2022 Honda Civic vs 2017

What's the difference?

Compared to its predecessor, the 11th-generation Civic is a massive improvement in nearly every way. It’s universally good-looking, as practical as a small hatchback gets, cheap to run and great to drive.

But with a $47,000 starting price, the Civic is now out of reach for a lot of buyers, some of whom were keen to put down their hard-earned for the new model.

For that reason, I’d love to see Honda Australia introduce at least one lower-specification grade that makes the Civic more affordable, even if it is competing in a shrinking segment.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel and meals provided.

It’s taken a while to get here, and its wild looks may put some people off, but make no mistake, the Type R fits in perfectly with the current crop of high-performance hot hatches you can buy now, and those that are coming our way.

It’s not perfect, but what is most striking after our first try is just how well Honda has balanced performance against real-world requirements. It’s a real Type R, all right.

It goes without saying that the previous-generation Civic divided opinion with its exterior styling. For what it’s worth, I was seemingly in the minority that loved its ‘boy racer’ looks.

Still, it’s no surprise that Honda has taken its successor in a different direction, and I think it’s universally better for it.

Overall, the Civic is now a much more mature – and modern – small hatchback when it comes to design, but the bones are still there for the Type R to take it to a very sporty level.

The front end is classy, thanks to its swish LED headlights, but it’s also angry, due to the black honeycomb inserts used in the relatively small grille and massive front air intake.

Around the side, the Civic’s long, flat bonnet comes to the fore alongside its coupe-like sloping roofline, which caters to fans of the discontinued sedan, so much so that the hatchback now arguably offers the best of both worlds. You could even call it a liftback…

Aside from a couple of the meaningful body lines and side skirt extensions, the side-on look is the Civic’s most unremarkable angle – if it wasn’t for the VTi-LX’s 18-inch alloy wheels. Their double Y-spoke design looks sensational and is made even better thanks to its bi-colour finish.

At the rear, the Civic’s predecessor was at its most divisive for several reasons, but the new model is rather conservative, with its spoiler more neatly integrated into the tailgate, exposing an uninterrupted rear glass panel.

Meanwhile, the LED tail-lights are now bisected by the tailgate, while the bumper is mainly body coloured, with the black diffuser small enough to not create a scene, and a pair of wide exhaust tailpipe extensions also adding to the sportiness.

The Civic has also been overhauled inside, with Honda going to great lengths to make it feel as premium as the VTi-LX’s price suggests.

The artificial leather and suede upholstery used on the seats looks the part, especially with its red accents and stitching, which is also used on the steering wheel, gear selector and armrests. There’s also a soft-touch upper dashboard and front door shoulders to boot.

Mercifully, gloss-black trim is only used on uncommon touchpoints, with a different, textured material for the centre-console and door-switch surrounds. And no, it doesn’t attract fingerprints or scratch easily.

Gone is the integrated 7.0-inch central touchscreen, replaced by a ‘floating’ 9.0-inch unit with a new easy-to-use multimedia system that neatly serves up all the functionality you’ll ever need, but you do – thankfully – get full physical climate controls below.

In fact, all the buttons, knobs and switches feel great to use, including the directional controls for the front air vents, which are concealed by a sweeping honeycomb insert that’s only interrupted by the steering wheel.

Speaking of the VTi-LX’s steering wheel, ahead of it is a 7.0-inch multifunction display, which is positioned to the left of a traditional speedometer. This set-up certainly does the job, but you would’ve hoped to see the overseas-spec 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster for the money.

‘Interesting’ is the word to describe the absolutely overt nature of the Civic Type R exterior. It looks like Speed Racer’s Mach 5 that’s been attacked by a group of 10-year-old car fiends with access to fibreglass moulds, such is the intensity of the bumps, lumps, swoops and curves that festoon this wild machine.

It’s 78mm wider than a stock Civic and 38mm wider, too, which comes across when the Type R hits the road.

While the front end is reasonably low key, things get loose and wild around the sides and back, with a World Time Attack-esque rear wing, exaggerated side skirts and overfenders and not two, but three exhaust outlets. The centre pipe, by the way, is there to increase noise levels.

This reviewer reckons it looks pretty awesome, offering a genuine road presence that puts even the overt Focus RS in the shade. Others, though, aren’t as sold, suggesting the car’s mature performance is spoiled by the street-racer vibe.

