11th-gen Honda Civic Revealed. Will We Get It?

The new Civic, which will be a petrol-only offering, looks sportier than the outgoing model

• The new Civic gets a sleeker front grille, longer hood, and sweptback LED tail lamps.

• Features on offer include auto climate control and a touchscreen system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

• To be powered by a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre petrol or a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine.

• It is unlikely to be launched in India anytime soon.

It’s been nearly five decades since Honda’s Civic nameplate was introduced globally. The carmaker has now unveiled the 11th generation of the Civic that will be launched first in the American market. While Honda had earlier revealed the exterior of the new Civic, we now have our first look at its interior.

The 11th-gen Civic has an overall minimalistic design. It has done away with the fastback profile seen on the previous-gen model. Up front, it gets a sleeker grille without the chrome bar (seen on new-age Honda models) as well as a larger air dam and LED fog lamps tucked neatly into the corners of the front bumper. The grille is flanked by elongated LED headlamps, featuring inverted arrow-shaped DRLs. Honda has pushed back the A-pillar of the sedan by nearly two inches, giving the bonnet an elongated and sporty look.

Its low-slung stance is hard to miss when viewed from the sides. The new Civic comes with up to 18-inch alloy wheels and a wheelbase of 2,735mm. It gets a clean side profile with door-mounted ORVMs (outside rearview mirror) and a sharp sloping roofline to enhance the sporty appearance. At the rear, the new Civic sports sweptback LED tail lamps with a bootlid integrated spoiler.

The cabin looks identical to the early design sketch that was revealed a few months back, featuring a simple yet elegant dashboard layout. Honda has integrated the air vents into the honeycomb-mesh pattern design, spanning the width of the dashboard. One of the standout elements of the design is the floating 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system featuring wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The lower variants also come with a touchscreen, albeit a 7-inch unit. Yes, it does get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay too but it’s wired.

In terms of features, the new Civic gets a digital driver’s display (up to 10.2-inches), wireless charging, auto climate control, a 12-speaker Bose sound system, and steering-mounted audio and calling controls. Safety features include 10 airbags, traffic jam assist, adaptive cruise control, and lane keep assist.

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The 11th-gen Civic will be a petrol-only offering, at least in North America. Honda will offer a choice of naturally aspirated 2.0-litre petrol (158PS/187Nm) and 1.5-litre turbo-petrol (180PS/240Nm) engines depending on the variant chosen. Both engines are paired to a CVT gearbox, with paddle shifters for select variants. It gets three drive modes: Eco, Normal, and Sport.

Honda will first launch the Civic sedan, followed by the hatchback with the performance-oriented Si and Type-R variants expected later. It is unlikely to make it to India anytime soon given the low sales volume of the 10th-gen model and the growing preference for SUVs. Besides, Honda has shut the Greater Noida plant where it produced the Civic. Having said that, if it does come here, the new Civic will go up against the Hyundai Elantra and Skoda Octavia.