Have It All With the All-New Honda Civic

Style and Design | Drive | Technology | Space and Comfort | Conclusion

All-new for 2022, the Honda Civic proves you really can have it all. Some compact sedans offer terrific fuel economy ratings but a drab and minimal interior. Others look sleek and stylish, but the back seats are cramped and the trunk is barely large enough for a modest grocery run. A handful promise fast thrills at the expense of a civilized ride.  

Not so with the all-new Civic. Eye-catching style from its streamlined fastback shape? Check. Room for adult friends or a growing family? Check. Responsive acceleration, unparalleled handling and impressive fuel economy ratings¹? Check. 

There's no mystery in how it's done, no secret recipe. Honda simply sets out, every time, to refine the formula that has made the Civic a benchmark in its class for nearly a half-century. With the all-new Civic, the bar rises once again, just out of reach of its rivals.

Style and design

Many compact sedans trade function for style. Exterior design often impacts more practical needs such as headroom and legroom, and often the sleeker the car, the smaller the space. Not so with the all-new Civic. Honda designers set out to create a youthful, sporty look without sacrificing comfort, starting with a pair of character lines that span from headlight to taillight.

Viewing the Civic in profile, a bold character line positioned just above the door handles seamlessly connects the headlights and taillights. Below that, a crease rises from just behind the front tire to join the rear wheel arch.  Complemented by a long-sloping roofline — a classic fastback look — these design elements visually draw the Civic closer to the ground, imparting it with a static energy not unlike a race car, coiled and ready to burst from the start line.

Inside, the Civic offers seating for five with available leather-trimmed interior, an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat, heated front seats, and a versatile 60/40-split folding rear seat. A honeycomb grille accent above the intuitive three-knob climate control array adds the right amount of design flourish. Not too bold, not too sleepy. Just clean and classic.

The re-imagined cabin springs from Honda's human-centric goal to maximize space and comfort and minimize the space necessary for mechanical components. This approach is reflected in the interior's simple ergonomics, uncluttered design and exceptional visibility.

Drive

The all-new Civic comes with an impeccable performance pedigree, refined over several generations to give it a sterling reputation among compact sedans. The Civic shares the same fundamentals as its legendary predecessors: quick and responsive four-cylinder engines, lively handling and impressive fuel economy ratings¹.

Whether you opt for the standard 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine or its available 1.5-liter turbocharged counterpart, you get a powerplant refined over decades by engineers constantly seeking innovative paths to greater power and improved efficiency. Either motor is paired to a standard continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). They combine to offer quick gas pedal response, making for exciting acceleration from a stop and robust passing power on the highway.

Together with the spirited handling for which the Civic line is legendary, the new Civic continues to set the bar in terms of driving enjoyment. Early Civic models were among the first compacts to use a double-wishbone suspension design, bringing a level of European sports car sophistication to an economy-class car. A MacPherson strut suspension design gives the Civic a sure-footed grip, with added space for engine and chassis packaging and, ultimately, more passenger room.

Even with its impressive capabilities, the Civic remains true to its core promise of fuel efficiency. From Honda's breakthrough VTEC® valve-timing technology to its Earth Dreams® program, the Civic is the latest to reflect the automaker's vision that sporty performance doesn't require sacrificing fuel efficiency. As a vehicle that received a combined 32 mpg¹ fuel economy rating and has the ability to conquer a winding open road, the Civic remains the driver's choice in its class and proves you don't need to compromise smiles for miles.

Technology

The all-new Civic comes well equipped with the technology to keep today's drivers and passengers connected, aware and informed. Its large touchscreen display keeps apps and media controls within close reach, while standard Apple CarPlay® integration and Android Auto™ integration² enable convenient access to your phone's features without touching the phone while driving. Few things are more unsightly than a tangle of USB cords nestled on the center console, but an available wireless phone charger³ helps get rid of annoying cable clutter.

An available Bose premium sound system⁴ brings dynamic surround-sound realism to favorite music and talk selections, while an available navigation system⁵ frees your phone from multitasking — potentially a boon for those keeping an eye on data caps or in limited-service areas. An available 10.2-inch Driver Information Interface further drives home the high-tech feel.

The Civic also features a healthy number of driver and safety aids that can help reduce the chances of a collision. A rearview camera⁶ is a standard feature in most of today's cars, including the Civic, which enhances the camera function with a high-resolution image and dynamic guidelines to aid direction while in reverse.

The Collision Mitigation Braking System⁷ can intervene if the driver can't react in time to a potential collision, while Road Departure Mitigation⁸ can step in with steering corrections if the Civic starts to drift from its lane. The Traffic Sign Recognition⁹ feature even uses a camera to read road signs, helping remind the driver of posted speed limits.

While many compact sedans offer similar driver aids, few come with such a comprehensive set as standard equipment. With the all-new Civic, there's no need to compromise safety technology and connectivity.

