Inside, the Civic hatchback adopts a 60:40 split-folding rear seat bench; with them in position, the luggage compartment holds 478 litres. Placed on the centre between the AC vents is a large 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system that also incorporates the latest Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity options.
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The new Civic will be the first Honda arriving in Europe with a 1-liter turbocharged VTEC engine.
And it’s a good thing the new Civic looks impressive, because the current Civic was never that great and has been completely overtaken by rivals, and this new Civic is a global auto, so get it wrong an it’s wrong everywhere.
The interior of the 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback carries through on the modern, sophisticated and premium quality of the 10th-generation Civic lineup, with high-grade materials and finishes applied liberally throughout.
A 1.6-litre turbo-diesel with 89kW of power will also be available.
While in the safety department, the model gets hill start assist, collision mitigation braking, road departure mitigation, adaptive cruise control and low speed follow traffic crawl. One clever feature is a side-sliding removable parcel shelf, which moves out of sight when not in use. EPA fuel economy ratings are 31/40/34 mpg (city/highway/combined) for CVT-equipped LX, EX and EX-L models, 30/36/32 mpg for CVT-equipped Sport and Sport Touring trims and 30/39/33 mpg for the 6-speed manual equipped LX and Sport models.
By the end of 2017, there’ll also be the choice of a heavily revised version of the company’s 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine, which should be popular with company-car buyers. A hybrid is being considered to help the Civic compete with the Toyota Prius. “The evolutionary steps from a diesel engine are now more or less limited, so we are shifting resources from diesel to electrification”.
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In time, there’s also likely to be a new 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. It is clear how important the Honda Civic is for the brand. The same will make its global debut at the upcoming Paris Motor Show and will be manufactured at the company’s Swindon plant in the UK.
