The 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback has bowed in prototype form at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, and will be getting its U.S. welcome at the New York International Auto Show on March 22.
After having images leaked two days ago, the prototype offers a clearer look at what buyers can expect when the 10th generation Civic hatch goes on sale. Just don’t expect the ornate, go-fast trappings of this version to be found on anything approaching a base model.
A hatchback body style will wring the most amount of versatility out of the Civic’s newly expanded dimensions, providing much-needed cargo room for “we have a kid but can’t afford a crossover” types.
If it seems curious that Honda is premiering its latest offering in Europe, it isn’t. The Civic Hatchback will be built in jolly old England at Honda of the UK Manufacturing, then exported around the world.
Honda recently poured 270 million Euros into the plant to gear up for Civic Hatchback production.
In Europe, the Civic Hatchback will come with a new 1.0-liter turbo VTEC engine, along with a 1.5-liter turbo and an improved 1.6-liter i-DTEC diesel. These engines are sourced from Honda’s questionably-named Earth Dreams Technology range.
North Americans consumers will receive the 1.5-liter turbo and 2.0-liter naturally-aspirated gas engines from the existing Civic lineup.
Honda assures us that high-performance Si variants are coming down the pipe, so it wouldn’t be surprising to find that the prototype unveiled in Geneva reflects much of what a future Si hatchback could look like.
[Images: Honda]
So the leaked photos were accurate; it’s still hideous.
I feel so old, everything is so ugly.
It seems this is the lost decade of design. anything fun or neat gets killed- honda S660.
Hoping for a renaissance of sorts with electric motors and when battery tech gets nailed down so its just plug n play like a crate LS engine. Combine with carbon fiber and all sorts of 3d printing maybe small companies can make up for this period of crap.
You can almost do that today, using products from places like this:
http://evwest.com/catalog/
The problem is one of cost and time. You’ll spend 5 figures retrofitting a car as an EV, which is the same price as a decent used one with all the certs.
If you go used EV, wait another year or so. Next gen EVs should cause a decent price drop on the current generation and 2014 Leafs produced after 1/2014 should be coming off lease. I think 1/14 is the changeover for the much improved “lizard” battery. Easy to recognize one since it probably won’t be showing any battery degradation if it’s under 30k miles.
Actually, I’d maybe prefer a little less “ornation” (new word maybe??) than this. It just seems a bit…much.
a simplified version of this car would be a mazda 3
Ha, that would be ornamentation.
I feel like he was going for ‘ormalu’
Ormolu, you mean?
sure! that!
Or just “ornate”
Thanks for playing. Honda was going for “ornery,” but it got mangled in translation.
This thing is ghastly.
Ghastly beyond belief.
:-(
Thought this article was about the Crosstour at first fleeting glance.
Not bad looking from the side. But that is it
But, does it come with a manual?
Honda is promising an MT in the sedan and coupe with the 1.5T, so I think that is a reasonable expectation. I’m not sure if brown will be offered.
The overall shape is fine, but yeah, the baroque detailing splashed around the bumpers is just way the hell too much. Designers – just because you can, doesn’t mean you should!
In addition to peak logo, we have reach peak grill/vent and peak defuser. Seriously it has to end.
ManY of you, after all these years, still have nt deciphered Honda concepts…..
The sheet metal, greenhouse, glass, roof, are all production (the hard points)… the bumpers, wheels, kit are all to reveal the logical conclusion of design elements….
This thing is going to be a very hot item and will sell very well….. I love it
YES! The bones of the Civic hatch are very attractive. Once they remove the ornate doo-dads from the Type-R, this will be a great looking car.
1.5T + MT + hatch is a recipe for success.
……..Uhh……okay………sure…..it……will……sell……possibly…..more…than…likely…the…sedan….will…
.sell….more
Yes. The sedan will sell more. But given that Honda is already designing the hatchback for Europe, why not bring it to the US?
Todays Q of the day:
How do I use an ellipsis, and how many periods are in it?
And the Lord spake, saying, ‘First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shalt be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thou foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.
Add me to the list as one who hopes that the bumpers on the concept don’t make it to production. Otherwise, not bad.
It would look better just with *smaller* front and back nostrils, and much better with much smaller ones.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/27/automobiles/not-flared-nostrils-but-nostrils-with-flair.html
For a hatchback, a lot of possible interior space is thrown away for a hatch so angled it looks more like a sedan from the profile.
Thats what I thought, but Hondas gotta have some reason for us to buy CUVs.
Honda must have a cocaine problem…there is no other way to explain the noses on their cars over the last decade or so.
BTW: Will Honda be offering an OEM “The Shocker” sticker w/this thing?
I’m thinking the Si will be mid $30k.