Inside is a similar story, with a red-themed trim spreading across the dash and steering wheel, and onto the deeply sculpted sports seats –custom-made Honda units that save 5kg each over the Recaros in the previous Type R – and even around the air vents.

Measuring 4560mm long (with a 2735mm wheelbase), 1802mm wide and 1415mm tall, the Civic is certainly on the larger side for a small hatchback, making it very practical for its segment.

For a start, the Civic’s boot has a generous cargo capacity of 449L (VDA) due to the lack of a spare wheel (a tyre-repair kit is hidden in the cargo area’s side panel) offering an additional 10 per cent of storage space underfloor.

If you need even more room, the 60/40 split-fold rear bench can be stowed via the boot-accessible manual release latches to unleash the Civic’s full potential, although doing so further highlights the uneven floor.

Making the loading of bulkier items a little more difficult is the tall load lip, but the boot’s aperture is very accommodating, alongside the available four tie-down points, plus a single bag hook for securing looser pieces.

The cargo blind is split in two, with the furthest section being of the retractable variety, which makes it very easy to use. And if required, its fixture can also be removed.

In the second row, things are also excellent, with inches of legroom on offer behind my 184cm driving position. An inch of headroom is also available, but only some toe-room is afforded.

There’s a taller central tunnel to work around, so three adults do fight for precious footwell space – not to mention shoulder-room – when seated abreast, but that’s not unusual for this segment.

Younger children are also accommodated for, with three top-tether and two ISOFIX anchorage points on hand for fitting child seats.

Amenities-wise, there’s a passenger-side map pocket and a fold-down armrest with two cupholders but no ski port, while the rear door bins can take one extra regular bottle each.

Coat hooks are next to the grab handles, while directional air vents are located at the rear of the centre console, and below them is a blank panel where two USB-A ports feature in other markets – these are a disappointing omission for Australian customers.

Moving to the first row, the inclusions are better, with the centre console featuring two cupholders, a grippy wireless smartphone charger, two USB-A ports and a 12V power outlet. The front door bins also take one regular bottle each.

Storage-wise, the central bin is not only large, but it comes with a removable tray that’s great for coins and the like. The glovebox is only average in size, providing enough room for the owner’s manual and not much else.

The driver’s seat is the focus of the Civic, and from there it’s fantastic. The chunky steering wheel is dimpled to cup fingers and thumb, the narrow-gated shifter falls easily to hand and the deep buckets are both supportive and comfortable… although they could be mounted even lower in the car.

The rear offers a surprising amount of head room, given the shape of the car, but it needs the cooperation of the front-seat passengers to give back seaters enough knee and foot room. There are ISOFIX points for two seats, as well.

Two cup holders are part of an oddly shaped lidless bin between the front seats, and bottles will fit in all four doors. Rear seaters miss out on cupholders and USB points, although there is one in the centre bin that can be used if needed.

At 414 litres, the boot area is the same as the civilian Civic's, and 764 litres with the seats down, even despite the extra exhaust and suspension gubbins under the floor. The reason? No room for even a space-saver spare, and a can of sealant is your only get-out-of-jail card.

The biggest letdown in a practicality sense is the multimedia system – it’s well off the pace when compared to other products in the segment. It’s not intuitive, the buttons are too small, there are far too many menus and its performance during our test was suboptimal at best.

Coming in at $50,990, the Civic Type R – code-named FK8 - drops into a ferocious premium hot hatch stoush that includes the likes of the price-matching Ford Focus RS and the $1000 dearer Volkswagen Golf R Grid. Also entering the fray are the Peugeot 308 GTI and the incoming Renault Megane RS, not to mention the top-spec Hyundai i30 N.

The four-door Type R wants for little in the way of standard kit, offering up a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, six-speed manual gearbox, helical limited slip diff, Brembo front brakes, 20-inch rims and adaptive dampers supplied as standard.

Inside, the Civic is also well stacked, with Honda-built racing bucket seats, a digital dash that offers a shift-light function as well as a throttle-position indicator and other performance parameters, auto lights and wipers, and a machined alloy shift knob that’s a big nod towards the fifth-generation Type R.

A rev-matching function (thankfully switch-offable for purists) helps with downshifting, while a three-stage drive mode selector can give you a car that’s calm or more crazed at the flick of a switch.

