Addition of hatchback to Honda Civic lineup long overdue
For years, buyers of the Honda Civic could choose between a four-door sedan and a twodoor coupe, but now added to the lineup is a four-door hatchback that provides a third, sportier option.
Honda is late to the compact-sized party with this particular Civic. The Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra GT, Mazda3, Kia Forte5 and others have all been in the fifth-door business for some time and have benefitted as demand for such vehicles increased.
The hatch arrives from Honda’s Swindon, England, plant and expands on the Civic sedan’s performance and load capacity despite the new car being 11 centimetres shorter overall.
Also on the practical side, passenger room equals the sedan’s generous volume while stowage space with the rear seat in place or folded is, according to Honda, tops in class. The extra-wide hatch opening helps when loading bulky objects and in place of the usual removable hard (and sometimes awkward) cover for the cargo area, a Venetian-blind-style sidemounted soft cover can be pulled open from either the left or right side.
The rest of the interior is straight out of the Civic sedan’s playbook, which means comfortable and supportive seats and plenty of front and rear passenger head, leg and elbowroom.
The sensible, easy-to-read control panel and touch-screen are encased in a premium-look dashboard. A bonus is the numerous bins and pockets.
Outwardly, the hatchback’s unique front and rear styling looks considerably more aggressive, in particular with the blacked-out grille, lower air intakes/fog-light holders and rearbumper trim. The effect is one of youthful exuberance that might not appeal to older and/or more conservative buyers, but it will certainly draw plenty of eyeballs.
To reinforce the hatchback’s performance demeanor, a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder that’s optional in the Civic sedan and coupe is the only available engine. It delivers 174 horsepower and 167 pound-feet of torque in the base LX, while in the Sport and Sport Touring trim levels those the values rise to 180/177. In both cases, the torque rating drops to 162 pound-feet if the optional continuously variable transmission (CVT) is selected over the standard sixspeed manual. A difference of 15 pound-feet might not seem like much, but it’s quite noticeable when comparing acceleration for both the CVT and the stick. Note that the Sport and Sport Touring models prefer more expensive 91-octane premium gas, which could account for some of the horsepower and torque gains.
Fuel economy is rated at 7.7 l/100 km in the city and 6.0 on the highway (6.9 l/100 km, combined) with the 174-horse engine and the CVT.
On winding coastal California’s mountain roads, the hatchback feels pretty much like the rest of the Civic lineup. Ride quality is firm, but compliant, steering is precise and properly weighted and the shifter and clutch action for the manual-gearbox models is top notch.
Hatchback pricing starts at $23,100 for the LX that comes with climate control, heated front seats, 17.8-centimetre touchscreen and an eightspeaker audio system. The Sport adds 18-inch wheels (16s are standard) plus an aero body kit, fog lights and a very cool dual-outlet centre exhaust. Other standard Sport kit includes a power moonroof, push-button start and aluminum pedals.
Along with the stronger engine shared with the Sport, the Sport Touring receives the full deluxe treatment, with leather-seat surfaces, heated rear seats, navigation system, 12-speaker audio package and Honda Sensing that consists of the latest crash-avoiding active-safety systems.