The current Civic Si is less than $23K. The new one will be similarly priced.
The Type R may be in the mid 30’s, but now you are talking like 300 hp.
The 2016 civic touring is already $27,335. Add the R emblem. It could be a $30k plus fwd hatchback.
Well the CLA-based Mercedes CUV thing and the BMW X1 already exist so the precedent is set.
This thing is the antithesis of Honda`s high water mark 4th gen (87-91) Civic, with its lithe modernity, perfect proportions and sublime simplicity in its lines. I guess Honda won`t or can`t design cars like that anymore.
I sat in a new Civic at our local car show a couple of weeks ago and was unhappy to discover the seat bottom is too short for me. And I am only 5’3″ tall! I had a problem like that with my old Mazda 5, which was my only reason for trading that car back in. Either I have a freakishly long thigh bone, or these seats are made poorly.
Short seat cushions with poor thigh support is a common complaint with many Japanese cars.
It’s not just you. We noticed the same thing with several Asian cars at the car show last month.
they should have made it a full wagon. maximize the space
front & rear aero “scoops” are overdone & gaudy
they are on the right track though. lets see how the final car eveolves
Hey it’s awful looking in this trim, BUT… no DLO fail!
Now all they have to do to get it to sell is jack it up 6 inches and add AWD.
So Honda separated their design and marketing teams, and the result is unrestrained design for designs sake, you’re right Honda, no watering down here!
Cars like this are a case study on why modern car companies SHOULD farm out designs to coach builders and design houses (i.e. Giugiaro and Bertone).
Excellent point. Blind is as blind does, I suppose.
Giugiaro was sold to VAG and Bertone is bankrupt. Honda has sufficient design capabilities in house.
>Honda has sufficient design capabilities in house.
If this is an example of “sufficient”, perhaps the in-house design capabilities need to be replaced.
Repeating what I wrote re: the leaked images, the overall shape/dimensions/look reminds me of a Saab Viggen (especially the side and rear quarter views), just a lot busier in the cladding. But since a lot of what we don’t like may go away on the production model, I think this could be a nice one.
Dang double post
Biplane spoilers are back baby!
Just when I thought that Honda/Acura had stepped away from the ugly, the find a new rock layer to dig through.
The back end looks like a failure. Why did they try and copy the rear end of a Ford Focus ST?
OK so its clear they (a) don’t want to compete with European cars and (b) don’t want to even get close to any potential buyer who has a shred of maturity.
The question then is, who is left to buy it, and do they have any money or credit, and are they even interested in cars?
Ricers, ricers who dont mind voiding warrantys or going into debt.
Ive seen at least a few with slammed 2010 Civics or so.
^This^ I’m in my mid 50’s and have been hoping for years Honda would finally release a hatchback civic. This adolescent dream doesn’t cut it or I need to start watching some anime maybe? Now the hope is they put the Civic engines into the fwd/manual HRV and I’ll make do with that.
I’d buy one of these with the 1.5T…but I’d need the Honda equivalent of a Trifecta Tune because I want at least 200 horsepower.
However many the T version of the Cruze has is not enough (150?), at all. I’m hoping there are several hundred pounds of weight difference between Cruze and Civic, though.
New Cruze has 155 I think. Same as an old Beretta Z26, but probably heavier!
The new 2016 Cruze is several hundred pounds lighter than the outgoing model and lighter than this new Civic. The new 1.4T puts out 153 HP and 177 torque which should be a nice improvement over the current car and with the 200 LB weight loss.
Lol, so is it “several hundred” pounds lighter, or 200?
I’m MOSTLY ok with the body-cladding, but the slope of that hatch? Oooh, shades of the Integra and RSX.
Different body kit (or none at all) and send this to Acura for some better seats, and maybe SH-AWD as an option, and yup: new RSX.
I’d be tempted on an SI (or RSX TypeS), and I’m not a Honda guy, for the most part. Could be a lot of fun, though.
This new version is okay, but to me, the penultimate hatch (2005-2008) was the tightest design, and still looks great to me:
http://www.autoevolution.com/cars/honda-civic-5-doors-2005.html#agal_5
For those of you who don’t remember, just Google away and look at the previous remodels “production prototype” and compare it to the previous version actually released. Repeat with the last remodel. Then calm down about the bumpers, vents, wings, strakes, separators, louvers, tint, wheels, etc. and enjoy the bones that will be sold somewhere, maybe here.
Much prefer the sedan to this, looks wise. I’m also skeptical about the ride from such unbalanced F-R overhangs, unless one stuffs the trunk full of bricks. But then again, I doubt Honda cares, as us geezers are supposed to buy the Accord anyway……
geezer can has Acura?
Hopefully it comes with an engine that isn’t on stop sale and won’t blow up like the current 2.0.