The 10th generation Honda Civic has so far been an unmitigated success for the Japanese marque, putting them back on top against rivals like Toyota, Mazda, and Volkswagen. We’ve already been inundated with the sedan version, and the hatch is already on the way as we are being made very aware.
The Civic hatch already made an appearance in North America, but Honda is again previewing the European version (to our eyes, visually identical) ahead of its official debut at the 2016 Paris Motor Show.
The car has been revealed to be built in Honda’s UK manufacturing facility in Swindon, where the each Civic Type R will also take shape. However, some new information has surfaced concerning the variant’s powertrains.
Naturally, it will inherit the 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder from the sedan and crucially - aiding its sportier placement in the Civic family - be available with a six-speed manual transmission in addition to the CVT automatic.
For Europe, the Civic hatch is also due to receive a diesel engine option in the form of an updated 1.6-litre turbodiesel that will gain further performance and emissions chops while also being offered with that manual option. Additionally, a smaller 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine will be introduced and will produce 95kW.
No word yet whether Honda will be rolling out either engines to worldwide versions of the Civic sedan but it seems an inevitability at this point if they aspire to reach a wide enough audience and an varied engine line-up is a prerequisite.
The Civic hatch will also not be foregoing the safety and convenience features that have garnered the sedan such praise. It should come replete with Honda’s collision mitigation braking system, blind spot monitoring, forward collision warning, lane keep assist, and adaptive cruise control.
As is becoming the norm on Honda’s, support for the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity support is available through the car’s centrally-mounted infotainment screen. For those wanting added aural fidelity, an 11-speaker setup will be made available as well.
Of course, the altered body style has effected boot space over the longer sedan. It’s hardly lacking, though, with the lid revealing 478-litres within the compartment with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats folded up.
We’ll hear more about the all-new right-hand drive Civic hatchback when it makes its debut at the Paris Motor Show, though I doubt much of its reveal there will hold many surprises given the amount of exposure Honda has shed onto it.
For more on Honda vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.
