After a tenth generation as good and beautiful to drive as controversial to watch, here are the first photos of Honda Civic 2021, the eleventh generation of the Japanese myth. Goodbye to the haunted and almost manga-like lines: now Civic is elegant, refined and refined. But under the hood is the revolution: in Europe, the Honda Civic will only be available as a hybrid, with Honda's e: HEV system. So let's see the Civic range, in Europe and in the rest of the world.
Honda Civic 2021, after the sedan here is the hatchback: elegant and refined, incredibly normal
Honda Civic is one of those cars that, despite not being considered that much by the general public in Europe and especially in Italy, are at the top in terms of number of units sold in the world.. Hugely successful in Asia and North America, in the United States the tenth generation Civic alone, on sale between 2016 and 2021, was sold in 1,4 million units. An incredibly successful model, which has been part of the Honda range continuously since 1972.
After nearly 50 years and 10 generations, it is time for Civic to unveil itself in its 2005th generation. And this is the series that changes everything from an aesthetic point of view. After several very classic and somewhat predictable series, in XNUMX Honda completely changed its register, introducing with the eighth generation a 'futuristic aesthetic, very personal and original. The two series that followed continued to propose very personal lines, not always meeting the tastes of the public. Especially the European one, which has always been a bit "picky" with too personal cars, has not forgiven the current Civic for the many air intakes, the rear window split in two and, in general, an inelegant aesthetic.
Now, Honda Civic 2021 seems to have listened to and put into practice the criticisms of the past years. The new generation discards huge air intakes and bold lines, and sports an elegant and refined look. The hatchback, the best-selling Civic in the world, was the first to reveal itself, with the hatchback making itself known only now, after several weeks. In common, the two versions have a very elegant and discreet front. The front grille is no longer in glossy black, but is instead almost faired, in body color, as we have seen on the new Jazz.
In general, however, now the hood is decidedly lower, the lines much simpler and more slender, and from the outside Civic brings out an unprecedented dynamism and aggressiveness. The side is quite streamlined, with rounded wheel arches that highlight the wheels. After the B-pillar, the hatchback and hatchback stand out quite a lot. The sedan offers a much more traditional and elegant tail than before. The headlights are obviously LED and square, with a cut similar to that of the Accord sedan, sold only in the USA. The sedan is now more elegant, slightly longer (reaches 4,67 meters) and much less "tacky" than before.
Our hatchback takes up this philosophy, and finally abandons the split rear window, trademark of the last 3 generations. However, it does not adopt a “European” tail, rigorous and vertical. Civic's concept of “two and a half volumes” is preserved, with a long and sloping rear window leading to a truncated tail that gives it a lot of dynamism. The tail lines, however, are finally elegant and rational, creating a really nice picture, in line with Honda's new stylistic course.
From the American Civic we take a look at the interiors: goodbye futurism, welcome rationality
If aesthetics were the most talked about part of the latest Civics, the interiors were not without criticism either. The tenth generation was in fact made with great care and sported almost flawless assemblies, but the aesthetics were rather confusing. It combined very traditional elements with futuristic solutions, such as the half-digital instrument cluster and the floating console, and some controls were not very intuitive. Now, Honda Civic 2021 changes register also inside.
We don't have definitive images of the Honda Civic hatchback coming to Europe, but we can already "peek" from the hatchback sedan, already on sale in America. The interior design follows Honda's new course as on the outside. As on Jazz, HR-V and Honda electric and, in fact, the interior is clean and refined. There are physical controls for the climate control, the steering wheel has been redesigned and equipped with much easier and more intuitive controls, and the infotainment is controlled from the 9-inch “cantilever” screen, as seen on the HR-V.
There is also an original solution: in fact, a continuous honeycomb grille develops in the center of the dashboard, integrating the three air vents. An idea that gives the entire passenger compartment a feeling of greater space, visually increasing the width of the car. The instrument panel is then totally digital, and in the center you can see the presence of a traditional gear lever for automatic transmission.
