2017 Honda Civic Hatchback First Drive: Incremental Business or Next Big Thing?

The 2017 Honda Civic hatchback is a sporty riff on the sedan, and according to Honda, it’s not expected to be a runaway hit. We think they might be wrong. Honda is already on track to sell more than 300,000 Civic sedans by year’s end and says they hope to sell an incremental 50,000 hatchbacks starting in January 2017 without cannibalizing sedan or coupe sales. This global model is being built in Swindon, England, and will have to be imported to the States. All that logistical hassle is based on Honda banking on having a presence, perhaps dominance, in what is predicted to be a steadily growing hatchback segment in the U.S., to provide a Civic for every taste/need/lifestyle. Plus the Civic Hatchback’s cargo capacity is greater than some crossovers. We think it just might be an unexpected hit despite the polarized response from our social media pics.

Is it really a hatchback, though?

Built on the same platform as the sedan, the four-door, five-passenger 2017 Honda Civic hatchback will, according to Honda, boast a No. 1 ranking in cargo space (25.7 cubic feet with rear seats up and 46.2 cubic feet folded) among its compact hatchback competition: Ford Focus, Mazda 3, and Volkswagen Golf. (According to VW, the Golf has more room with rear seats folded). Yes, compared to the Civic sedan’s 15.1-cubic-foot trunk, that seems remarkable, but remember that sedans and hatchbacks are measured differently (fitment of calibrated luggage in sedans, multiplication of length/width/height measurements in hatches/wagons). The roof, front/rear fascia, and rear glass are specific to the hatchback, so maybe it would help to think of it more as a uniquely styled Civic liftback sedan rather than a hatchback. Although the slant-back glass doesn’t have the upright, boxy shape/silhouette of what we expect in a traditional hatchback, it does provide for an enormous aperture (37.8 x 44.1 inches) when the rear glass is raised. Loading bulky items, such as a mountain bike, jogger-stroller, or three sets of golf clubs, is less of a crouching, back-straining, head-banging operation. Honda also introduced a clever new right- or left-mounted retractable cargo cover that eliminates the otherwise-obstructing full-width bar of a traditional cover. Although the compact unit is detachable, when retracted, it eliminates the need to stow an SUV-style bar to access the full-length/height of the cargo area.

Trims, Engines, Prices

Like the sedan and coupe, the Civic hatchback LX, EX, and EX-L Navi will be offered, all of which can be had for $1,000 more with the excellent Honda Sensing safety suite (adaptive cruise control, automatic braking, lane keeping, etc.). New Sport/Sport Touring trims spring from low-end LX and high-end EX-L Navi, respectively, where Honda Sensing is not available on Sport but comes standard on Sport Touring. Both of these new trims also get hatchback-exclusive red interior illumination, aluminum/carbon interior trim and gloss-black exterior garnishes. The continuously variable automatic transmission is applied to all trims, but a six-speed manual transmission is available only on base LX or Sport trim. (Sport Touring’s CVT additionally benefits from shift paddles.) All trim levels are powered by the same 1.5-liter direct-injected turbocharged inline-four, but output varies to accommodate either the CVT or 6MT. The LX, EX, and EX-L trims with the CVT are rated at 174 hp/162 lb-ft or torque. (LX 6MT gets 167 lb-ft.) The new Sport/Sport Touring trims get a 180-hp tune (167 lb-ft Sport Touring/177 lb-ft Sport 6MT). The 1.5-liter turbo in the sedan tops out at 174 hp/167 lb-ft. Fuel efficiency from least to greatest starts at 30/36/32 city/highway/combined (Sport Touring) to 31/40/34 (LX/EX CVT). Prices range from $20,535 (LX 6MT) to $29,135 (Sport Touring).

Interior and Features

Inside, the Civic hatchback has essentially the same treatment, look, and feel as the Civic sedan, and its passenger measurements are within fractions of an inch, the greatest difference being rear legroom, where the hatchback loses 1.6 inches to the sedan. The LX and Sport have keyed ignitions; all others have push-button and, when equipped with CVT, remote start. The familiar 5.0-inch/7.0-inch color infotainment units are carryover (and neither yet receive Honda’s rolling implementation of a volume knob) with the Navi systems also netting the Honda Apps and Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. The LX and Sport get single-zone HVAC, the base display, and a 160-watt four-speaker audio system with a single 1.0-amp USB port. The EX/EX-L Navi bump up to dual-zone climate with heated front seats, the larger touchscreen, a 180-watt/eight-speaker system with SiriusXM and HD radio, plus a second 1.5-amp USB port. The Sport Touring tops the range with all EX-L Navi features plus a 540-watt/12-speaker system plus heated rear seats. If you’re starting to notice that the Sport trim is getting short-changed on features because it’s based on a base model, you’d be correct. No Honda Sensing, no Navi, and no audio upgrade are available. It does, however, benefit from leather-wrapped shifter and steering wheel and, of course, the optional manual transmission and highest-output engine. Honda aimed to maintain a value proposition with the Sport and priced it at $22,135 with the manual transmission, $22,935 with the CVT. The everything-on-the-menu Sport Touring is priced at $29,135, and that includes exclusive items such as full LED headlights.

