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • maybe on Jun 10, 2016 at 12:50 pm

    What if we download android app not through the play store and open it? Maybe it works with that

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Abg usin on Jun 10, 2016 at 9:10 pm

    New civic owner should download nearast tow car workshop to collect your car turbo car after overheating

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 2
  • I suppose CD or DVD is not in fashion anymore…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Robert on Jun 12, 2016 at 10:40 am

    You should show what apps available in the iphone, i cant tell if the honda screen filter some apps or it does put it all on the screen

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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