Honda Civic
Details of next-gen version due in 2022
The new Civic will be the final model in Honda’s mainstream European line-up to become electrified-only when it goes on sale next year.
The 11th-generation hatchback does away with some of the current Civic’s outlandish styling and adopts a more overt fastback-style silhouette, unbroken by the prominent spoiler dividing its predecessor’s rear screen.
The rear hatch is lighter and features smaller hinges to afford a cleaner roofline and optimal rear head room, while the A-pillars are set some 50mm further back and the wheelbase is around 35mm longer for more rear leg room.
Inside, the new Civic features a minimalistic and “humancentred” cabin design similar to that in the new Jazz and HR-V.
A honeycomb-style trim panel with integrated air vents runs the width of the dashboard, while a free-standing 7.0in infotainment touchscreen brings Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity.
In the US, where the Civic was initially unveiled as a saloon, range-topping models get a 10.2in digital display, a Bose sound system, wireless charging and a larger 9.0in touchscreen, and European cars are likely to follow suit.
Power will come from Honda’s new E:HEV petrolelectric hybrid system, which in the HR-V and Jazz uses a 1.5-litre Atkinson-cycle petrol engine to drive a pair of electric motors through a single-speed gearbox. In the CR-V, the system uses a larger 2.0-litre engine, and it is still unconfirmed which version is destined for the Civic.
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The new Civic is 19% more torsionally rigid than today’s car, while new adhesive and insulation methods reduce noise, vibration and harshness.
Honda also claims that it is more fun to drive, courtesy of new ball joints and bearings at the front, a wider rear track and the longer wheelbase.
Honda hasn’t yet confirmed where it will build European Civics after it permanently closes its factory in Swindon, Wiltshire, where the hatchback has been produced since 1994, in the next few weeks.