In 2021, Honda Civic returns to hybrid after 10 years: in Europe only the e: HEV engine will be on the list
And in fact, the big news of Honda Civic is precisely under the hood. In Europe, we will have to say goodbye to the range formed by petrol 1.0 and 1.5 VTEC Turbo, parks but very lively, and to the very economical 1.6 i-DTEC turbodiesel. In fact, in the European range there will be space exclusively for the hybrid engine and: HEV, already known on Jazz, CR-V and soon on HR-V. At the moment we do not know the details of the specific engine that we will see on the Civic, but we do know that it will use the original system already known on the other hybrid Hondas.
It is indeed a very special system, which combines a petrol engine, basically aspirated, with a generous electric motor with almost identical power (if not higher in some cases). In short, the electric motor is what drives the car in most situations. Thanks to its important power and torque, the electric motor can push the car with great ease, guaranteeing a nice verve in all situations.. And the heat engine? Atkinson cycle gasoline has two tasks. When maximum power is needed, it generates energy to recharge the lithium-ion battery and power the electric motor. In the motorway or constant speed driving phases, where it is more efficient and park, it is connected to the wheels via a single-ratio transmission. In this way, turning at 3500/4000 rpm it is able to consume little and move the car without problems.
This is a very sophisticated and original system, which appears for the first time on a “low wheel” car in the Honda range. After the subcompact-MPV Jazz, the HR-V B-SUV and the CR-V C-SUV, the e: HEV system makes its appearance on the best-selling Civic, about 10 years after the last hybrid version of the Japanese compact in Europe. In fact, from 2007 to 2010 Honda also offered the Civic Hybrid in Europe. Based on the sedan version of the Civic, not present in Europe in the thermal version, it sported the IMA system under the hood, which allowed for excellent fuel consumption with a very low operating and purchase cost. After not having obtained the hoped-for success (also due to the aesthetics little appreciated by the European public), the Civic Hybrid was no longer proposed, even if today it is rather sought after on the second-hand market.
In the rest of the world, Honda Civic 2021 sports the well-known 1.5 V-TEC Turbo ... and the Type R?
In the rest of the world, however, there will be no shortage of alternatives. The American Civic, for example, offers its customers two gasoline engines: a 2.0 VTEC naturally aspirated from 158 HP and the known 1.5 VTEC Turbo, also seen in Italy in the previous generation, which reaches 180 HP. The gearbox for the two-volume version is only the classic continuously variable CVT automatic, while in America the two-volume version will also have the option of a manual gearbox with the more powerful engine.
But now a spontaneous question arises: what about the Type R version? As many enthusiasts know, in fact, since 1996 the Honda Civic has been offered in the high-performance Type R version, which in 25 years has made itself known and loved as one of the best Hot Hatches around. After arriving for the first time two years ago in America, the presence of a Type R version for the North American market should be ensured. In fact, the first prototypes of the high-performance version have been glimpsed, equipped with the classic, huge wing and an engine of at least 330 HP.
In Europe, however, seems destined to be a dream. Honda has in fact declared that it intends to sell only electrified cars by the end of 2022. So, unless one is born Type R ibrida (a possibility not too remote, given the birth of competing plug-in sports), nWe will not see a new Civic Type R in the Old Continent. And this is true sin, as Honda has worked so hard for making this Civic the best to drive in its history. A frame with 8% higher torsional stiffness, more precise and punchy steering and a set-up that loves cornering. These are all characteristics that we will only be able to appreciate with the hybrid engine.
The arrival in Europe is scheduled for the beginning of 2022
Despite this bitter note, Honda Civic 2021 promises to be really interesting, able to polish the peculiarities of the older generation and bring even more people into the Honda world. We just have to know its latest details, see it live and try it, but to do so we will still have to be patient. The arrival on the European market is in fact scheduled for the autumn of 2022, in just over a year.
In the meantime, we will surely know all its latest details, and we will line up to be able to try it. We like this Civic very much from an aesthetic point of view, but we are waiting to try it on the road to see if hybrid powertrain can do justice to one of the most fun-to-drive front-wheel drive cars of recent years. And you? What do you think? Are you convinced by this new Honda Civic and its "leap" towards electrification? Let us know below in the comments!
