Honda’s current Civic became the head-turner in its segment a few years back with its razor-sharp, somewhat eccentric design. Sadly, though, all good things must come to an end and that ending is the all-new Civic hatchback that you see here.
Yes, it’s still rather radical and the basic proportions are similar but somehow we can’t imagine all those softer curves inspiring much awe among fans of the current hatch.
In Honda’s words: “Sources of inspiration (for the design) included a ‘blended wing body’ aeroplane in which the fuselage and wings blend into a single body for superior aerodynamic performance.” Question is, do you actually like this design or should the stylists have instead stuck to drawing planes? Leave your rant or rave in the comments section below.
Yet regardless of how well the styling is received, this new Civic should be an even better drive than before, with Honda engineers having put a big emphasis on improving both the ride and handling characteristics, despite retaining the more basic torsion beam rear suspension layout rather than opting for a more sophisticated multi-link design like its top rivals have.
The torsion beam design is more space efficient, however, and this made it easier for the company to retain the Civic’s class-leading interior and boot space – which Honda achieved despite having shortened the wheelbase slightly.
Beneath the bonnet the highlight (at least until the Type R surfaces) is a revised version of the current 2.2-litre turbodiesel i-DTEC engine. With less friction due to enhanced oil flow and better materials, the engine is able to produce a healthy 110kW of power, while emitting just 110g/km of CO2. On the petrol front, Honda will be offering revised versions of the current 1.4- and 1.8-litre units.
In line with today’s trends, Honda has also added an idle-stop system to all manual versions, while a class-leading aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.27 further improves its green credentials.
Like its predecessor, the Civic hatchback was designed primarily for the European market, but considering that the current one made it here there’s good reason to believe that this one will land on our shores not too long after its right-hand drive debut in the UK early next year.