Honda outs new Civic hatch, here Q4 2021

TWO months after the official reveal of its new-generation Civic sedan, Honda has torn the covers off the related hatch version that, unlike the four-door, has been confirmed for a fourth-quarter start Down Under.

Powered by a more powerful version of the familiar turbocharged 1.5-litre VTEC four-cylinder engine, the new Civic hatch line-up will be bolstered next year by the addition of the ‘e:HEV’ hybrid powertrain as well as the inevitable Type R performance halo.

Lined-up side-by-side with the sedan, the casual viewer may be hard pressed to spot any differences between the hatch and the sedan, including in the overall silhouette.

The bulk of body features and characteristics are identical – they are both Civics after all – with the only real difference being found at the rear.

Whereas the sedan’s roofline tapers down and evens out, creating the boot and bootlid, the hatch’s tapers to a generous lip spoiler that almost acts like a buffer.

The Civic has bucked the usual hatch trends for a while now, with the outgoing model exhibiting a similar, almost fastback bodystyle compared to the usual squared-off shapes of rivals such as the Ford Focus or Volkswagen Golf.

Compared to the current-generation car, the new Civic’s styling has been pared back in terms of complexity, with the main recurring theme being an abundance of straight lines both on the exterior and within the cabin.

Gone are the busy headlights, layered grille and convoluted front bumper, replaced instead by a clean and simple arrangement centred around a new rectangular grille and trapezoid lower intake.

Flanking the new grille is a slightly raised set of headlights capped by L-shaped LED daytime running lights, while the foglights are housed in their own blacked-out bezels, linked smoothly by the black front lip.

At the rear, the hatchback’s tail-light clusters not dissimilar to the Kia Stinger’s, linked across the top by a red reflector strip and supported by some chunky contouring and sculpting to the bodywork. 

The bumper has a subtle imitation diffuser housing a set of chrome rectangular exhaust tips.

Inside the cabin, the parallel nature of the front end has been continued with a rectangular trim mesh trim piece spanning two-thirds of the dash and housing integrated air vents.

The mesh strip helps separate the infotainment screen from the HVAC controls below and roughly aligns with the centre spokes of the multifunction steering wheel before continuing to the other side. providing the driver with another air vent.

Between the two front seats is a clean and clutter free centre console accommodating the gear selector, drive mode switch and two cupholders.

“By evoking the human-centred cabin design of early generations of Civic, the interior of the new hatch is simple, clean and uncluttered with exceptional visibility, intuitive ergonomics, extraordinary passenger volume and driver-focused technology,” a Honda designer said in a statement.

Honda Australia has sold 1840 Civics so far this year ending May, accounting for 4.3 per cent of the sub-$40,000 small car segment and enough to comfortably make it the brand’s third best-selling model behind the CR-V and HR-V.