It misses out on sat nav, but it does incorporate Apple CarPlay and Android Auto into its seven-inch touchscreen multimedia infotainment system.

There’s also a comprehensive set of driver aids packaged under the Honda Sensing badge, giving the Type R features like AEB, adaptive cruise control and lane-departure warning, while LED lighting appears front and back.

So stacked, in fact, is the Type R that Honda only offers metallic or pearl paint as an option, at $575. Red is free, but grey, blue, black or the famed Championship White come at a cost.

At launch, the VTi-LX is motivated by a familiar but revised 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine. It now produces a hearty 131kW of power (+4kW) at 6000rpm and 240Nm of torque (+20Nm) from 1700-4500rpm.

The VTi-LX is mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), but it, too, has been upgraded for improved performance. As in the past, outputs are sent to the front wheels.

If you’re after something a little more eco-friendly, a ‘self-charging’ hybrid powertrain, dubbed e:HEV, will be added to the Civic range in the second half of 2022. It will pair a petrol engine with an electric motor, so stay tuned for our upcoming review.

But if you want higher performance , then hold out for the yet-to-be-revealed next-generation Type R hot hatch, which will arrive at the end of 2022. If it’s anything like its predecessor, it will be worth waiting for.

Honda’s K20C1 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine was revealed to the world in 2013, before hitting the road in 2015 under the bonnet of the fourth-generation Civic Type R (we didn’t get that one in Australia).

The company is best known for its nat-atmo shriekers, but it’s hard to argue with a 400Nm torque curve that kicks in between 2500 and 4500rpm.

Its 228kW output is actually slightly down on overseas numbers, thanks to a retune for 95 RON fuel. Honda says its 5.7-second 0-100km/h time is the same, despite the power drop.

Only one gearbox is offered – an uprated version of the regular Civic’s six-speed manual, with marginally taller third, fourth and fifth gears, a lightened flywheel on one end and a helical LSD at the other. Clutch feel is excellent, and the shift action is tight and crisp.

The VTi-LX’s fuel consumption on the combined-cycle test (ADR) is an encouraging 6.3L/100km, but in my real-world testing I averaged 8.2L/100km, which, while 28 per cent higher than the claim, is a solid return given some enthusiastic driving.

Obviously, the aforementioned e:HEV will be more efficient, both in controlled conditions and the real world, so keep an eye out for our forthcoming testing of the second Civic variant.

For reference, the VTi-LX’s 47L fuel tank takes affordable 91RON petrol at minimum and provides a claimed range of 746km, or 573km in my experience.

Honda rates the Civic Type R’s combined fuel economy rating at 8.8 litres per 100km. After a 240km dash across Tasmania, we recorded a dash-indicated figure of a surprisingly low 9.6 L/100km.

It has a 47-litre fuel tank, it’s been tuned to accept 95 octane fuel. Oh, and it won’t gain back that missing power by using 98 octane, sadly.

Behind the wheel of the VTi-LX, the first thing you notice – or rather don’t notice – is the CVT. Yes, CVTs get a very bad rap in general, but not this one – it is the exception to the rule.

Around town, the VTi-LX’s CVT quietly goes about its business, doing its best impression of a traditional torque-converter automatic transmission, and shifting between its simulated ratios (paddle-shifters afford the driver control if desired) in a remarkably natural manner.

That said, the VTi-LX’s CVT does behave like any other under full throttle, seemingly holding onto higher engine speeds as it progressively piles on speed, but it’s by no means a dealbreaker.

And if you want to extract the full potential of the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine, engage the new Sport drive mode for not only a sharper throttle, but also higher shift points for the CVT.

The latter ensures the VTi-LX is always in its fat torque band, which gives you plenty of pulling power when you need it. But even in the Normal drive mode, acceleration is pretty solid for the segment, as its braking performance.

But the VTi-LX’s real party trick is its handling prowess. Make no mistake, this is a small car that loves to seek out a corner or two, with turn-in sharp and body control remarkably good.

Push a little too hard and understeer can present itself, but drive to the conditions and the VTi-LX is just a joy through the bends. In fact, it’s confidence-inspiring. And to think, this isn’t even the Type R!

Key to this success is the steering – it’s nice and direct without being twitchy, and well-weighted at speed with plenty of feel, although some drivers might prefer a lighter tune when driving slowly or parking. As far as I’m concerned, it’s fantastic.

