- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru Fr He Ar
2021 Honda Civic Sedan. 11th generation
Despite debuting in difficult times, this car was so good that it managed to become incredibly popular and maintain this level even in good times for almost half a century! In 1972, there was a global fuel crisis, and fuel-efficiency became the most important parameter when choosing a car. The small, aerodynamic Civic was one of the most fuel efficient cars on the market at the time. And its capacity for tuning and turning into a budget sports car has become legendary. Unsurprisingly, nearly 30 million units have been sold in nearly half a century.
You can easily trace the development of the model through movies. Thus, the cult comedy The Mask featured the 1986 Honda Civic sedan, which belonged to a modest bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss (Jim Carrey). The 1996 Civic Coupe EJ is chasing a Porsche 911 Carrera in Gone in 60 Seconds. The epic Fast and the Furious (2001) also features the black 1993 Civic EJ1s driven by Dominic, Letty and Leon, and the organizer of street races Hector has a 1992 Honda Civic EG hatchback.
Exterior
The new Honda Civic is completely different from the previous generation, which is a common thing for all Honda cars. While the boring majority cares about continuity, Soichiro Honda’s followers do everything in their own way, as was the will of this brilliant son of a blacksmith. But at the same time, the 2021 Civic is similar to the cars of the 90s. Will we follow the trends of other brands creating models with numerous edges and ribs? No, this is not for Honda! We will make the “plain” design without unnecessary lines crushing the image. Seeing beauty in simplicity is a true Japanese skill. As a result, the car turned out to be harmonious, impetuous and at the same time solid and “grown-up”. It looks wider due to the horizontally placed lighting technology. The 2021/2022 Honda Civic will be sold in eight body colors, three of which are new: Meteorite Gray Metallic, Sonic Gray Pearl and an all-new exclusive Morning Mist Blue Metallic.
As compared to the previous generation, the new Civic is only 33 mm longer (4,674 mm long), keeping the same width (1,801 mm) and height (1415 mm). The wheelbase has increased by 36 mm (up to 2,736 mm), the aluminum front subframe has become lighter, and new rubber-metal hinges are installed everywhere in order to combat vibrations. The body has become torsionally stiffer by 8% (the best indicator in the entire history of the model).
Interior
According to the manufacturer, the new Civic sedan is a modern expression of classic Civic values, inside and out. Therefore, the interior is also the embodiment of simple shapes and clean lines. It looks calm and features the better finishing materials. Such an interesting solution as the heater deflectors are hidden under a common mesh strip. The dashboard comprises an analog speedometer and tachometer and a seven-inch computer screen. At the same time, the top-end Touring version features digital instruments (10.2-inch display). There are two media system options with a seven- and nine-inch screen, and in both cases there are knobs and hardware buttons for the most important functions. For example, the seven-inch screen features a power/volume control and a tune/select control. At the bottom is a row of hardware buttons for skipping music tracks, navigating the audio menu, and choosing between phone, radio, Bluetooth® or USB storage, or a connected smartphone for use with Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™.
Powertrains and chassis
The platform is the same, but modified. The Japanese did not simplify it so as not to sacrifice handling. The 2021/2022 Honda Civic sedan still has multi-link rear wheel suspension in all versions, and the rear wheel track is slightly widened. After all, it is designed to offer ‘the best handling experience’. The car has an improved MacPherson strut suspension at the front.
The car can be equipped with a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine, borrowed from the previous Civic, but modified. Its power has increased from an impressive 176 to 182 hp, and the torque has increased from 220 to 240 Nm, thanks to the VTEC variable valve timing system, it is now not only at the inlet, but also at the outlet. There is also a two-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine (158 hp, 187 Nm). The engines are paired with a modernized V-belt CVT.
Equipment
The car can be optionally equipped with a luxurious Bose sound system with twelve speakers. The new generation Honda Sensing is standard. It is a new single camera system that provides a wider angle of coverage than the previous radar and camera system. Combined with improved software and a new, more powerful processor, the system is also able to more quickly and accurately identify pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles, as well as road lines and traffic signs. By the way, a traffic jam assist function has been added to the package. In addition to all of the above, Qi-compatible wireless charging is available on the 11th generation Honda Civic (Touring), for the first time the model has rear seat side airbags.
It is noteworthy that the new Honda Civic became the first production model with new front airbags, which were borrowed from the more expensive Acura cars. Their main feature is that they prevent the person’s head from sliding to the side, which is very important for emergency situations that happened at the moment when the person looked to the side or bent over. The driver’s airbag has a concave shape (‘donut’), and the front passenger airbag consists of three vertical sections connected by a soft bridge. The sides should hug the head, preventing it from sliding to the side.
