HONDA CIVIC REFINED 11TH GEN MAKES ALL THE RIGHT NOISES

NEXT year – 2022 – marks the fiftieth anniversary of the introduction of the legendary Honda Civic.

- BRIAN MAKSE

That first generation is the model credited with keeping Honda in the automobile manufacturing business and now 11 – yes, 11 – generations deep, it’s become an icon for the brand. With over 20 million Civics sold worldwide, it’s also Honda’s most successful model.

For this first drive, we’ve had a bit of seat time in a North American-market Civic sedan in Touring specification, which is essentially the equivalent of our VTi-LX trim. At the moment, this is the most powerful and best-equipped model available in North America.

The turbocharged four-cylinder engine carries over, as does the continuously variable transmission. The 1.5-liter, VTEC, dual-overhead-cam, turbo engine has been tweaked for 2022 and now produces 134kW at 6000rpm and 240Nm from 1700 to 4500rpm. It’s a modest increase of 7kW at 500rpm higher than before and an additional 20Nm over a slightly narrower rev range – peak torque now begins to fall off at 4500rpm instead of 5500. The naturally aspirated, 1.8-litre four-cylinder looks like it may be replaced by a 118kW 2.0-litre engine.

The suspension is based around McPherson struts in the front and a multi-link design for the rear. Kerb weight of the sedan is up by a modest 20kg over the previous model to 1371kg and expect the new hatch to add a similar touch of mass. Weight distribution is that old front-drive chestnut – 61 percent front, 39 percent rear. Steering remains electrically assisted and is the variable-ratio type. Brakes are discs in all four corners.