Pros:
- Great value and standard features.
- Styling is more upscale and grown-up than before.
- Comfortable ride.
Cons:
- No manual gearbox for sedan buyers.
- Slower than the previous Civic.
- The base engine could use a little more grunt.
Vehicle Type: The Honda Civic is a compact car with seating for up to five people.
Price Range: The Honda Civic ranges in price from $22,915 to $30,415, which includes destination, but is before options or taxes.
Powertrain: The almost all-new 2022 Honda Civic is offered two powertrain options.
The base engine is a 2.0-liter inline-four that makes 158 horsepower and 138 lb-ft of torque.
The upgraded powertrain features a turbocharged 1.5-liter engine making 180 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque.
A continuously variable transmission and front-wheel drive are standard for the Civic sedan, but the Hatchback is offered with a six-speed manual.
The Civic Si is considered a separate model by Honda that comes powered by a 200 horsepower 1.5-liter turbo-four. It’s available exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission.
More Photos:
See more 2022 Honda Civic Photos.
Overview:
The Honda Civic is legendary for being normal, which is perhaps its most impressive quality. The car occupies a special place in the hearts and minds of enthusiasts and everyday drivers because it’s one of the very few autos that has consistently and simultaneously offered value, comfort, fun, and efficiency. Honda gave the car a full redesign for the 2022 model year with upscale styling, more and newer tech, and great fuel economy.
The 11th-generation 2022 Civic rollout has been in stages. The Honda Civic Sedan landed first, followed by the Hatchback. The higher-performance Civic Si is expected to go on sale in late 2022, and the range-topping Civic Type R is due out in 2022. Trim levels include LX, Sport, EX, EX-L Hatchback, Touring Sedan, and Sport Touring Hatchback.
Despite some automakers’ decision to cut cars from their vehicle lineups altogether, the Civic faces off against a crowded and surprisingly fierce group of competitors that include the Kia Forte, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra, Volkswagen Golf, Mazda3, Nissan Sentra, and the Subaru Impreza. The Civic is aimed at new car buyers wanting great fuel economy and features for a reasonable price.
Overall Score: 7.9/10
Safety Features: 8/10
Every 2022 Honda Civic comes standard with Honda Sensing, which brings lane-keeping assist, traffic jam assist, adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, traffic sign recognition, automatic high beams, and a rear-seat reminder system. Blind-spot monitoring and low-speed braking control are available.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the 2022 Civic a Top Safety Pick + designation for the year. That rating includes Good scores in all crashworthiness categories, a Good score for headlights, and Superior scores for both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian crash prevention. The car also earned a Good + rating for its LATCH system, which IIHS says is for its extra anchoring points.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the Civic five stars overall.
Value: 7/10
The Civic ranges in price from under $23,000 to just over $30,000. Even at the low end of the price spectrum, the car offers great standard safety features, a comfortable ride, space for plenty of people and gear, and attractive styling.
Honda has done an excellent job at giving the Civic plenty of practicality and usability while also dialing in just the right amount of agility and fun. This makes the Civic an excellent everyday car that could fill the void for an enthusiast in a pinch. That’s a statement that applies to very few cars, especially those in the Civic’s modest price range.
Honda’s approach to trims and options makes it easy to select a car that has the desired features at the desired price. There aren’t many add-on upgrades, and accessories are reasonably priced.
Tech Features: 8/10
The new Civic comes standard with a 160-watt audio system, four speakers, a 7-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, push-button start, USB inputs, a 12-volt power outlet, automatic climate controls, and power windows/door locks.
Available features include dual-zone automatic climate controls, a HondaLink garage door remote system, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a larger nine-inch touchscreen, a 180-watt stereo with eight speakers, a Bose stereo with 12 speakers, wireless phone charging, SiriusXM satellite radio, navigation, and HD radio.
Though Honda added back the volume knob it so controversially took away a few years ago, its infotainment software is still slower to respond and clunkier to use than the systems seen in its competitors. Changing a setting or even changing the radio station requires too many taps to accomplish as well, which can be distracting at times.
Practicality: 8/10
Cars are more than their specs on paper, but it’s important to note the Civic’s dimensions because they are generous for a car of its size. The front headroom lands at 39.3 inches and the front legroom is 42.3 inches. The rear headroom hits 37.1 inches and the rear legroom is 37.4 inches. Trunk space comes in at 15.1 cubic feet, which improves on last year’s car.
