Paris show: Honda reveals Euro Civic hatch

HONDA has uncovered the European-spec version of its upcoming tenth-generation Civic hatch before its full reveal at the Paris motor show on September 29.

Stylistically, the European version is expected to mirror the version that will hit Australian shores in early in 2017, however there have been some changes under the bonnet.

European Civics gain an all-new 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine, to go with the 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder unit available in both European and Australian variants.

The Civic will mark the first of Honda’s European models to use the two new engines, and both will be offered with either a six-speed manual or continuously variable transmission (CVT), while Australian customers will not receive the three-pedal option.

Power and torque for the new 1.0-litre engine is 95kW/200Nm and in the future it could find its way into next-generation small Hondas such as the Jazz or City.

The Australian line-up is expected to mirror that of the sedan variant which was released in May, and will be offered with the 1.8-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine carried over from the outgoing Civic as well as the 1.5-litre turbo in higher-spec variants. All Australian Civics will be paired to a CVT.

The red-hot Civic Type R hatch will round out the Civic line-up when it goes on sale later in 2017, and is expected to be powered by an enhanced version of the 228kW/400Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder in the current Type R that is only sold in Europe.

Interiors in the new hatch are identical to the sedan, and feature Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 7.0-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth connectivity, an LCD instrument cluster, two-way adjustable steering column and an eight-speaker sound system.

Boot space in the hatch is slightly less, with a 478 litre capacity compared to 519 in the sedan, however the rear seats of the hatch can be folded almost flat to significantly increase luggage space.

While the tenth-generation Civic has grown substantially over the old model, the new hatch is the smaller of the two variants, measuring 4497mm long compared to 4464mm for the sedan.

Just over 100mm of length has been added onto the new sedan compared with the old model, while height has dropped 19mm, giving it longer, sleeker look.

The UK-spec Civic will be produced at Honda’s European production hub in the UK, while Australian Civics begin their life at a plant in Thailand.