Just thinking about this one some more since I was recently parked next to a new Accord and, dang, that's a pretty car. Sadly, no more manual shift Accord, although you can get one with a 10-speed auto. (Ten speeds? I want 11!)
Why is the news of a redesigned Civic important? Because for decades the Civic has been a GRM favorite–especially when wearing that Si badge on the decklid.
Did we get to drive the Civic Si? Well, no, this time we were visited by the 1.5T Touring. Did we still dig it? Keep on reading.
Sadly, no, we didn’t get to drive the Si. We hear it’s out there. Hopefully soon we’ll get some seat time with one as we’ve been fans of the Si since we did one as a project car back in 1986. It was GRM’s first factory-supported project car, in fact.
But the regular Civic shows that the Civic spirit lives. The solid foundation remains.
Two different engines serve the regular Civic line, a 158-horsepower inline-four for the LX and Sport models plus the 180-horsepower version for the EX and Touring models.
The 180-horsepower one found in our Touring felt good, even with the CVT box. (I realize the mention of a CVT might elicit a groan or two, but Honda offers some of the best in the business.)
The big news has to be the interior. Check out the horizonal band that contains the vents. Somehow Honda managed to move the Civic upmarket without taking things too far–trust us, it just works.
The seats feel supportive. The wheel is good. Outward visibility is strong–a nice benefit of the traditional sedan body.
The exterior looks a bit more mainstream than the previous car. Call it Jetta-like, maybe, and I mean that in a good way.
Is this too big to be considered a Civic? We’ll let you all discuss that, but it’s the right size for today’s market. Let’s face it, if people continued to buy Fits, Honda would still sell them.
Call us patiently waiting until we get our mitts on the Si, but this is a good indication of things to come. (And we can’t be surprised that this one has received so many accolades; yeah, it’s that good.)
I’m not usually one of those people who judges a car by its looks. Sure, the Civic Type R looks goofy, but it’s so awesome that it doesn’t really matter. Same thing for plenty of other cars that handily outperform questionable looks to be solid machines.
But I’ll have to admit that when Honda dropped off the 2022 Civic for a test drive, my initial reaction was “Meh.”
It’s just… not a great looking car. It’s got a nice–if generic–enough shape and proportions, but the hammerhead front and disharmonious window line isn’t helping those proportions.
And that’s all I’ll say about that, because the car itself is just immensely satisfying to drive. Of course, our Touring trim sampler was loaded, but there wasn’t much about the trim level that increased the overall driving experience, save for maybe the leather seating surfaces. The overall experience of the car with its 180-horsepower, turbocharged engine, which is available in all but the most base model trim level, is of a much more premium and sophisticated machine.
Particularly impressive is throttle response. You’d never know the Civic was turbocharged, as power delivery is tight and linear, and feels for all the world like the 180-horsepower rating is grossly conservative, even through the automatic transmission. I managed around 35mpg in a couple days with the car, which is pretty impressive for a non-hybrid with excellent throttle response that is always begging to be exploited.
Adding to the great overall feel of the car is the ergonomics. Hondas have always “sat” nicely, but the new Civic approaches Toyota levels of interior usability and intuitiveness. Particularly the seat, which is actually not jacked three feet off the floor like so many modern cars. I really like a low, German Touring Car-style seating position, and the Civic is happy to oblige. Or, if elevation is your jam, that’s available, too.
A nice assortment of tactile controls with god size and feel are right where you expect them to be, and Honda takes a page out of the current Hyundai playbook by not trying to overcomplicate the HVAC system or bury controls in touchscreen menus. I’m more than willing to accept a couple extra buttons and knobs cluttering the dash if they provide meaningful controls with good tactile feedback.
Maybe the best thing about this new Civic is the price, which, at a shade over $27,000 is positively a bargain for a loaded example of a compact car in today’s hyperinflated car market.
And what really excites me about this newest Civic is that if the “regular” Civic is this good, how awesome are the Si and Type R versions going to be. If Honda can retain the feel and feedback of this car and scale the performance, I’m extremely excited for those versions. After all, you can’t see what they look like from the driver’s seat.
Just thinking about this one some more since I was recently parked next to a new Accord and, dang, that's a pretty car. Sadly, no more manual shift Accord, although you can get one with a 10-speed auto. (Ten speeds? I want 11!)
I am sure that the new Civic is very solid, and the performance versions are going to perform well, but Honda hasn't had any sizzle in quite a while. I mean sure, they tried to add some excitement to the CTR with a lot of exterior crap that most people agree were ugly as sin. As their cars get bigger and heavier and more refined, I think they move further away from what enthusiast really want. I get that fans of the Integra and 4th Gen Si are getting old, but is this really what we want from Honda?
FWIW, I totally dug our 2019 Civic Si project car. I could have purchased that very car--or an identical one from a friend--but it all went down right as the pandemic broke, so I didn't know what was going to happen.
I realize that Honda isn't going to bring back the wishbone cars, but I'd still be very happy with that 2019 Civic Si. I drove my wife's 2014 Civic Si this morning, in fact, and like that one, too. (We've had Civic Si's going back to 1986.)
I see a Civic Si in my near future. It's quite a nice package when considered as a whole. I normally loathe front wheel drive cars, but the Civic delivers in lots of ways the competition doesn't. The Type R also proved at Lightning Lap this year it is the pinnacle of FWD performance. If you are a car collector, get an R now because when electric cars are the only option it will be a complete throwback like 70s muscle cars are now.
Since late 1999, the Civic Si has been a perfect family car for us--and for us that means two adults plus a dog or two.
Why? Fun, reliable, economical and just the right size.
Here's the current one.
Integra - is that you?
David S. Wallens said:
Why is the news of a redesigned Civic important? Because for decades the Civic has been a GRM favorite–especially when wearing that Si badge on the decklid.
same thing, no?
It's Valentine's Day and I took a vacation day to hang with my wife on our wedding anniversary today.
My love language to her is cleaning her car and I'm always impressed with Honda. Four years old @ 48,000 miles and it's been all filters, oil and tire rotations.
Looks good. Our silver Civic Si has like 60k and lives outside. Oil, gas, tires and that's it. My wife recently cleaned the K&N cabin filter. Oh, we've replaced the battery once. 
The new Civic with the hatch reminds me a little bit of my C900 Saab. Much updated and less weird, certainly, but the well-considered, restrained interior space and seriously large and useful trunk are reminiscent. I could see myself looking for one with a manual somewhere down the line as a practical utility car.
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