Civic is Honda’s largest selling vehicle worldwide and recently Honda released the 11th generation of Civic sedan for the North American market. Although the new 11th generation Civic is ground up all new on exterior and interior, it is still based on the successful foundation of the 10th generation Civic, which is a result of an extensive and comprehensive design in the history of Honda manufacturing and includes new chassis/ platform, powertrain, and other components.
Depending upon markets/regions, the 10th generation Honda Civic was introduced in conventional 4 door sedan as well as 2 door coupe, and in a 5 door hatchback body-style. While sedan was the major seller globally, hatchback also contributed to the worldwide sales like Europe. In United States, the 10th generation Civic sold more than 1.7 Million units, out of which hatchback version accounts for more than 20% of total sales.
Exterior of Honda Civic Hatchback
As of the exterior, the hatchback is a look-alike of the sedan and a few things are copy paste. It follows the same design philosophy as seen on the sedan. The front body design has a low bonnet and fenders and a low frontal horizontal beltline giving a wider and sporty look. On the front, we also see newer headlights and DRLs, exactly as seen on the sedan. There is a new upright front grille, and the vehicle looks lower and wider on the front.
According to Honda, the design theme for the new Civic hatch is same as the sedan and that is “Thin & Light” and “human-centered”. The major change on the exterior is the A-pillar which is not only pushed down by 1-inch but also pushed back by 2-inch. This results in a longer hood but also increased glass surfaces on the front and increased front view.
On the side profile, it carries the design cues similar to the sedan until the “B ” Pillar. But then things change and become exclusive to the hatchback design. The rooflines slops down like a coupe and continues to follow the same line with rear glass and integrated liftgate. According to Honda, the rear profile of the new hatchback follows the European sportsback styling.
The 10th generation Honda Civic hatchback had a controversial rear end design with use of a lot of unnecessary non-functional plastic vents. The new hatchback has a cleaner, sportier, bold, and mature look. New and modern taillight design with a lightbar along the width of the vehicle connects the two taillights. The new lift gate design, which is actually made from a special resin and has a new opening mechanism at hinge, gets a rear wiper as well as a full width stop lamp which improves the look of the vehicle and gives an impression of wider stance. There is a new rear bumper with dual exhaust tips.
The Civic hatch has the exact same wheelbase [107.7 inch] as the Civic sedan, but it is 4.9″ shorter in overall length compared to the sedan. Despite being smaller in overall length, the hatchback has 24.5 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats. As a comparison, the Civic sedan can load around 14.8 cubic feet of cargo with trunk lid closed.
Interior
As of Interior, nothing is different between a hatchback and sedan . The company has designed the interior with a simplistic and minimalistic approach and still kept it super intuitive. According to Honda, interior design is for the people inside the vehicle. The new interior idea is to be less distracting and more functional. This new design concept will be used in all upcoming Honda models, and Honda Civic is the first one to utilize it.
The strategic placement and angle of the A-pillar has resulted in lower cowel [point where the dashboard and the windshield meet. This has improved the vehicle’s openness and provided a much wider view of the road ahead. The new dashboard design has rectangular honeycombed trim that’s beautifully hiding the air vents behind it.
As per Honda, the interior uses high-quality materials, especially all the touchpoints like gear lever, dashboard, side door panels, and steering wheel. Additionally, all surfaces that can pick fingerprints or smudges have a material that eliminates them and gives a cleaner look every time driver enters the car.
A new rectangular touch screen infotainment system is now a floating style and sits on top of the dashboard. The size of this infotainment display is 7 inches in the standard variant and 9 inches in the top of the line model. The physical knob on the infotainment system is back. Civic X was initially criticized a lot for the unavailability of this knob. Moreover, the new Civic gets a new style steering wheel and an all new (7″ or 10.2″) digital cluster.
Apple car play and android auto comes standard. The top variant gets wireless charging and a 12 speaker Bose Premium audio system with Surround-Stage digital signal processing. According to Honda, Bose Audio experts have specifically developed this system for Civic.
There is a new three-knob dual-zone climate control interface and a new seat design. The central console design has been improved with cup holders and newly designed gear level. Typical convenience features, including sunroof, power driver and passenger seats, leather or fabric seating surfaces, are available depending on the trim level. Overall, the interior gives a modern, uncluttered, and dynamic look.
Mechanicals
This, too, is similar to Civic sedan, as far as North American Market. The US Civic will be available with the same two engine options.
- A 2L naturally aspirated engine with 158 hp @6500 rpm and 187 Nm of torque @4200 rpm.
- A 1.5L Turbocharged engine with180 hp @6000 rpm and torque of 240 Nm available between 1,700-4,500 rpm.
Both engine versions come with 3 Mode Drive System, which includes ECON, Normal & Sport. A new start-stop system and improved catalytic convertor is also in place resulting in improved fuel economy figures. The 11th generation sedan is not available with a manual transmission. However, both variants of Civic hatch will be offered with 6-speed manual transmission as an option. According o Honda, the transmission has been updated for an even sportier feel with improved shift rigidity and shorter shift throws. A new dual-mass flywheel helps reduce noise and vibration of the drivetrain. Buyer looking for things controlled automatically can go for the CVT, same as the sedan.
Like the new sedan, the new hatch also gets an improved, responsive, and better-tuned suspension setup. The electric power steering is improved and tuned for better feedback and stability. The rear track is increased by 0.5″ for increased stability while new noise and vibration-reducing bushings are used on the lower arms. New low friction front and rear wheel bearings and low drag calipers are also introduced. Overall, suspension upgrades provide much better dynamic and smoother road handling.
Fans looking for a more hardcore and performance oriented Civic Type R hatchback will have to wait for around a year. The Type R will carry over the 2L Turbocharged from the previous generation but with some power improvement. The US domestic model 10th generation Civic Type R makes around 306HP.
Safety
Hatchback keeps the same safety features as the sedan. As for Safety, Honda made a lot of improvements and additions in both active and passive safety features and equipment. The Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure in the new Civic is enhanced for better occupant safety with a new upper A-pillar structure, a side frame and a lower firewall structure. Stiffer components are used at all critical locations, including for side impacts protection.
All versions of Civics will be equipped with 10 doughnut-shaped airbags to reduce brain injury. It’s the world’s first airbag design with such a feature.
Launch of Honda Civic Hatchback
The 10th generation Honda Civic hatchback was exclusively produced at Honda’s factory in Swindon, UK and was exported to around 70 countries around the globe. As Honda has shutdown its manufacturing facility in the UK , the new Hatchback will be made in the USA for the first time at Honda’s Indiana auto plant for North American region and possibly left hand drive exports. Honda didn’t announce pricing for the new hatchback, but it is expected to stay between $22,000 to $29,000 depending upon the variant. Although the 11th generation Civic sedan is already for sale, the hatchback will go for sale in US and Canada later this year.
Honda will also manufacture the hatchback at their Japanese manufacturing facility. Honda Thailand might also roll out the hatchback for local markets as well as export in the ASEAN region. We here in Pakistan should not expect the 11th generation Civic before the middle of 2022. Henceforth, Civic X in Pakistan still has an expected life of over a year. As of Hatchback body-style, there is a very low probability for a Pakistan domestic model.
So, what are your thoughts about the new Civic Hatchback ? Will you prefer a hatchback over a sedan ? Share in comments.
Meanwhile, join an exclusive PakWheels Discussion Thread: Pakwheels Civic XI.
