Honda’s sporty Civic uncovered

By Chris Thorp

05th July 2006

The Civic has finally been set three! Ahead of its official unveiling at the British Motor Show later this month, Honda has released the first pictures of its sporty compact family hatchback.

In three-door form, the model loses none of its futuristic lines, and retains the same dimensions as the five-door. A smaller rear window helps emphasise the sharply rising waistline, while lower side skirts give the Swindon-built machine an aggressive stance.

Standard-fit 17-inch alloy wheels complete the look, which is aimed at buyers who think the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus are too conservative.

While the five-door has a coupé-like profile, the styling of the three-door is even sportier – as Auto Express was first to reveal when we printed exclusive spyshots of the newcomer in Issue 910. Inside, the racy theme continues with drilled aluminium pedals, silver-stitched black Alcantara seats and a leather-trimmed steering wheel.

While the three-door can’t match the practicality of its five-door sibling, Honda’s superb dive-down one-motion folding rear seats leave a flat load area. And with only two occupants on board, the latest version provides the same 485 litres of luggage space. When it goes on sale in January next year, the new Civic will be offered with two trims. The Type S gets air-conditioning, curtain airbags and Vehicle Stability Assist, while a GT option pack will add more kit, including a panoramic glass roof, cruise control and front foglights.

Performance fans will be holding out for the Civic Type R, but that won’t join the range until March next year. However, for those who can’t afford the flagship model, the standard three-door still promises an entertaining drive. Engineers have widened the rear track by 20mm over the five-door, and provided a stiffer set-up for more responsive handling.

Initially, the new hatchback will be offered with two engines. Buyers can either choose a 138bhp 1.8-litre i-VTEC petrol unit, or a 138bhp 2.2-litre oil-burner. Each powerplant will come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, although an automatic transmission is available as an option.

With both three and five-door variants now out in the open, as well as the four-door hybrid, the Civic line-up is nearly complete. And while Honda has no immediate plans for an estate model, engineers at the company are widely rumoured to be working on a folding hard-top convertible version.