How efficient is the 2022 Honda Civic sedan?
Here are the all-important EPA numbers, which have, yet again, moved in the right direction.
Since 1973 and over the course of 10 generations, the Honda Civic has always been a paragon of affordability, quality and efficiency. With unerring regularity, it's almost always one of the best small cars you can buy. The redesigned 2022 sedan model continues this enviable tradition, improving on its already-excellent predecessor in many ways, including fuel economy.
Two familiar engines are offered in the 11th-generation Civic. Lower-end LX and Sport models feature a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter unit that's been very (and we mean very) mildly tweaked for 2022, gaining a new standard stop-start system and a redesigned catalytic converter. Since these enhancements are all about efficiency, they haven't improved performance. This engine delivers the same 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque it did before.
As for consumption, the LX model is rated at 31 mpg city, 40 mpg highway and 35 mpg combined. The car's around-town score has increased by 1 mpg while its highway and combined scores have grown by 2 mpg. The Sport model is slightly less efficient, though still impressively miserly. It should return 30 mpg city, 37 mpg highway and 33 mpg in mixed use. Both the around-town and combined scores have increased by 1 mpg, though the highway score is unchanged.
2022 Honda Civic sedan fuel economy
| Trim | 2021 | 2022 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| LX | 30 / 38 / 33 | 31 / 40 / 35 | +1 / +2 / +2 |
| Sport | 29 / 37 / 32 | 30 / 37 / 33 | +1 / -- / +1 |
| EX | 32 / 42 / 36 | 33 / 42 / 36 | +1 / -- / -- |
| Touring | 30 / 38 / 33 | 31 / 38 / 34 | +1 / -- / +1 |
Fancier EX and Touring models feature a friendly 1.5-liter turbo-four that's been squeezed to deliver a skosh more giddy-up. More efficient intake plumbing and VTEC on the exhaust valves help reduce consumption and (slightly) improve horsepower and torque. The former clocks in at 180, the latter at 177 when running on regular, old 87-octane gasoline.
With the 1.5-liter engine on board, EX versions of the 2022 Honda Civic are now rated at 33 mpg city, 42 mpg highway and 36 mpg combined. This represents a 1-mpg improvement on the city testing cycle. As for the Touring variant, expect 31/38/34, increases of 1 mpg around town and 1 mpg combined -- modest improvements to be sure, but improvements nonetheless.
Aside from its aerodynamic styling, the new Civic is only offered with a continuously variable transmission, something that helps deliver those impressive consumption scores. A manual gearbox will, regrettably, not be offered in the sedan model, though it should be available in other Civic models.
