The new-generation Honda Civic hatch has finally been unveiled during a livestreamed event, and will go on sale in Australia from around November offered with one engine choice initially.
Revealing a more conservative design than its predecessor, described as a “visually noiseless”, the new 2021 Honda Civic hatch has an almost identical look to the Honda Civic sedan, which made its debut earlier in the year.
Of course, the rear-end is all-new, with different LED tail-lights and a larger-opening hatch which should make loading and unloading easier than the sedan.
Honda also says the new model will deliver a sportier, more engaging drive experience than before.
The Japanese car-maker also confirmed the next-gen Honda Civic Type R hatch will be coming in 2022, which is expected to be anything but visually noiseless.
Honda’s all-new Civic Type R is expected to retain its massive rear wing mounted on the hatch and could even deploy a hybrid version of its ballistic 228kW 2.0-litre turbo-petrol mill with more power.
As well as the mature exterior design, the regular Honda Civic hatch packs more technology than before, an upmarket interior look, and will be offered initially with an updated version of the current 1.5-litre VTEC turbo engine (127kW/220Nm).
The tweaked engine should boost power to around 134kW with small torque gains also expected.
Honda Australia says an e:HEV hybrid powertrain will be offered in 2022, expected to be a super-efficient version of the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine augmented with a small battery and electric motor. That engine is expected to deliver around 100kW and 250Nm.
However, there is also a 2.0-litre version of the e:HEV system offered with the Honda CR-V SUV that could be shoehorned into the Civic as an up-spec model.
Like the current model, the new Civic will be sold in Australia under a new fixed-price sales model that has seen price rises across its entire range.
However, ownership costs have been lowered with $125 annual service costs across the board, which are likely to be attached to the new Civic when it arrives.
Given the upmarket push from the new Civic, expect prices to rise slightly – currently $31,000 to $39,600 – across the three model range.
The new five-door Honda Civic hatchback shares much of its front-end design with the sedan version, featuring rectangular LED headlights flanking a new-look honeycomb mesh grille.
The side profile has a sleek and sporty appearance while the new-look brake lights and rear-end design have a more conservative look than seen in the outgoing Civic hatch.
“The main focus of our development effort was to create a visually noiseless and frictionless Civic,” said Civic development leader Yosuke Sato.
Hitomaro Asano, the new Civic’s exterior designer, said the team wanted to achieve “a coupe-like flowing proportion, simple yet with surfacing and details that are comprehensively throughout”.
“From the roof to the rear-end, we were very particular about the silhouette with a smooth downward line,” said Asano.
Honda has employed a cleaner, more modern interior design for the new Civic hatch by eliminating unnecessary cut lines and surface folds.
“We pursued the development of this all-new Civic hatchback with the idea of refining everything from a human-centric approach,” said Sato. “Our concept was ‘Sokai Civic’ – meaning refreshing or exhilarating experience.
“Also when the driver operates the switches and other control devices, everything, including a sense of touch, has a very pleasing feel.”
As well as minimising the number of buttons and dials, with just three main dials for the climate controls sitting underneath a new 9.0-inch touch-screen infotainment system, the cabin features a solid horizontal mesh panel that hides the air vents.
Honda has also added a new 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster and other major features like the steering wheel and seats are new, the latter featuring higher-quality upholstery.
The new Honda Civic hatch rides on the same platform as the sedan, which is a significantly revised version of the current car’s platform – one of the reasons the Type R will be arriving so early in the new model’s lifecycle.
Dynamics development leader on the Civic hatch, Tomoyuki Yamagami, said the new model will deliver powerful acceleration thanks to a range of new engines, including the e:HEV hybrid unit coming to Australia in 2022.
“Nowadays, about half of the attractiveness of a car is determined by driving assist functions. However, it is important to thoroughly refine the basic performance of the car,” said Yamagami.
“We made solid advancement of the vehicle in the areas of control.”
In terms of driver assistance systems, the new Civic will get improved autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with car, bicycle and pedestrian detection that takes advantage of new cameras for improved accuracy.
These are said to improve the adaptive cruise control system as well.