The Chassis and Drive

All Civics have the same front-strut/rear-multilink setup, but hatchbacks feature a thicker front anti-roll bar, different damping rates, and a steering tune that together add a modicum of control and firmness above those of the sedan. The Sport/Sport Touring hatches get a bespoke 11.1:1 steering ratio compared to the Civic-wide 10.9:1 ratio. We had an opportunity to drive both the EX and Sport 6MT models. Starting with the Sport, we immediately noticed the more direct steering that, combined with its suspension tuning and 235/40R18 tires, gives the hatchback a much pointier, planted personality compared to a sedan. The thick leather wheel is well-contoured, and despite its sportier, retuned electric-assist, it still doesn’t transmit the loaded cornering feel of, say, a Mazda3’s benchmark electric steering. Grip and agility are also notably higher than in a Civic sedan, and all together, the chassis feels very sophisticated and fun without being as harsh as if Honda had gone whole-hog—that space is reserved for the no-compromise Civic Type-R.

The clutch pedal is extremely light and requires a few trial-and-error stokes to find its bite point, but we acclimated quickly, easily negotiating busy city traffic and twisting roads alike. The light-effort shifter with distinct gates is what we’ve come to expect from Honda, making it easily one of the best in the hatchback segment. Power from the 1.5-liter turbo is remarkably linear because the torque peak begins below 2,000 rpm and carries on, flat as a table, up to 5,000 rpm on all trim levels. Redline is 6,500 rpm, and horsepower peaks at 5,500 rpm at about the same moment torque begins to drop off. This 1,000-rpm range sweet spot gives even a novice driver a comfortable window to change gears without having to wring it out for all it’s worth. Being that the engine’s broad torque characteristics are largely irrespective of engine rpm, gear ratios are spaced widely, and there aren’t peaks and valleys in acceleration or pull. The Sport 6MT being close to the lightest, the most powerful, and the most launchable, our prediction is that it will prove the quickest of the eight variants, probably good for a sub-7-second 0–60 time.

Moving to the hatchback EX, we immediately appreciated the better infotainment system, but we missed the carbon-look interior trim, red illumination in the instrument panel, and especially the leather steering wheel. The EX’s rubberized/texturized steering wheel is literally tacky and sticky (we’ve observed this in the sedan, as well). Its narrower 215/50R17 tires began singing around corners earlier than did the Sport’s, but the added sidewall provided a slightly more compliant ride. As we’ve already praised Honda’s CVT for its quick response in the sedan, especially in the S Drive mode, we were pleased that the same directness remained intact – with a lack of that “rubberbanding” that plagues many CVTs. Acceleration and the engine note are exceptionally linear. Passing maneuvers are thankfully undramatic as the tachometer sweeps up to demonstrate that the CVT quickly selects a different ratio, then just as quickly, it falls back into fuel-sipping range. There’s no endless droning. Both the Sport and EX we drove were remarkably quiet running. Wind and driveline noise are well-subdued, so perhaps this is why road noise is the most noticeable part of the NVH equation, but it’s hardly noisy in its class.

Perhaps Our Favorite Civic; Perhaps Yours Too

We think Honda has underestimated the potential sales of the 2017 Civic hatchback. With this untraditional “hatchu-baku” body style, perhaps they’ve finally cracked the code of American’s shunning hatches. If the Germans are responsible for the popularity of coupelike sedans, then maybe Honda can take credit for reintroducing the sedanlike hatchback. We know this isn’t a new idea. One of the earliest was the 1954 Citroën Traction Avant, and Mazda has taken a stab at it with the 626 and Mazda6. So whether you like the busy line work of the Civic hatchback’s exterior styling is up to you. However, you can’t argue that the packaging is far superior to the sedan’s. It’s not just the added cargo capability and access it provides, but also that the hatchback offers essentially the same passenger accommodations/features as the sedan plus a more sporting driving experience without a ride compromise that makes it a winning combination to us. We wonder why a potential buyer, even one who isn’t a car enthusiast, would choose a Civic sedan over the Civic hatchback. Keep your eye on this one. We bet you’ll be seeing a lot of them in a few months. We just wish we could order a Sport 6MT with a better infotainment system.

2017 Honda Civic Hatchback
BASE PRICE	$20,535-$29,135
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 4-door hatchback
ENGINES	1.5L/174-hp/162-167-lb-ft turbocharged DOHC 16-valve I-4; 1.5L/180-lb/162-177-lb-ft turbocharged DOHC 16-valve I-4
TRANSMISSIONS	6-speed manual, cont variable auto
CURB WEIGHT	2,850-3,000 lb (mfr)
WHEELBASE	106.3 in
LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT	177.9 x 70.8 x 56.5 in
0-60 MPH	6.8-7.4 sec (MT est)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	30-31/36-40/32-34 mpg (est)
ENERGY CONSUMPTION, CITY/HWY	109-112/84-94 kW-hrs/100 miles (est)
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB	0.56-0.60 lb/mile (est)
ON SALE IN U.S.	January, 2017

The post 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback First Drive: Incremental Business or Next Big Thing? appeared first on Motor Trend.

from Motor Trend http://ift.tt/2fBgNX4