Baby Accord: Honda Fully Unveils All-New 11th Generation Civic
Months after initially showing to the public in prototype form, and about two weeks after releasing the first photo of its final production form, Honda has finally unveiled the latest generation of its popular compact sedan, the Civic.
The Civic is Honda’s longest running automotive nameplate in the Japanese brand’s history with the first generation coming out in 1973. The 11th generation is completely new and follows Honda’s design approach of “Man-Maximum, Machine-Minimum” (or “M/M”), which uses technology and design to serve the needs of the driver and passengers.
Being all-new, the latest Honda Civic gets new styling on the exterior, and interior which follows Honda’s latest design philosophy of “Simple and Something.” It also gets an updated powertrain and more advanced safety features.
First for the exterior, the all-new Civic appears to be simpler yet at the same time sleeker. The front grille is similar to what is seen on the latest generation of the Honda Fit/Jazz, following the color of the vehicle’s body instead of chrome or black. The LED headlights are slimmer than before and are connected by the front grille which helps achieve the mentioned sleeker appearance.
On the side, the new Civic’s profile still features inspiration from the outgoing model such as the rear quarter windows and coupé-like styling. At the rear, the LED taillights are larger and wider, and lose the C-shape from the outgoing version. A lip is also integrated on the trunklid.
Inside, the 2022 Civic is a huge departure from the outgoing Civic, and any other Honda model in that regard. It looks very premium and according to Honda, the new interior features high-quality materials throughout the interior and materials were also chosen and designed to hide fingerprints and smudges to help maintain a high-end appearance. The new airconditioning vents are also very interesting with a honeycomb mesh covering them while at the same time running across the entire dashboard.
Lower variants feature a 7-inch digital instrument display like on the Accord, and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Higher variants upgrade those features to a 10.2-inch fully-digital driver instrument cluster, 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system which is paired to a Bose premium audio system.
Under the hood, the all-new Civic retains its 2.0 L naturally-aspirated and 1.5 L turbocharged petrol engines. The former produces 158 hp and 187 Nm of torque while the latter produces 180 hp and 240 Nm of torque. That’s an increase of 6 hp and 20 Nm compared to the outgoing model. Both options are paired to a continuously variable transmission.
In terms of safety, most variants of the all-new Civic will come equipped with Honda SENSING, the brand’s suite of active driver-assist features. This includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and automatic emergency braking, among others.
Excited for the all-new Civic? Well it looks like we won’t have to wait too long as Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) president Masahiko Nakamura did mention some time ago that we should expect to see this in our market before the end of the year.
