Honda today unveiled the 2022 version of its beloved Civic compact sedan. The new car has a more understated look than the car it replaces, a simple interior design that feels elegant for its price, and, Honda says, is engineered to be more fun to drive. The press hasn’t had the chance to drive the car, so we can’t evaluate those claims yet. But the engineering behind them is solid, and this has the potential to remain one of the best sedans on the market.
The Civic isn’t available yet, but we expect dealerships to begin taking orders for the car within a few months. Prices are yet to come. We expect the 2022 Honda Civic to cost between $21,500 and $25,600. That’s the price range for the 2021 version it replaces. Honda rarely raises prices significantly with a redesign.
Sedan First, Hatchback Later
The new Honda Civic will initially be available only as a sedan, in four trim levels. But a hatchback model, a sporty Si, and an even more high-performance Type R should all appear within a year or so of this debut.
On the outside, the 2022 Civic looks more upscale than the outgoing model, but they are obviously siblings. The fascia shows a narrower grille above a larger air dam, and the nose lacks the pronounced droop of the old one. The lights are thinner, reflecting a trend in most car designs this year. This car’s best angle is from the rear, where the trunk is reminiscent of something BMW would build, but the greenhouse curves into almost a fastback shape. A bulge in the shoulder line just behind the rear doors adds muscle.
It’s a good-looking car.
Inside, Honda says designers worked toward a “man maximum/machine minimum philosophy.” It shows. There’s no riot of buttons and dials here. Just a touchscreen set higher than in most cars, above an uncluttered dash.
Honda says that the few buttons and dials that remain are “specifically designed to hide fingerprints and smudges to help maintain a high-end appearance.” The instrument cowl is set low — at the same height as the doorsills — for a spacious feel.
The higher-end Touring trim will come with a 12-speaker Bose audio system — a first for the Civic model — with Dynamic Speed Compensation technology to vary the volume depending on road noise.
Two Engine Choices
Under the hood, the 2022 Civic is available with a choice of two 4-cylinder engines. The 2.0-liter found in the LX and Sport trims makes a respectable 158 horsepower, while a turbocharged 1.5-liter engine found in the EX and Touring models makes 180 hp. Both send power to the front wheels through the same continuously variable transmission (CVT).
The chassis, Honda says, is the stiffest ever found on a Civic, with a suspension “carefully tuned to take maximum advantage of the stiffer body structure.” The stance is slightly wider in the rear than in the front. Together, “suspension and steering upgrades result in a smoother, more linear and more precise feel in turns.”
New Driver Assist
The Honda Sensing suite of active safety and driver-assist technologies is now standard. It includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and an emergency braking system that is able to detect pedestrians and bicycles. It includes a new function Honda is calling Traffic Jam Assist.
We are waiting for more details on exactly how this functions. Honda sells a system known as Traffic Jam Pilot in Japan. It can accelerate, brake, and even steer the car in stop-and-go traffic while monitoring the driver to ensure they are paying attention and ready to take over if needed. It isn’t clear whether Traffic Jam Assist is a new name for that technology or a stepping stone on the way to it as Honda works with U.S. regulators.
The Civic nameplate is nearly 50 years old, and a storied one. It is one of the few models to sell more than 20 million examples worldwide. It’s also one of the few sedans Americans still buy. As most of us have moved on to buying pickup trucks and SUVs, the Civic has remained among the best-selling vehicles in the United States. The new model should do nothing to break that record of success.
Last year, though, it was outsold by the CR-V crossover, which is built on the same platform. With a new Civic platform appearing, we expect to hear a new CR-V announced soon. See the Honda Civic models for sale near you
