What’s New for 2022?
Four-cylinder engines – including the 1.5-litre turbocharged one – are offered; front-wheel-drive remains standard since Honda has insisted that four-wheel drive is not part of the plan. Updated technology features like the larger infotainment display, wireless smartphone connectivity, and improved driver-assistance features are all significant upgrades that will help the Civic fend off rivals like the Hyundai Elantra, Mazda 3, and Toyota Corolla. The Honda Civic is brand-new for 2022, featuring a revised bodywork and updated interior. The 2022 Civic will come in sedan and hatchback body styles like the last generation’s model.
Our recommendation is the nicely equipped EX trim in sedan models, which comes with plenty of extra features that easily justify its increased price tag. Those niceties include blind-spot monitoring, power moonroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated outside mirrors, and heated front seats. It is also equipped standard with a higher-output turbocharged, 180-hp, four-cylinder. If you buy the hatchback, we will point you toward the EX-L, which offers similar hardware and leather trim.
Engine, Transmission, and Performance
While it has revamped everything else on the new Civic, Honda has decided to keep powertrain options from the last-gen car. Base models are equipped with the standard 158-hp 2.0-litre flat-four, while the upgraded engine continues to be a 1.5-litre turbocharged flat-four, which now makes 180 horsepower. The new Civic is offered exclusively in front-wheel-drive. Sadly, the manual transmission offered in the previous-generation Civic hatchback has been dropped for 2022, leaving a Continuous Variable Automatic Transmission (CVT) as the only offer; the six-speed manual is still available in hatchback models.
At our test track, our turbocharged Touring sedan needed 7.5 seconds to reach 60 mph, a bit slower than the results of the previous-generation Civic. The manual Sport Touring Hatchback we tested did a little better, taking 7.3 seconds to 60 mph. Fortunately, the quick steering, communicative steering, and nicely poised ride that we appreciated so much on last-gen models are also well-judged.
Sporty Si and performance Type-R variants are in the works, too, and both will offer manual gearboxes; we have reviewed these models separately.
Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG
The EPA says that the most fuel-efficient version of the new Civic is the mid-level EX, which gets ratings of 33 miles per gallon in the city, 42 miles per gallon on the highway, and 36 miles per gallon combined. When we have a chance, we will put the 2022 Civic through our 75-mph fuel-economy course on the road and report back on the results here. For more information about the Civics fuel economy, check out the EPAs site.
Interior, Comfort, and Cargo
A sleeker cabin design debut on the 2022 Civic, featuring cleaner lines and a dash with an entire-width, honeycomb-style mesh design element cleverly concealing vents. The more comprehensive centre console feels less cluttered than on the outgoing model and features what appears to be a larger, more bottomless bin ahead of the gear shifter to store smartphones, keys, and snacks on a road trip. Honda says that the passenger space is about equal, too, with more generous load areas in the back.