2022 Honda Civic Hatchback debuts, previews baseline of next Type R

Honda has finally revealed the 11th-generation 2022 Civic hatchback for the US market. It is based on the 2022 Civic sedan, so the new hatch borrows a lot of qualities from the aforementioned sedan model that debuted in April. 

The all-new 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback

Of note, this will be the first time that the Civic hatch will be built in the US. To be more specific, the model’s production will begin later this year at the marque’s Indiana plant.  

Exterior 

As a hatch, the newer version of the Civic features all the pros that come with the said body type. Chief among these is space. According to Honda, “younger car buyers” will like the hatch version of the Civic as it can meet their needs. 

It is definitely sleeker and more mature than the previous Civic hatch

Style-wise though, it bears a different front grille from the sedan. Instead of the horizontal slats, the grille now has this hexagonal pattern combined with a concave overall shape. The LED headlamp cluster looks the same, with its L-shaped DRLs. Also identical with the sedan version is the lower air intake and fog light housing. 

Towards the rear, the hatchback has shorter overhangs compared to the sedan. And of course, the roofline slopes more downward, and the taillamps bear a simpler design as well. Like the sedan though, it is less busy-looking compared to the previous US-spec hatchback. It has no faux vents, and then again, the Civic hatch’s rear diffuser is more visible as compared to the 11th-gen Sedan. 

It also has an LED bar, which the sedan version lacks

In terms of size, the hatch version of the Civic is 4,549mm long, 1,414mm wide, and 1,800mm in height. Its wheelbase also has a length of 2,735mm. 

Depending on the variant, the Honda-made hatch either uses a set of 18-inch or 17-inch alloy wheels. There’s also a 16-inch set for the LX base model. 

Interior 

Inside, the Civic hatch can comfortably fit up to five occupants including the driver. The rear seats come standard with a 60/40 split, and can be folded down to optimize rear cargo space. Of note, it now features 1.4-inches more legroom compared to the previous Civic hatch.

It's got oodles of space too

For the higher-spec variants, the Civic hatch’s seats are clad in perforated leather. The Sport and LX variants in turn get cloth seats. Standard on all Civic Hatchbacks is Honda’s new seat design. These provide more body stability for both spirited driving, and comfort during long road trips. 

Safety & Tech 

For on-board entertainment, the lower variants come standard with a seven-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, USB, and Bluetooth connectivity. In turn, the higher-spec Sport Touring comes equipped with a larger nine-inch screen, which has the same connectivity options as the smaller headunit. The larger screen however comes with a physical volume knob and several physical buttons. Also paired with the larger screen is Qi-wireless charging. 

As an option, Honda is also offering a new Bose sound system, which consists of an 11-piece speaker system, together with a Bose digital amplifier. 

For the driver, the lower variants provide a new seven-inch digital gauge cluster, while the Sport Touring comes with a larger 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster. Both of these can display the state of the Honda Sensing safety suite if available, and it also keeps track of various user-selectable information. 

The Civic Hatch's dash looks similar to the Civic Sedan

For safety, the all-new Honda Civic Hatchback comes with a new front airbag design. Once deployed, these come in a donut shape in order to reduce impacts from angle frontal collisions, as well as head movement in any crash. The front airbags are then backed up with side front airbags. 

Also standard on all Civic hatch trims is the Honda Sensing Safety suite. This collection of active safety systems consists of pedestrian and road object detection, road sign detection, traffic jam assist, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, among others. The Sport Touring also has a low-speed braking control, as well as a false start prevention system. The said trim is also fitted with eight sonar sensors. 

Engine 

For engines, the new Civic hatch gets two options. The LX and Sport trims are powered by a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-4 gasoline mill capable of making up to 158 horsepower and 187 Nm of torque. Meanwhile, the EX-L and Sport Touring variants use a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-4 gasoline engine that can produce up to 180 horsepower and 240 Nm of torque.

Regarding transmissions, all variants of the Honda-made hatch come standard with a continuously variable transmission. On the Sport and Sport Touring trims, the said tranny can be manipulated manually using paddle shifters.  

The Sport and Sport Touring variants have an optional six-speed manual gearbox

Apart from the CVT though, Honda also offers a six-speed manual transmission for the Sport and Sport Touring. Of note, this optional stick shift is unavailable on the sedan version of the Civic. 

Currently, the closest thing to a hatch version of the Civic Hatchback we have in the Philippines is the Honda Civic Type R. That car however is on a totally different level from the regular Civic. That said, we hope that once the facelifted 2022 Civic Sedan enters the local market, Honda Cars Philippines will also consider bringing in the hatchback version together with the optional manual gearbox.  

For more car news, car reviews, and car maintenance tips, keep it here on Philkotse.com. You can also check out our list of Honda Civic type R price Philippines 2021.