The Civic’s interior has been refined and improved over the years. It’s now a wonderfully comfortable place to spend time, and there’s plenty of space for people, gear, and items of all sizes. Honda cleaned up the over-complicated center console storage area from the previous generation, and the uncluttered front cabin area offers great door pocket storage, along with a useful cubby under the center stack.
The Honda Civic Hatchback offers 24.5 cubic feet of storage space under its rear lid, which expands further with the rear seats folded down. The lack of a true coupe may be disappointing to some Civic diehards, but there’s no denying the added functionality offered in Hatchback models is a big plus.
Styling & Design: 8/10
With the 2022 overhaul, Honda moved the Civic more in line with the larger and more expensive Accord. The car now looks larger, longer, lower, and wider, all of which give it a more upscale vibe.
The Civic Sedan’s sloping roofline helps extend its profile but doesn’t cut into headroom to a large degree. An airy, open greenhouse brings great visibility in nearly every direction.
The changes Honda made to the Civic’s interior are notable, as they nearly completely transform the car into something that feels and looks far more upscale than its price tag suggests. The air vents are integrated into a long metal honeycomb grate feature that runs the length of the dash and adds a premium touch
Driving Experience: 8/10
The two four-cylinder engine choices from the previous year’s Civic remain in place for 2022 and that’s mostly a good thing for buyers. The base 2.0-liter engine provides plenty of cruising power and holds its own on the highway. Reaching highway speeds and passing once there does take some effort with the base engine, but it’s far from underpowered.
The upgraded turbo engine provides much more grunt and better acceleration. It pairs nicely with both the six-speed manual transmission and the CVT, though the manual gearbox is a much better choice for anyone wanting an engaging drive.
The Civic offers lively handling and great steering feel while maintaining good ride quality. There’s a decent amount of road and wind noise at highway speeds, but nothing too disruptive.
Fuel Efficiency: 8/10
EPA ranges estimates for the Honda Civic range widely due to its body styles and engine variants. The most efficient model is the sedan with a turbocharged engine, which delivers 33/42/36 mpg city/hwy/combined. The least efficient Civic model is the Hatchback with a 2.0-liter engine and a manual gearbox, which returns 26/36/29 mpg. Still solid, but far from the Civic’s best numbers.
Even without a hybrid option to bump its averages, the Civic offers fuel economy numbers that are among the best in its class.
What’s it Going to Cost Me?
The base Honda Civic LX's MSRP starts at $22,915 and gets a 2.0-liter engine, 16-inch wheels, a continuously variable automatic transmission, forward collision warnings, lane departure warnings, collision mitigation braking, road departure mitigation, LED headlights, automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, traffic jam assist, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, auto high beams, rear-seat reminders, automatic climate controls, power windows and door locks, cruise control, a 160-watt sound system with five speakers, a 7-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and USB inputs.
The LX Hatchback starts at $23,915.
The Civic Sport starts at $25,115 and adds selectable driving modes, paddle shifters, 18-inch wheels, a smart entry system with walk-away lock, sport pedals, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and shift knob, and a 180-watt stereo with eight speakers.
The Civic Sport Hatchback starts at $25,115.
The Civic EX starts at $25,915 and gets a turbocharged 1.5-liter engine, 17-inch wheels, blind-spot monitoring, a power moonroof, dual-zone climate controls, and a rear-seat armrest.
The EX-L Hatchback starts at $27,615 and includes blind-spot monitoring, a power moonroof, heated front seats, and leather upholstery.
The 2022 Honda Civic Touring Sedan starts at $29,515 and comes with rear cross-traffic alerts, low-speed braking control, LED fog lights, front and rear parking sensors, an eight-way power driver’s seat, leather upholstery, a power passenger’s seat, a 9-inch touchscreen, SiriusXM radio, HD radio, navigation, a 12-speaker Bose audio system with subwoofer, wireless phone charging, and a compass.
The Sport Touring Hatchback starts at $30,415.
If we were shopping for a new Honda Civic today, the EX sedan would be our pick of the bunch. The car brings blind-spot monitoring and a moonroof, but the most important feature it’s the upgraded turbo engine. The Touring trims are nice, but it doesn't take springing for a Touring model to get the best Civic deal.
