Meet the safer Honda Civic, both literally and figuratively

Thursday, 19 November 2020

This is the new, safer Honda Civic. Both literally and figuratively.

Honda has revealed the eleventh generation of Civic, showings its clean new design and a bevy of other upgrades.

It’s still just a prototype but it’s complete enough to be an indication of what the new Civic will look like when it arrives sometime in 2022.

The prototype features a new design, with a more pronounced grille, C-shaped corner inlets and sharp, angular daytime running lights. There’s a strong character line that runs the length of the sedan, terminating at new-look taillights that mimic the DRLs up front. Apparently, the new design is to make the civic look lower and wider than before, despite being identical in size to its predecessor.

It’s a big departure from the “angry cyborg” design of the tenth-gen Civic.

Those new rear lights take the place of the old C-shaped units, which is kind of a shame in my eyes. The tenth-gen design was divisive, for sure, but you knew it was a Civic whereas this new one runs the risk of blending in with the crowd.

**READ MORE:

No more C-shaped taillights. The rear end of the Civic now looks a bit like an Alfa or BMW, which is hardly a bad thing.

* Road test review: Honda Civic Type R

* Road test review: Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR

There aren’t any actual photos of the interior just yet but this rendering looks rather smart.

* Honda plans more Civic Type R variants

* Why the Honda Civic sedan is the Top Small Car of 2016

That said, I do like the subtle integrated boot spoiler. Sitting below are two exhaust outlets and a faux diffuser.

The prototype pictured is a rolling body, which means it has no engine or interior, so Honda has released renders of what we can expect inside the new Civic. It’s a minimal affair, inspired by the cute electric Honda e, with three central knobs controlling air conditioning, a large 9.0-inch touch screen with Honda’s latest infotainment system (which can only be an upgrade) and a full-width honeycomb trim piece which serves both aesthetic and functional purposes as the air-conditioning vents.

Behind the wheel will be an all-digital instrument cluster, a first for a Civic.

In terms of safety, Honda says the eleventh-gen Civic will get an expanded Sensing safety suite, including 'multiple new airbag designs' and a more rigid body for 'improved occupant and pedestrian collision protection'. Incremental improvements to the usual active safety technologies (adaptive cruise control, lane-keep etc) are also expected.

The only details missing are around the powertrain. Honda hasn’t indicated what the new Civic will be powered by but we’d expect the 1.5-litre turbo four-cylinder will carry on. As for that CVT, we unfortunately can’t say.

And the Type R? We’ve heard nothing yet but a company spokesperson has told Car and Driver that an all-wheel drive Civic is not on the cards, which all but confirms the Type R will be retaining its front-wheel drive layout.

A while ago, a Japanese rumour reckoned Honda’s hot hatch would use a new hybrid powertrain, with the combustion engine driving the front wheels and a pair of electric motors pushing the rears.

Of course, there’s still time to confirm that rumour but it’s looking less likely now. Honda did say the underlying architecture of the eleventh Civic is similar to the tenth-generation so there’s not much reason to create a whole new platform just for the Type R.