2022 Honda Civic Hatchback is as stylish as it is versatile
With a unique grille, sporty profile and the same great interior as its sedan sibling, the new Civic Hatchback is a winner.
Honda revealed its 11th-generation Civic in sedan form a couple months back, but now it's time for the versatile five-door variant to take center stage. The 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback was officially unveiled on Wednesday evening and it's pretty much what we expected. The hatch is basically the same as the sedan but with additional cargo space and a more dramatic roofline, though there are a couple more significant changes, as well.
Front and center, the Civic hatch has a new grille. With a coarse mesh texture and subtle concavity to the main insert, this styling element makes it easy to distinguish the five-door model from its sedan sibling when viewed head-on. Moving rearward, the hatchback's roofline tapers aggressively, giving it more of a coupe profile than competing hatchbacks like the Volkswagen Golf, which is far boxier. Designers were supposedly inspired by European liftback models, which is obvious when the car is viewed in profile. Finally, the hatchback is nearly 5 inches shorter than the sedan, length that was taken out of the rear overhang, which gives this machine a nimbler, less-formal appearance.
There's plenty of space in the Civic hatchback's cargo area.
Despite that truncated booty, the hatchback is more versatile than the sedan. Behind those rear seats, this Civic offers 24.5 cubic feet of luggage room, which compares very favorably to the four-door's 14.8 cubes of maximum trunk volume. Unfortunately, a backrests-down figure has not been provided by Honda, though based on the hatch's overall size, it could give some small utility vehicles a run for their money when it comes to hauling. Making it easier to load cargo, the hatch opening is now 1.6 inches wider.
As with the sedan, providing better outward visibility, the hatchback's beltline is more horizontal than before. Its hood is nice and low, and the A-pillars have been scooted rearward by about 2 inches for improved sightlines and sleeker looks.
Just like the sedan, this car's wheelbase has been extended by 1.4 inches and the rear track is half-an-inch wider, changes that should help improve stability and ride quality. According to Honda, the Civic hatchback has been tuned to feel sportier than its four-door counterpart, so the dynamics should match the styling. Rounding out this car's exterior, eight paint colors are offered for 2022. Spicing things up, this includes two new hues: Boost Blue Pearl, which is available on the Civic Type R and Smoky Mauve Pearl.
This car's interior is super premium and quite comfortable.
Aside from its more versatile cabin and gently massaged styling, the other major difference between the Civic hatch and sedan has to do with transmissions. An honest-to-goodness six-speed manual is offered with both the base and turbocharged engines in the five-door, something that's not available in the sedan at any price. Naturally, the hatchback can be had with a continuously variable transmission if three-pedal driving is just too much.
The 2022 Honda Civic hatchback features the same two engines as the sedan. LX and Sport models are motivated by a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder that churns out 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque. EX-L and Sport Touring models brandish a 1.5-liter turbo that's good for 180 hp and 177 lb-ft. Both engines should be more efficient than before, but no fuel economy numbers have been published yet.
The hatchback's body is stiffer than before, with 19% more torsional rigidity for enhanced refinement and better protection in crashes. Rear-seat side airbags and new front airbags that reduce the risk of brain and neck injuries are also included for added safety.
The up-level 1.5-liter turbo-four delivers 180 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque.
Moving inside, the Civic hatchback features the same lovely cabin as the 2022 sedan. You get a low, flat dashboard that looks far more upscale than the outgoing model's, plus there are fewer cutlines for reduced windshield reflections. A distinctive honeycomb applique runs clear across the cabin, looking sophisticated and cool, though it also disguises the air vents, which you control with little joysticks.
Interior materials are of top quality and the tech is solid, too. A 7-inch color touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is standard in LX, Sport and EX-L trims, as is an instrument-cluster display of the same size. A nicer 9-inch panel with both wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is included in the top-of-the-heap Sport Touring model. This particular variant also comes with a 12-speaker Bose sound system, Qi wireless charging and a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster.
The new Civic hatch goes on sale at some point this year.
Honda Sensing active safety gear is standard on all versions of the 2022 Civic hatchback. This should include goodies like lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control and traffic-jam assist, to name a few.
Roomier, more attractive and with a much-improved interior, the new Civic hatch looks like a winner. The automaker expects a 75/25 sales split between this and the four-door model, with the sedan accounting for the vast majority of deliveries. For the first time, the Civic hatchback will be assembled in the US, rolling out of Honda's factory in Greensburg, Indiana. Pricing has not been announced, but it will probably be similar to the outgoing model, which starts at less than 24 grand including destination fees. You can look for the 2022 Civic hatchback at dealerships later in the year, but that's as specific as Honda is getting right now.