If the VTi-LX does have an area where it could improve, it’s ride quality. Don’t get me wrong, the suspension is comfortable, but it’s merely good, not great.

Naturally, things are buttery smooth on well-maintained roads, but uneven surfaces can expose the VTi-LX’s busier side. And for that reason, I’d be keen to see how the Civic performs with higher-profile tyres (235/40 R18s are fitted).

Even without chunkier rubber, the suspension settles in at higher speeds, delivering a more consistent ride. Again, the quality is far from awful, but it’s just not class-leading like so many other parts of the VTi-LX package, which is likely due to its more sporty skew.

However, another positive is the VTi-LX’s noise levels – or lack thereof. You can tell Honda has gone to lengths to give it a quieter cabin and the hard work has paid off.

Yes, engine, tyre and general road noises are still heard, but the volume has been turned off, particularly in the urban jungle, where you can quickly forget there is an outside world when the 12-speaker Bose sound system is in action.

One other thing Honda has taken to the next level is visibility, as the windshield is noticeably larger, giving the driver an almost panoramic view of the road ahead. And even the sloping tailgate hasn’t come at the cost of decent rear glass.

Better yet, the repositioning of the side mirrors to the doors has opened a line of sight that previously wasn’t available, with the same true of the new side quarter windows that make over-the-shoulder head checks that little bit easier.

At a shade under 1400kg (about 70kg heavier than a regular Civic RS), the fifth-gen Type R is about 350kg heavier than the 1997 Civic Type R… but it’s a handy 100kW more powerful at 228kW, not to mention 250Nm to the good at 400Nm.

It’s not a porker by hot-hatch standards, though, and that torque piles in hot and strong right around 3000rpm. It makes for a very different driving experience than previous Type Rs, which relied on screamingly high revs to make power.

The Civic’s platform was always designed around the eventual arrival of a Type R, and a multilink rear end makes a welcome return to the Type R. Combined with a long wheelbase for a hatch, as well as specially designed front suspension that limits torque steer and tramlining, the Civic Type R is a faithful and willing companion, rather than an outright lunatic.

The sheer amount of physical grip from huge 245mm wide tyres makes for eye-opening corner-entry speeds, and the rear end simply hunkers down and plays along.

The car has three drive modes – Comfort, Sport and R+ - which adjust all sorts of parameters including throttle sensitivity, steering weight and the stiffness of the dampers.

To be honest, we didn’t notice a great deal of difference between the top two modes, but the Comfort setting gave the Type R a genuinely civil edge, spoiled only by excessive tyre and wind roar at even moderate speeds.

A blast around Baskerville circuit in Tasmania revealed more of the Type R’s cooperative, neutral nature.

It would have been nice to see an Individual mode, giving the driver the option, for example, to wind the dampers down to Comfort for more grip in rougher conditions, but keep the powertrain in Sport.

A blast around Baskerville circuit in Tasmania revealed more of the Type R’s cooperative, neutral nature and the depths of that amazing front-end grip.

Big four-piston Brembo brakes on 350mm hatted front rotors stood up to the assault reasonably well, but if it was our car, we’d upgrade the pads and brake fluid to more hardy items if we were taking it to the track regularly.

The engine can be caught off boost under 3500rpm at times, so in that respect it’s still like the old Type Rs; give ’em revs and they’ll love you forever.

It could also stand to be a bit more overt with its exhaust noise. A bi-modal system, for example, that emits pops, crackles and bangs on throttle overrun would suit it perfectly.

In all, the Type R is an absolute barrel of monkeys to punt at speed, and it doesn’t punish you when you go to drive home again.

The Honda Sensing kit adds a full suite of driver aids like AEB and adaptive cruise control, helping the Civic score a maximum five-star rating from ANCAP.

Like all other Honda Australia models, the Civic comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is two years short of the ‘no strings attached’ standard set by a few other mainstream brands.

The Civic also gets five years of roadside assistance, although the VTi-LX’s service intervals are on the shorter side when it comes to distance, at every 12 months or 10,000km, whichever comes first.

That said, the first five services cost just $125 each under the available capped-price servicing – that’s an exceptional total of $625 for the first five years, or 50,000km, of ownership.

Honda offers the Type R with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, and suggests service intervals of 10,000km or 12 months.

Its fixed-price servicing regime locks in the cost of the first 10 services at $307 each, which is a real bargain given the car’s performance.