The All-New 2022 Honda Civic Won The “Car Of The Year” Award. We Test-Drove It For A Week. The Verdict?

 “If I received the lottery, the very first thing I’d do is run proper out and purchase a Civic!” mentioned nobody ever.

 And but, there it’s, the undeniably, continuously successful Civic, unbowed by the passage of time, the winner of the coveted and prestigious North American Automobile Of The 12 months in Detroit just some days in the past.

What’s the key of the Civic’s success?

Practicality, for one, beginning with manufacture. Honda is the retail #1 model in America whereas remaining among the many lowest spenders within the trade. It’s additionally the #1 first automotive alternative for these coveted Millennial and Gen Z patrons.

You’ve received a fairly spirited engine within the 1.5 litre turbo 4-cylinder job my tester had. (A naturally aspirated 2.0 litre’s out there, too.) A 6-speed handbook is on the market as an possibility, which I’d have cherished to have tried, however I had the automated. Trim selections are the LX, the Sport (the most well-liked) the EX and the Si, with costs beginning at $23,365 and rising, naturally, as you go up in trims.

Lookswise, it’s an egg

For the primary day or so I had the Civic, I had bother discovering it in parking heaps. No, it’s not a Maxima, nor an Altima. But it surely was white, and there have been a whole lot of white hatchbacks within the parking heaps I parked in. I lastly mentioned to myself, “Search for the egg” and began discovering it immediately. (Together with mentally reminding myself the place I left the automotive to start with.) Huge-set headlights, and taillights with the CHMSL working practically the full-width of the rear deck, emphasize the large stance and stability the Civic is well known for.

Constructed on the identical platform because the all-new Civic Sedan, the brand new 2022 Hatchback’s physique options consideration to element finest appreciated if you wash the automotive and your rag traces the automotive’s trendy strains on the hood, flanks and roof. Its “sporty hatchback” design not solely provides a glossy coupe-like silhouette and a fastback roofline, it additionally has a wider cargo opening than its predecessor, making it simpler for House Depot runs – however you’re not going to suit a set of drums again there. Its honeycomb grille, distinctive to the corporate’s hatchback, is a pleasant beauty contact. Distinct styling cues embrace a novel built-in rear spoiler, exhaust finishers and commonplace alloy wheels.

Let’s Climb Aboard

Civic Hatchback fortunately provides extra rear seat legroom. The sprint is shiny and cheery, with an out there all-digital shade instrument show and a brand new full HD 9-inch shade touchscreen, the most important in a Honda model automobile (out there in Sport Touring.) 

Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ integration are commonplace as they’re with any respectable new automotive in 2022, and there’s an out there 10.2-inch all-digital instrument show and an HD 9-inch shade touchscreen and Bose Centerpoint 2 premium sound system. Sadly the sound system in our tester was substandard, making each track sound just like the recording engineer put the bass as much as ten and devices down to 6, then pushed the SLUDGE button. That verdict got here after listening to the classical, hip-hop, basic rock and onerous steel stations all through the take a look at.

The experience and the drive

I discovered the Civic did every thing I requested of it with out grievance, from acceleration to sharp steering to braking to parking – and people are good issues in an below 30K automobile. You don’t need your financial system automotive to really feel weak or unsubstantial, particularly in dangerous climate. The automated brake alert is a superb contact – this function is not going to solely save your entrance finish, however forestall you from hitting others in the event you look away from the street. However I’d suggest this automotive for teen drivers or new drivers on the whole due to the strong feeling I received whereas pushing the automotive previous its consolation zone.

The Newest Security Options

And talking of security, right here’s an amazing promoting level as properly. Regardless of the low price ticket ($24,605 for our tester) the 2022 Civic hatchback contains all the security updates made to its bro, the 2022 Civic Sedan, together with the Honda Sensing® suite of security and driver assistive applied sciences, improved with a brand new single-camera system. Honda Sensing provides commonplace Visitors Signal Recognition (TSR), Visitors Jam Help (TJA) in CVT-equipped trims, and provides a extra pure really feel to capabilities similar to Adaptive Cruise Management and Lane Retaining Help.

The truth is, the brand new Civic Hatchback boasts best-ever security options and efficiency, with a number of new airbag designs, together with the world’s first driver’s airbag particularly designed to scale back head rotation in a collision, particularly an indirect collision.

Launched on the all-new Civic Sedan, the brand new airbag makes use of an revolutionary donut-shaped construction to cradle and maintain the pinnacle, mitigating rotation and lowering the chance of mind damage. On the passenger aspect, a brand new three-chamber airbag design achieves an identical consequence. The three chambers inflate individually, with the 2 outer chambers that reach above the primary chamber designed to cradle the pinnacle and management rotation. Together with the 2 next-generation airbags, Civic advantages from further commonplace airbag know-how with first-time functions of knee and rear side-impact airbags.

There may be a lot proper with this well-known automobile and so little fallacious, and it was a pleasing if unspectacular week’s take a look at.