Honda has announced the 2017 Honda Civic ahead of its world debut at the Paris Motor Show. Here are the specs, images and details of the 10th generation, five-door hatchback.
Having teased various concept carsover the last few months, Honda has finally lifted the lid on the new Civic, which it says has had ‘the largest single model development programme in the company’s history’.
Two petrol engines will be available at launch and, oddly, neither is a diesel. Instead there is a 127bhp 1.0-litre VTEC Turbo with maximum torque of 200Nm, which is offered from 2,250rpm with the six-speed manual. 180Nm is available from 1,700rpm in the case of the CVT automatic.
A larger four-cylinder 1.5-litre VTEC Turbo offers 180bhp and 240Nm of torque, again with the CVT offering full torque earlier, at 1,700rpm, but a reduction of 20Nm, instead of 1,900rpm for the six-speed manual. No word on performance or economy figures.
A heavily revised version of the 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel will go on sale by the end of 2017, complete with a nine-speed automatic, which is said to offer an improvement in fuel economy and performance. A hybrid is being considered to help the Civic compete with the Toyota Prius.
The new Civic has a 35-mm lower driving position to help create ‘a more secure, enveloped feeling’, while the A-pillar has been slimmed down by 9mm to provide a class-leading 84.3-degree arc of view.
By stretching the wheelbase by 30mm, there is a 30mm bigger gap between the seats, 10mm more shoulder room, rear legroom is 95mm better, knee clearance is 45mm better and the boot is a class-leading 478-litres ─ a one litre increase on the current Civic.
Honda’s new unibody design has allowed 16kg of weight to be saved and torsional stiffness increased by 52 per cent compared to the previous model. Much of the increase in the latter can be attributed to the spot welds, which are 20mm apart in critical places as opposed to the usual 40mm and 45mm.
Meanwhile an all-new suspension system aims to offer ‘class-best handling and ride comfort’ and will try to do so with a lower-arm-type front MacPherson strut, multi-link setup with a new rigid subframe at the back and a 10mm lower ride height.
Both the interior and exterior have been given a significant overhaul, with the former now benefitting from a TFT display where the dials used to be, Honda Connect infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and – if the ‘Sensing’ package is specced – emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and other accident-prevention safety systems.
As for audio, there are varying levels of sound performance. At the bottom of the range is a four-speaker 160 watt system, then there is an eight-speaker 180 watt upgrade and a top of the range 11-speaker setup with 465 watt.
Honda will build the new Civic for all markets at its manufacturing plant in Swindon, suggesting it is sticking with a Brexit Britain. The petrol models will arrive in the spring of 2017, with what Honda calls a small price increase on the current model.
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