This week we’re getting behind the wheel of the sedan version of the new 2022 Honda Civic; stay tuned for a review next Monday. In the meantime, however, we have something else to celebrate, in the form of swaying palm trees overlooking the first teaser image of the hatchback version ahead of its full reveal on June 23.
The Civic hatchback will feature a more streamlined profile than the more upright stance that often characterizes this body type. This translates into sleeker styling, but it can also come at the expense of cargo space. We'll see what happens on that front once the model is introduced.
The 2022 Civic is built on a stiffer version of the current Civic platform. According to Honda, improvements in body and chassis stiffness (torsional rigidity bettered by 8 percent, bending rigidity improved by 13 percent) have resulted in improved ride and handling, as well as reduced levels of noise, vibration and harshness.
We'll be able to confirm that next Monday in our review of the sedan.
As for the engines that will serve the 5-door version, Honda didn't reveal anything, just as it did when it first presented the sedan. Since that Civic, we now know, is keeping its mechanics from the outgoing model, we can expect the same from the hatchback – although we won’t be sure until Honda says so. The company’s 1.5L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine (180 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque) will almost surely be in the mix. We'll see if it'll be accompanied by the current base 2.0L 4-cylinder engine, or another mill.
Here’s one thing we do know already: the hatchback will still be available with a 6-speed manual transmission, though that is unfortunately no longer available with the sedan for 2022.
Once the hatchback variant is rolled out in two weeks, that will leave only the sporty Si and Type R versions still to be introduced to complete the next Civic lineup.
The 2022 Civic Hatchback will be assembled at Honda's Greensburg, Indiana plant, which is the first time the Hatchback is actually built on American soil. The sedan, of course, is still built in Canada, at Honda's plant in Alliston, Ontario.