Photo: RM.Design
I think it’s pretty hard to call yourself a Honda fan in Europe nowadays. Like Toyota, they make white goods that range from the average but spacious Civic hatchback to the family minivan on stilts that is the CR-V. One car is likely to change all that, the Civic Type R which is coming to this year’s Geneva Motor Show as a concept.
But not everybody wants a Type R, which is why we think the regular Civic range needs an update. First introduced in 2011, the C-segment hatch could receive a facelift within the next year and a half. Based on recent designs from the Accord and Fit/Jazz, this rendering has been created by RM.Design.
The previous generation Civic has shown the grille is Honda’s first target, so a laminated one has been put in place on this rendering, giving the car a technologically advanced look. Changes are also evident in the grille area and wheel design.
But the company that gave us VTEC is best know for technology, and we think that’s where the Civic should change. Toyota has shown there is strong demand for a car like the Auris Hybrid. Given the void left by the Insight’s departure, maybe the Civic should take on the role of a family hybrid. Another area of advancement is turbo gasoline engines, which every car in this segment offers except the Civic.
Our readers with a longer memory will of course remember two small turbo VTEC engines were announced last year, a 1-liter 3-banger and a 1.5-liter four. No specific output levels have been announced, and since these new engines will be used for global applications, output will be varied. We think the 1-liter will offer between 90 and 110 hp, together with about 180 Nm of torque and will be used mostly be B-segment cars, but also by some compacts. The bigger 1.5-liter VTEC TURBO sounds like a good replacement for their 1.8-liter naturally aspirated unit,which has already been dropped from the Civic Tourer. This means it should have about the same 150 hp, but delivered across a wider power band.
The previous generation Civic has shown the grille is Honda’s first target, so a laminated one has been put in place on this rendering, giving the car a technologically advanced look. Changes are also evident in the grille area and wheel design.
But the company that gave us VTEC is best know for technology, and we think that’s where the Civic should change. Toyota has shown there is strong demand for a car like the Auris Hybrid. Given the void left by the Insight’s departure, maybe the Civic should take on the role of a family hybrid. Another area of advancement is turbo gasoline engines, which every car in this segment offers except the Civic.
Our readers with a longer memory will of course remember two small turbo VTEC engines were announced last year, a 1-liter 3-banger and a 1.5-liter four. No specific output levels have been announced, and since these new engines will be used for global applications, output will be varied. We think the 1-liter will offer between 90 and 110 hp, together with about 180 Nm of torque and will be used mostly be B-segment cars, but also by some compacts. The bigger 1.5-liter VTEC TURBO sounds like a good replacement for their 1.8-liter naturally aspirated unit,
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