The 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback debuts for folks who like having a smaller vehicle but prefer the added utility of a hatch, rather than a saloon. The company says that it expects the body style to appeal to "young, active buyers."
The front of the Civic Hatchback adopts a different grille than the saloon by incorporating hexagonal openings instead of the horizontal slats from the four-door. The more significant changes are at the back. This model looks visually more compact because the rear overhang and overall length are 12.4 centimetres (4.9 inches) shorter than the saloon.
Gallery: 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback
The Civic Hatchback wears an arching roofline that makes it appear sleeker than the saloon. Honda crafts the actual hatchback from a lightweight composite. The taillights have a bar running the width of the tail, whereas the saloon has separate lamps on each side.
With the hatch up, the opening is 4 centimetres (1.6 inches) wider than the previous-gen Civic Hatchback. A side-pull cargo cover allows for concealing what's inside. Cargo space drops slightly to 694 litres (24.5 cubic feet), rather than 728 litres (25.7 cubic feet) for last year's model.
Civic news:
Unlike the saloon, the Civic Hatchback is only available with Honda's e:HEV hybrid powertrain already found in the Jazz, CR-V and HR-V where it produces between 108 bhp and 143 bhp.
Across the pond, North Americans will be able to order the Civic Hatchback with a six-speed manual gearbox. It'll be available on the Civic Sport trim with a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder that makes 158 bhp (118 kilowatts) and 138 pound-feet (187 Newton-metres). The three-pedal layout will also be a choice on the 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder making 180 bhp (134 kW) and 177 lb-ft (240 Nm). A CVT is available on all models and is the only choice on the LX and EX-L grades. Getting this transmission on the Sport or Sport Touring adds paddle shifters.
Honda also notes that there are tweaks to the suspension and steering tuning to give the Civic Hatchback a sportier feel than the saloon.
No trim packages have been announced for Europe yet, but in North America the Civic Hatchback LX, Sport, and EX-L trims will get a 7.0-inch instrument screen and a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display. The Sport Touring enlarges the instrument monitor to 10.2 inches and the infotainment to 9.0-inches.
As previously reported, the Honda Civic Hatchback will no longer be built at the Swindon UK plant build and instead in Greensburg, Indiana USA. The all-new Civic e:HEV will be arriving in Europe from Autumn 2022.
Source: Honda