√2022 Honda Civic e:HEV hybrid revealed

Honda’s new Civic small car has gained a hybrid option, with dual electric motors and frugal economy – but it’s not expected to come cheap.

The 2022 Honda Civic hybrid has been revealed for Europe, ahead of first Australian deliveries likely towards the end of this year.

The first electrified Civic since the ninth-generation car bowed out in 2015, the new Civic hybrid adopts Honda’s latest e:HEV system, pairing a non-turbo petrol engine with dual electric motors for a Toyota-like “self-charging” driving experience.

Australian pricing is yet to be confirmed, however given the petrol-only Civic VTi LX is priced from $47,200 drive-away in Australia, the e:HEV could cost at least $50,000 drive-away, assuming equivalent specification levels.

As rumoured, the Civic e:HEV employs a version of the larger Accord’s 2.0-litre non-turbo petrol hybrid system and CVT automatic – but rather than the larger car’s 158kW peak output, the system has been detuned to 135kW for the Civic, albeit with an identical 315Nm peak torque rating.

While the hybrid Civic only develops 1kW more than a standard 1.5-litre turbo-petrol model, Honda quotes a “targeted” combined fuel consumption claim of less than five litres per 100 kilometres, according to WLTP testing.

That’s on par with Europe’s equivalent to a Toyota Corolla Hybrid, which quotes 4.5 to 4.9 litres per 100 kilometres, per WLTP protocols. A standard Honda Civic petrol in Australia claims 6.3L/100km, albeit according to more lenient ADR test standards.

Despite featuring two electric motors, the Civic e:HEV is front-wheel drive – as one motor is used to directly power the front wheels (either with or without the engine), while the other is a ‘generator’ that is spun by the engine and used to charge the lithium-ion battery.

Honda says the car “is capable of shifting seamlessly between EV, Hybrid and Engine drive with no input from the driver” – though four drive modes (Eco, Normal, Sport and Individual) are available for manual control.

The Honda Civic e:HEV is all but identical to its petrol-only counterpart, with changes limited to an ‘e:HEV’ badge on the tailgate, blue accents inside the Honda badges, and a revised rear bumper with concealed exhaust outlets.

Inside, the petrol Civic’s traditional gear lever has been ditched in favour of ‘PRND’ buttons and switches, arranged in a row. The infotainment screen and instrument cluster display gain unique hybrid-specific views.

The 2022 Honda Civic e:HEV will go on sale in Europe in the northern autumn of this year (September to November, or our spring).

Honda Australia has previously indicated to media a local launch in the second half of this year.

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