Space and comfort

It's an oft-accepted maxim that compact cars are just that — compact — and there's simply not much you can do to improve passenger or cargo space. The Civic dispels that notion. Thanks to masterful engine and chassis packaging, the Civic offers substantial interior room, and not only for driver and front passenger¹⁰, whose seats have the widest range of adjustment, but also for rear seat occupants.

In the rear seats, there's abundant room for adults, meaning you don't need to spend more on a midsize sedan simply to bring friends on a road trip. All that room also means the Civic can travel with you through multiple life stages, from days of driving your roommates to music festivals to riding around with car seats as long-term fixtures. With the generous space and wide door openings, passengers can step in and out with ease, and finessing a car seat into position won't require wild contortions. 

The sense of space carries over to the trunk as well. The Civic is one of the only compact sedans to offer impressive interior room, and its voluminous trunk space ranks near the top of the class. Where some compacts prioritize one or the other, the Civic deftly balances both. The Civic proves you don't need to sacrifice friends for groceries.

Conclusion

In baseball, a five-tool player is one who hits for both high average and power, is a fast and skilled baserunner, has a strong throwing arm, and plays excellent defense in the field. Five-tool players are rare, and among the sport's elite.

The Civic is the five-tool player of the compact sedan class. It delivers strong power and world-class handling, received outstanding fuel economy ratings¹, and provides impressive comfort and exceptional safety features and technology. No part of its game is weak, no element forces a compromise.

Few cars in any class blend it all so effortlessly, and it's a signature trait of the Civic line since its beginning as an alternative to a growing fuel crisis. Could a fuel-efficient car also be any fun to drive? Judging by its quick adoption by driving enthusiasts, the answer was a resounding yes. Subsequent generations of compact-car enthusiasts would find that preceding Civic models offered exceptional value for a small, sporty car, and even created lifestyle movements around enhancing the car's style and performance.

But you don't need a racetrack or even an empty stretch of road to appreciate the Civic. You'll just as easily enjoy its familiar comfort, daily versatility or sleek, dynamic styling. There's something for every driver in the Civic.

Other sedans may excel in one area, perhaps offering faster acceleration or slightly better fuel economy ratings¹. Some compensate for weaker performance with a lower price. None, however, can match the well-rounded overall skill set of the Civic. With the all-new Honda Civic, you really can have the best of all worlds.

Footnotes

1. 31 city/40 highway/35 combined mpg rating for LX. 30 city/37 highway/33 combined mpg rating for Sport. 33 city/42 highway/36 combined mpg rating for EX. 31 city/38 highway/34 combined mpg rating for Touring. Based on 2022 EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle, driving conditions and other factors.

2. Depending on use, Android Auto or Apple CarPlay can share certain user and vehicle information (e.g., vehicle location, speed and other operating conditions) with Google and its service providers or the connected iPhone, respectively. See Google's and Apple's privacy policies for details regarding the use and handling of data uploaded by Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. Use of Android Auto or Apple CarPlay is at user's own risk and is subject to agreement to the Android Auto or Apple CarPlay terms of use, which are, respectively, presented to the user when the Android Auto application is downloaded to the user's Android phone or included as part of the Apple iOS terms of use. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay vehicle integration is provided "as is," and Honda cannot guarantee operability or functionality now or in the future due to, among other conditions, changes in the applicable software or operating system, service interruptions, or incompatibility or obsolescence of vehicle-integrated hardware or software. See dealer for details. Only use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay when conditions allow you to do so safely. Apple CarPlay is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. Android and Android Auto are trademarks of Google LLC.

3. Wireless phone charger is compatible with Qi wireless charging standards. Check with your device's manufacturer for wireless capability.

4. Bose is a registered trademark of Bose Corporation.

5. The Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System functions in the United States (not including territories, except Puerto Rico) and Canada. Honda RealTime Traffic requires applicable FM or cellular signal/reception. Please see your Honda dealer for details.

6. Always visually confirm that it is safe to drive before backing up; the rearview camera display does not provide complete information about all conditions and objects at the rear of your vehicle.

7. Depending on the circumstances, CMBS may not go through all the alert stages before initiating the last stage of collision mitigation. CMBS cannot detect all objects ahead and may not detect a given object; accuracy will vary based on weather, speed and other factors. System operation affected by high interior heat. Driver remains responsible for safely operating vehicle and avoiding collisions.

8. Road Departure Mitigation only alerts drivers when lane drift is detected without a turn signal in use and can apply mild steering torque to assist driver in maintaining proper lane position to slow the vehicle's departure from a detected lane. RDM may not detect all lane markings or lane departures; accuracy will vary based on weather, speed and road condition. System operation affected by extreme interior heat. Driver remains responsible for safely operating vehicle and avoiding collisions.

9. TSR cannot detect all traffic signs, may misidentify certain signs, and does not include any braking or speed control functions. Accuracy will vary based on weather and other factors. System operation affected by extreme interior heat. Driver remains responsible for complying with all traffic regulations.

10. MY22 Civic dimensions are measured against MY21 models of other makes and based on measurements from the most current manufacturer specs available.