For some five decades now, Honda has built the Civic, considered by most to be one of the most sporty compact cars you can buy, and that has translated into consistently being the top selling, or close to it, car in Canada year after year.
Naturally, Honda is seeking to leverage that sporty reputation with a full range of little sedans (no coupe anymore) with some sort of “sport” credentials, almost to the point of confusion. There is an eleventh-generation Civic to be had in both a sedan and a hatchback. The former has both Sport and Si models, while the latter gets Sport and Sport Touring models (to say nothing of the new Type R), and it was the Hatchback Sport Touring model we tested. It was a ’22 model, and there are ’23s out now, although Honda admits supplies are tight, but we are led to believe that there have been no changes in what was a brand-new model for ’22, so our observations should still be valid.
Our bright blue unit was notable in that it had a six-speed manual transmission, a drivetrain option that has long been equated with sporty driving, but which is being steadily squeezed out of the market because modern automatics are so good, the demands of modern-day urban driving make having a manual a big commitment, and many younger drivers just don’t know how to drive a manual-equipped car. We are glad that Honda still offers a true three-pedal-and-a-shifter set-up.
After many years of its manual transmissions having the best shifter feel, with short throws and just the right amount of resistance into the next gear, it is no surprise that the latest compact from Honda feels just the same, which is responsible for much of the sporty feeling of the car. One small nit to pick – when you lift off the throttle to shift up or down, the revs tend to hang where they last were. Maybe that is easier on the drivetrain, or better for emissions and economy, but it does detract from the feeling the involved driver wants to have when shifting – especially heel-and-toe downshifting.
Also contributing to the sporty feeling is the 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that Honda has moved to as its engine in mid-range models above the lower-powered base model. In the Sport Touring, it puts out 180 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque at a nice, low 1,700 rpm. Gone are the early VTEC days, when you had to rev the engine to over 5,000 rpm to get some good grunt out of it. Now the power comes in early, making the driving experience around town much more responsive. The Civic so equipped is not especially quick, by the numbers, hitting 100 km/h in the seven-second range, but it just feels responsive and, well, sporty. To say nothing of it being perhaps the smoothest four-cylinder engine in the world, an accolade that Honda’s fours have earned for many years.
The chassis keeps up its end of the sporty equation, with strut front suspension backed up by multi-link in the rear. The brakes are four-wheel disc, of course, while the 18-inch wheels are shod with 235/40 all-season tires. And, the variable ratio rack-and-pinion steering is very accurate and communicative. It’s a nice all-round package that yields a good blend of ride comfort and sharp handling.
Inside the Sport Touring, drop yourself into the eight-way power driver’s seat and you ought to be able to find a comfortable position. It could perhaps be a little bit more firm, and while the lumbar support isn’t adjustable, what there is of it is adequate. From said seat, you’ll look at the dashboard and realize that you can’t see any vents. That is because they are hidden behind a clever honeycomb mesh with only the little adjustment knobs to give away their location.
The rear seats are heated in the Sport Touring, and there is perhaps more space in all directions back there than you might expect for actual adults, as long as the front seats aren’t all the way back. They fold down 60-40 and nearly flat, which of course opens up a lot of space in this hatchback design. The cargo floor is not flat all the way forward, though, likely to accommodate the large multi-link suspension underneath it.
Standard equipment is extensive in the Sport Touring. On the safety side, it comes with every passive and active feature you could want, too many to list here. On the comfort and convenience side, there is a nine-inch touch screen perched atop the dashboard that looks a bit old-school but is easy to see, along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation, satellite radio, and a nice Bose 12-speaker (including sub) audio system.
In terms of market positioning and specification, the Honda Civic Hatchback is a rational compact economy car, something many people still want in this age of SUVs. But by almost any subjective measure, this car, especially in the $39,041 Sport Touring version, punches above its weight in engineering, features, perceived quality and refinement. That it offers a high level of sporting capabilities, too, is just icing on the cake.
