The Honda Civic has been around since early 1973 and is heading into its 11th generation. Late last year, Honda primed the pump for the newest iteration of its longest-running model by showing us some shadowy exterior prototype shots, as well as an interior sketch to get us interested. Earlier this month, we got a single image of the production car as an appetizer. Now Honda officially takes the wraps off the 2022 Honda Civic Sedan, with a fresh design, simple interior, new tech, improved chassis and upgraded powertrains.
The design of this new Civic is mercifully dialed back in terms of lines and curves, giving it a much cleaner, sleeker look than the predecessor. It features a smaller grille, slimmer, more horizontal headlights and a relatively flat belt line wrapping around the car. The bottoms of the A-pillars have moved 2 inches rearward to elongate the hood and emphasize the car’s stance. The car has a half-inch wider rear track and wide-set taillights. We see LED lighting front and rear. The new Civic is slightly larger, with an extra 1.4 inches in the wheelbase and 1.3 inches in overall length.
The interior boasts a tidy look, with a somewhat retro-looking metal mesh pattern across the dash. A 7-inch touchscreen is standard in LX, Sport and EX trims, while the Touring gets a 9-inch unit atop the dash. The Touring trim also gets a 10.2-inch LCD instrument display. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and the touring also gets a wireless phone charger and 12-speaker Bose audio system.
Under the hood, the Civic LX and Sport get a naturally aspirated, 2.0-liter I4 providing 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque. EX and Touring use a 1.5-liter turbo-four with 180 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. Every trim uses a revised continually variable transmission, tuned specifically for each engine, with simulated gear changes. All trims see slightly improved fuel economy, with the LX getting 31 miles per gallon city, 40 mpg highway and 35 combined. Sport gets 30/37/33 mpg. EX is the most efficient, at 33/42/36 mpg. The line-topping Touring trim is rated at 31/38/34 mpg.
Honda promises improved ride and handling from the new Civic, with a stiffer body, the aforementioned gains in wheelbase and rear track, and retuned front and rear suspension. The MacPherson front suspension features low-friction ball joints and front damper mount bearings, which Honda says improves steering feel and response. The multi-link rear suspension, with its new bushings, reduces vibration and improves straight-line stability and turn-in. Honda says it reduces shock by 20% from driving over bumps like railroad crossings.
The new Civic has upgraded safety features like improved front driver and passenger airbags to better control head motion in a crash. The Honda Sensing driver assistance suite is standard, and includes an improved camera and processor to better recognize pedestrians, cyclists and road signs. It also improves adaptive cruise control with quicker reactions, and provides more natural feeling lane-keeping assistance.
So far, Honda has just shown us the 11th-gen sedan, but we’ve seen the new hatchback version kicking around in testing in recent spy shots, including the athletic Type R. We like what we’re seeing here today, but the most exciting Civic news still awaits. Also, we’ll be driving the 2022 Civic very soon. Stay tuned.
