Review: 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback

Perhaps the most fun I’ve had in a Civic in a long time. Get the manual while you can.

Review and photos by Tom Sedens. There are always more photos at the end of my reviews.

Pricing: 2022 Honda Civic

Base price (Sport  Touring hatchback trim): $35,000

Options: $300 Boost Blue paint

A/C tax: $100

Price as tested: $35,400 (not including freight, PDI, etc.)

 

 

Exterior

The front of the car is the same as the new 2022 sedan, and it’s not my favourite. It’s a bit of a mish-mash of aggression and blah. But from there to the back, it’s a big improvement over the somewhat sedate sedan – I really love the hatchback’s proportions thanks to the short rear deck and angular rear glass, as well as the broad-shouldered rear quarters. LED headlights are standard.

A nifty chrome trim line defining the top of the windows comes to a point at the back of the car and adds some additional character. Also, my review car’s Boost Blue paint colour is fantastic and just enough of an eyeball-grabber without being obnoxious. I like the dual exhaust tips – they look really great.

Nice 18-inch dark wheels complete the package and are shod with surprisingly meaty 235-sized low-profile rubber.

 

Interior/Tech/Convenience

I am a big fan of the new Civic’s open, modern and uncomplicated interior. It really grows on you in its simplicity once you live with it. Ergonomics are excellent and materials are decent – there are plenty of soft-touch surfaces, although you’ll also find lots of hard plastics around the cabin.

The heated leather seats are very comfortable and have outstanding bolstering.

A delightful heated steering wheel is is front of the 10.2″ fully digital dash, which allows the driver to configure the information displayed.

The 9-inch touchscreen takes care of all your phone, navigation and sound system functions and plays very nicely with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The upgraded 12-speaker BOSE system left me a bit cold – it often sounded tinny and compressed with a variety of music sources.

Honda’s full suite of driver assistance technologies are included – forward collision warning and collision mitigation braking, lane departure warning and lane keep assist, road departure mitigation, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control and a back-up camera.

 

Rear Seats

As is the case with all recent Civic generations, rear seat room is simply fantastic. I’m 5’10” and sitting behind my own driving position, I had about 5″ to spare in terms of leg room. Head room is a different story – I only had about an inch to spare so while it’s enough for me, taller rear passengers might be bumping up against the headliner.

Rear passengers get heated outboard seats and two USB-A charging ports. The middle seatback folds down to become an armrest with two cupholders. If you are transporting little ones, there are two sets of ISOFIX child seat anchors.

 

Storage

I enjoyed the wireless charging mat at the front of the console, under the centre stack – it acts as a great little drop-in bin as well. Above it are two USB plugs and a 12V plug. There’s a tall storage bin under the armrest lid.

Popping the hatchback reveals a sizable 693L trunk. Part of it is exposed under the rear glass, and there is a scrolling, retractable (and removable) soft cover that can cover that area for visual security.

The trunk floor isn’t flat – there’s a bit of a hump toward the front of the car, and when you fold the rear seats (they split 60/40), they fold down flush with that hump, so there are two different levels to the trunk and expanded cargo space if you fold the seats down, but it works nicely.

Oh and Honda gets a shout-out here – I have complained about their Civic trunk lids for ages, and they have finally added a grab handle allowing you to close the trunk without having to put your hand on the trunk lid. Thank you!

 

Under the Hood

The Sport trims are powered by Honda’s 1.5L turbocharged 4-cylinder, putting out 180HP and 177 lb.ft of torque. I’ll get into it more in the Drive section, but there’s a 6-speed manual available or a CVT transmission. Mine had the manual.

The front-wheel drive car is rated at 8.5/6.3 L/100 km (city/highway) – we ended up with an average of 8.1 L/100 km driving mostly around the city in one of the coldest weeks we’ve had on record here in Edmonton.

 

The Drive

Honda has always been good at making manual shifting vehicles, and generally they’ve also been good at making it a sporty and fun driving experience. The 2022 Civic is no exception. The clutch is effortless, easy to modulate and progressive and you get a great shifter too. Is it world-class? Not quite – it’s a bit stiff and a bit notchy, but man, it’s so great overall – the throws are basically perfect and the whole package is just SO. MUCH. FUN. TO. DRIVE.

The Civic’s little turbo engine is a match made in heaven for this transmission. The torque is right there, available at 1700 RPM, and it makes it so easy to drive because of its flexibility.

Combine all this with the new Civic’s incredibly competent suspension that combines outstanding athleticism and balance with a pretty great ride – it feels as though the hatchback rides slightly stiffer than the sedan – and you’ve got yourself a solid little sports car that is easily as much fun to just get to work with as it is to take onto the back roads and enjoy some canyon carving. Even the brakes are up to the task, hauling things down with authority when called upon.

There is also an ECON driving mode if that’s your kind of thing.

If I had anything to take issue with in terms of this drivetrain, I would complain that the 6th gear isn’t taller – revs are surprisingly high, even before you hit highway speeds.

 

Details

I really do love those hidden air vents that are integrated into the mesh trim that runs the width of the dash. Super cool!

 

The Verdict

WAF (Wife Approval Factor) was from a passenger perspective only because she doesn’t drive a manual. That said, she really liked the looks of the hatchback Civic and the simplicity of the interior.

I am a big Civic fan, and this generation is the best so far, at least under the skin. I wasn’t a big fan of the new sedan’s styling – it’s not bad, it’s just not interesting at all. But this hatchback’s exterior is fantastic and the drivetrain is an absolute hoot to drive. It would be a very easy car to live with for a long time. Same goes if you opt for the CVT transmission instead.

I’m not sure if this will be a value proposition for everyone though – to think a Civic is ringing in at over $35,000 these days, and that’s before adding in a couple grand worth of freight, PDI and other changes… yikes. But luckily that’s for the top trim I reviewed. You can get a pretty loaded up Sport trim with the same engine and transmission and save a bit of coin, and you can even get the manual in the entry-level trim – which is still very well equipped and totally livable and saves the buyer considerable scratch.

The manual transmission being available in all trims in the Civic hatchback is unusual in today’s automotive world, where stick shifters are nearly dead and gone, so if this is your kind of ride, grab one before they’re gone. It’s a wonderful vehicle in every way, and I couldn’t recommend it more – I love it! Bravo Honda!

Disclosure:  Vehicle was provided by Honda Canada.

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