The 10th-generation Honda Civic Hatchback has been revealed ahead of its world debut in late September at the 2016 Paris auto show.
The car arrives in showrooms in the fall, as a 2017 model, where it will join the related Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe. It will be the first Civic Hatchback offered in the United States since the seventh-generation model early last decade.
Crucially, the car will serve as the basis for the new Civic Type R that Honda has confirmed will go on sale in 2017. The Civic Type R has already been spied in prototype form and will reportedly be previewed in concept form at the upcoming Paris show.
The Civic Hatchback will be available in LX, Sport, EX, EX-L, and Sport Touring trims, and will feature a single engine at launch, albeit with two different outputs. The engine is the turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-4 already found in the Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe. It will deliver 174 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque in LX, EX and EX-L trim, and 180 hp and 162 lb-ft in Sport and Sport Touring trim. The latter will be distinguished by a center-mounted exhaust.
Like all Civics, drive will be to the front wheels only. However, buyers will have the choice of a 6-speed manual or CVT. Anticipated EPA-rated fuel economy is an impressive 31 mpg city, 40 highway and 34 combined.
Eventually, some sportier options will be added. Honda is working on a new Si as well as the aforementioned Type R. They are expected to come with a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 based on a similar unit fitted to the outgoing Type R that delivers as much as 305 hp.
The design of the Civic Hatchback's interior is lifted straight out of the Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe. In terms of packaging, the vehicle will offer generous volume and cargo capacity, including up to 36.0 inches of rear legroom and one of the largest cargo carrying capacity in the compact class.
There will also be some handy tech such as smartphone integration, fuel-saving electronic power steering, hill start assist, and the Honda Sensing suite of electronic driver aids. The list includes Collision Mitigation Braking, Road Departure Mitigation and Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow traffic crawling.
All Civic Hatchbacks will be built at Honda’s plant in Swindon in the United Kingdom.
Stay tuned for the debut at the Paris auto show, which gets underway September 29. For more from the show, head to our dedicated hub.
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2016 Honda Civic Test Drive: