2022 Honda Civic

Overview

Honda's popular Civic compact car gets a big glow-up for the 2022 model year as it debuts a more grown-up appearance, new features, and a refined cabin design. The improvements and more helped it earn a spot on our Editors' Choice list. A selection of four-cylinder engines—including a turbocharged 1.5-liter—are offered; front-wheel drive will continue to be standard as Honda insists all-wheel drive is not part of the plan. Updated tech features such as a larger infotainment display, wireless smartphone connectivity, and improved driver-assistance features are all meaningful updates that will help the Civic stave off competition from the likes of the Hyundai Elantra, the Mazda 3, and the Toyota Corolla.

What's New for 2022?

The Civic is all-new for 2022, with a redesigned body and an updated interior. Like the last generation model, the 2022 Civic will be offered in both sedan and hatchback body styles.

Pricing and Which One to Buy

Our recommendation is the well-equipped EX trim on the sedan model, which comes with a lot of additional features that easily justify the increase in price. Those niceties include blind-spot monitoring, a power sunroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated exterior mirrors, and heated front seats. It also comes standard with the more powerful 180-hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine. If you're buying the hatchback, we'd direct you to the EX-L, which offers similar equipment and adds leather upholstery.

Engine, Transmission, and Performance

Even though it has redesigned everything else about the new Civic, Honda has decided to carry over the powertrain options from the previous-generation car. Base models come standard with a 158-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder while the upgrade engine continues to be a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder that now makes 180 horsepower. The new Civic is offered solely with front-wheel-drive car. Sadly, the manual transmission offered on the previous generation Civic sedan has been cut for 2022, leaving a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) as the sole offering; a six-speed manual is still available on the hatchback model. At our test track, our turbocharged Touring sedan needed 7.5 seconds to reach 60 mph, which is slightly slower than the last generation Civic's result. The manual Sport Touring hatchback we tested did slightly better at 7.3 seconds to 60 mph. Luckily, the spry handling, communicative steering, and well-balanced ride that we appreciated so much in the last generation model are present and accounted for here. Sporty Si and high-performance Type-R variants are also in the works and both will offer a manual transmission; we review those models separately.

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Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG

According to the EPA, the most fuel efficient version of the new Civic is the mid-range EX, which earns ratings of 33 mpg city, 42 mpg highway, and 36 mpg combined. On our 75-mph highway fuel-economy route, the 2022 Civic Sport hatchback delivered 36 mpg. For more information about the Civic's fuel economy, visit the EPA's website.

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

A more streamlined interior design debuts in the 2022 Civic, with cleaner lines and a dashboard featuring a full-width honeycomb-patterned mesh design element that cleverly hides the air vents. A wider center console appears less cluttered than the outgoing model's and features what looks like a large, deep bin ahead of the shift lever for stashing smartphones, keys, and road-trip snacks. Honda says passenger space is roughly the same is also offered and its cargo bay is more generous.

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Infotainment and Connectivity

The 2022 Civic will come standard with a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display, but a larger 9.0-inch unit is optional, as is a 10.2-inch digital gauge display. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both standard and also offer wireless connectivity when paired with the larger of the two screens. Other options include in-dash navigation, a Bose stereo system, and a wireless smartphone charging pad.

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

A host of driver-assistance features will be offered as standard, including automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection and an adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assist. For more information about the Civic's crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites. Key safety features include:

• Standard automated emergency braking
• Standard lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist
• Standard adaptive cruise control

Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

Honda's standard warranty package is merely average, with rivals such as the Elantra and Kia Forte offering more comprehensive coverage. Buyers of the Civic also won't find any complimentary scheduled maintenance plan, something the Corolla offers as standard.

• Limited warranty covers three years or 36,000 miles
• Powertrain warranty covers five years or 60,000 miles
• No complimentary scheduled maintenance

More Features and Specs