Honda took advantage of the Lyon Motor Show (April 7-11) to present the new Civic. The argus was able to approach the compact and gives you its impressions of this 11th generation, the orders for which will begin in June and deliveries at the end of September. Entry ticket: around €32,000.
In 2022, the Civic turns 50. An anniversary that coincides with the launch in Europe of the 11and generation of the compact. Already marketed in the United States for more than a year, the rival of the Peugeot 308 and Volkswagen Golf stopped off at the Lyon Motor Show. The argus took advantage of his presence at the event to get to know each other.
The newcomer’s order book should open in June. The entry ticket should be slightly above €31,000 to peak around €38,000 for Advance version. Honda intends to sell more than 65% of Civic in the most upscale finish. The first deliveries should begin “at the very beginning of autumn”, assured us the Honda France team which will introduce the compact during a summer roadshow. Moreover, interested customers are invited to come to the honda.fr site to be among the first informed and the first to try this new product.
More European lines
The Honda Civic is no longer produced in the Swindon plant in Great Britain, which closed its doors, but in Japan. However, the designers did not seek to seduce buyers from one or other of the continents. They bet on a more consensual design, less typed manga. The Civic adopts new headlights with adaptive adjustment according to the finish as well as a lower and longer hood. The grille is very vertical. The design of the shields is much more sober than in the past. In profile, it looks more like a sedan than a compact. It must be said that the Japanese, who was already not small, has lengthened by another 3 cm to reach 4.55 m. A record in the category. The wheelbase increases by 3.5 cm on its own while the height is lowered by 2.5 cm. These new dimensions do not only have advantages.
Half-hearted habitability
Access to the rear seat requires bending the spine a little more than usual and headroom is penalized by the more receding roofline. Passengers over 1.75m will have their heads in the roof. Too bad as much as legroom is very correct, even when the driver’s seat is moved back to its maximum. If the seats are comfortable, we regret that the bench does not offer a little more support. The center console offers two air vents as well as two USB ports (only). The trunk volume has not been formalized, but it should be substantially the same as on the previous generation. Note that the bench seat is always folding in 2/3-1/3 mode.
Once the seatbacks are lowered, the floor is almost flat. Unlike some of its competitors, Honda has not installed the additional battery in the trunk. This takes place under the rear seat, next to the fuel tank, enough to guarantee maximum volume. To make loading easier, Honda has “got rid” of the rear parcel shelf by attaching a rigid shelf directly to the tailgate and installing a flexible retractable luggage cover at the level of the bench seat backs. The trunk panel is now composite. Lighter, it made it possible to add only small hinges at the top of the trunk. And to prevent customers from noticing the deception, the cylinders have been specially configured to offer more resistance.
A revised and corrected interior
In the front seats, Honda has revised its copy. Like the exterior, the dashboard has gained in sobriety. It is lower than in the past to allow driver and passenger to dominate the road. The manufacturer has even gone so far as to hide the windscreen wipers at the bottom of the windshield and to position the feathered mirrors on the doors so as not to obstruct visibility. Behind the wheel, Honda does not automatically offer digital counters (10”). These are reserved for the high-end Advance finish.
At the level of the central console, the Japanese manufacturer has integrated two cup holders and the armrest now has an impulse opening. Finally, the gear lever control is taken over from the CR-V and becomes decidedly more modern. It is teamed up with the driving mode selector which offers a new “Individual” mode to configure your own settings. The driving assistance offer is improving over time: keeping in line now works until the vehicle comes to a stop, while the adaptive cruise control has been improved. A central airbag as well as a knee airbag complete the security package.
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A 184 hp hybrid engine
To better meet the environmental requirements in force in Europe, Honda is equipping the Civic with a new hybrid engine. As on the HR-V or the CR-V, two electric motors are grafted. One serves as a generator while the other drives the wheels. No mains charging here: only energy regeneration while driving will be used and autonomy will not exceed 2 or 3 kilometers at most. The lithium-ion battery has been optimized from 60 cells on the HR-V to 72 on the compact. The thermal part is no longer entrusted to the 1.5L turbo, but to a 2.0 l four-cylinder with direct injection. The cumulative power peaks at 184 hp for a torque of 315 Nm. Honda has not yet communicated the official technical figures, but has already announced consumption below the 5L / 100km mark and CO emissions.2 contained under 110 g. Enough to save the Civic from any penalty, even in 2023.
Which will certainly not be the case for the sporty version of the compact. Indeed, Honda has confirmed the arrival of a Type R with a 2.0 turbo. According to Honda, it will be the ultimate combustion engine marketed by the brand on the Old Continent.