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New Honda Civic spied

Eagle-eyed Auto Express reader spots next-generation Honda Civic testing in Piccadilly Circus

Honda Civic

Text: Sam Hardy / Photos: Gareth Parsons

09th June 2011

Take a look at the new 2012 Honda Civic, spotted in a very unusual location. Normally, prototypes for new models are spied at test tracks in Europe, but eagle-eyed reader Gareth Parsons grabbed this picture in the middle of Piccadilly Circus!

The fact that the Civic has been caught in the UK means engineers are making sure that its suspension set-up is optimised for UK roads. Despite the Civic being built in Swindon, most development work usually takes place at the firm's R&D centre in Germany, so it's obvious Honda is keen for the Civic to be on a par with the new Ford Focus and latest VW Golf when it comes to handling and ride comfort.

As for the way it looks, this new five-door hatchback prototype may be covered in disguise, but this picture does show that the latest car features a similar silhouette to the current Civic. Under the skin, expect it to receive a round of mild updates, including sharper lights front and rear and a bolder grille in the nose, as well as revised bodywork. Expect Honda to tweak the rear of the car by removing the rear spoiler which obscures rear visibility, and adding a rear window wiper.

The front-wheel drive platform will be carried over from the current car with an updated range of small petrol VTEC engines and a diesel. Expect stop-start to be standard across the line-up. Although US specification Civics get a multi-link rear suspension set-up, European models are likely to continue with a torsion beam arrangement as it is more compact and allows for more rear seat space and luggage room.

Expect to see the new Civic at a major motor show later this year, with sales starting in 2012.

For an alternative review of the latest Honda Civic visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk

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6 Comments

Clutching defeat from the jaws of victory

I drove a workmate's current Civic on an number of occasions and I have to say it came so-ooo close to being brilliant, but was let down by a couple of seemingly little things that in real life made me hate it with a passion.

One was the stupid rear window spoiler which made the view out the rear look like some sort of "assemble the bits of the picture" puzzle.

Another was the "sporting" ride, which for the uninitiated, should read "spine-jarring".

If this new Civic addresses these, it could be a stonker.

By FloatingVoter on 9 June, 2011, 5:56pm

Faith

Its good to see that even after all these years of not owning Rover they've still got faith in British expertise in not only making the car, but developing it as well!!!

By squarehead on 14 June, 2011, 5:32am

Promising

I think if they iron out some of the flaws on the current model this new one will be a very good car. I like the quirky design of the current car so I hope they dont lose that to much.

By cousins11 on 15 June, 2011, 12:16pm

already dated

I think the civic looked nice when it came out but now when i look at them i think they were too extreme making them look really outdated now, compared to similar cars of its age the leon springs to mind, still looks fresh. I dont think deleting the rear spoiler will help.Hope there are some major revisions or its going to look dated as soon as its released.

By dukebox9reg on 16 June, 2011, 1:09pm

Weight

The biggest issue other than the terrible rear visibility which has made the current model inferior to the previous one is that it is significantly heavier and hence more sluggish.

With this model Honda tried to achieve mass appeal and in doing so they alienated a huge swathe of their loyal customers, particularly at the performance end of the range.

There seems to be no mention of a Type R model for the new Civic. I understand that Honda has had to drop the engine from the current Type R due to it failing stringent new emmissions tests. One can only hope that Honda are developing a suitable replacement lump, mabe the one destined for the CRZ Type R would do the job?

By oliver144 on 24 June, 2011, 9:44pm

Weight

The biggest issue other than the terrible rear visibility which has made the current model inferior to the previous one is that it is significantly heavier and hence more sluggish.

With this model Honda tried to achieve mass appeal and in doing so they alienated a huge swathe of their loyal customers, particularly at the performance end of the range.

There seems to be no mention of a Type R model for the new Civic. I understand that Honda has had to drop the engine from the current Type R due to it failing stringent new emmissions tests. One can only hope that Honda are developing a suitable replacement lump, mabe the one destined for the CRZ Type R would do the job?

By oliver144 on 24 June, 2011, 10:51pm

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