[Vikram Arya]

A caveat: This by no means constitutes a comprehensive review of the car but only my initial driving impression based upon my limited 75 minutes with the car on two different days earlier this week. For a comprehensive review, you would have to wait for the experts at the Teambhp as and when this car becomes available in India which I hope does happen as I feel we have a serious dearth of good no-nonsense, honest to purpose sedans in India currently (I had high hopes from Skoda however the 2021 Octavia has been so priced hopelessly that I have my doubt if Skoda would be able to move a substantial number of units/year).

The photographs were taken on two different days. I had the cars for about a grand total of 75 minutes & the pictures had to be taken under a bright Sun as a result of which the picture quality is poor and I apologize for that. All these pictures were taken using a cellphone.


Touring edition

Likes:

• Styling (in my limited view not polarizing at all)
• Size (length has increased by 1.3inches over the last year's model which I don’t think is a bad thing from the Indian market’s perspective)
• Minimalist and elegant interior design (best cockpit in the compact sedan segment; period)
• Unobstructed view from the driver’s seat
• Ergonomics (everything falls to hands easily and you don’t have to search around for switches/knobs)
• Interior noise (minimal)
• 12 speaker Bose system on the Touring edition, a first in any Honda (even the base variant gets a Honda’s 8 speaker system)
• All digital instrument cluster on Touring edition (I was not expecting to write this as I prefer the analog type but the execution is the best I have seen so far)
• Top of the line safety suite (even the base model comes loaded with a huge number of active & passive safety functions as standard)
• Engines (well, there’s a reason why it doesn’t feature on the top of the list but honestly among all compact sedan, this is probably the best mill)
• Good low-end torque in both the 1.5 Turbo & NA 2 ltr. engines
• Absence of rubber band effect for the most part especially on the 1.5 ltr Turbo motor (as long as you don’t floor it from standstill)
• Tire size/s ( for once the car does not feel under-tired at all)
• Reasonable boot capacity
• Fit & finish

Not so great:

• Absence of a manual transmission (to be made available on the hatchback which will become available later in the year followed by Si & Type R but these probably wouldn’t make it to India)
• Engine gets buzzy at the top end (especially the 2 ltr. motor)
• Seats could have been a bit better (now I’m nitpicking)

Note: For the first time I was struggling to compile the list of negatives; the car is so good.


Touring edition

Foreground

Honda CIVIC, a global bestseller all over remains somewhat of an enigmatic car in the Indian context and for that, we have Honda India’s flip flop attitude towards the CIVIC to blame which was partly driven by Honda City’s product positioning and the way it was pitched to the Indian car buyer as the best car money can buy at that price point (in all fairness I would actually agree with that proposition to quite an extent). The trouble arose when Honda India wanted to introduce the CIVIC in the Indian market and it found it to be a bit challenging to justify its stratospheric pricing to the Indian customer where the quantum of money that one spends should be in direct proportion to the size of the car that you get.

In most of the developed world, Honda did not have to face this conundrum as CIVIC is basically an entry-level sedan that competes with Toyota Corolla, VW Jetta, Mazda 3, and Nissan Versa, and so on and so forth. CIVIC is fairly close to the City as far as the dimensions are concerned however in terms of the drivetrain the two cars differed significantly and that was the saving grace for Honda India.

We saw a few generations of Honda CIVIC in India however currently the car remains unavailable in Honda’s Indian portfolio and we do not have any confirmation from Honda whether the eleventh generation would be introduced here.

I had the good fortune to buy a brand new Honda CIVIC (8th gen) back in 2008 when I finished my Master's & was on the lookout for a car. Though common sense implied that I buy a pre-owned car as I had just started working however when it comes to cars I allow my heart to rule the head ergo, I decided against it and bought a brand new CIVIC. It had a manual transmission with a 1.8 ltr SOHC 4 pot motor that put out 140 bhp. The car was a hoot to drive and the engine revved like crazy. For me it was a big jump as the last car that I owned was a Ford Ikon (another one of my all-time favourites) back in India. Later in 2008 I bought a Dodge Charger and wanted to pass the CIVIC on to my wife but she refused to drive a stick shift and we bought a 2010 Santa Fe for her. With a heavy heart, I sold the car with only 29K on the odometer in 2010. Though I did not want to buy another sedan in the later years I always kept track of how CIVIC was evolving and to say that I was disappointed by the subsequent iterations would be an understatement.


Touring edition

11th gen CIVIC is car that had me excited and when I first saw the pictures online once the car was unveiled late last year. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the design language that Honda had used had cleaner lines and the understated elegance without the overtly busy design that the previous generation suffered from (again my humble opinion).


Base LX Variant

As I write this report; 11th gen CIVIC is being manufactured in US (Hatchback only), Canada (Sedan), Thailand & Japan. The car became commercially available on June 16th in North America & I called up a few dealers on 17th and found that only 3 dealers had received a couple of cars so I scheduled appointments at two different dealers on June 22nd & 23rd (owing to the prevailing circumstances car dealers are only allowing a visit by prior appointment). What I have summed up below is my initial observations/driving impression and by no means a comprehensive review of the car.

[Vikram Arya]

Variants

In North America the 11th generation CIVIC has been launched in four variants Base LX, mid-spec EX, Sport & Touring which is the top trim.

These variants retail from CD$27,300 to $33,500 (plus GST/HST) in Canada.

The hatchback will be launched later this year followed by the Si and the fabled Type R early next year. These two variants will sport manual transmission.




Exterior styling

First things first; the car looks far better in flesh and pictures do not do it justice. I would agree with what folks have said that it has a fleeting resemblance with the older generation Accords (another car that has gone downhill from a design perspective in the last few years) which is not a bad thing at all. To me, the design looks matured and some of those racy cues are gone (for good).




Because of the reduction in the height of the hood and moving the A-pillars back, the driver has a clear/unobstructed view from the cockpit. The car has been lengthened (184.0 inches); it is about a foot shorter than the mid-size Accord (196.1 inches).

The key fob has the lock/unlock, boot release & remote start functions (for all the variants) which is segment-first. All the variants get the proximity key entry system with a pushbutton start.





The headlights and brake lights are LED in all the variants along with halogen directional indicators at the rear. All the variants also get the LED DRLs. EX, Sport & Touring trims also get LED directional indicators built into the ORVMs. All the variants get the fog lamps but only the Touring trim gets the LED treatment. All the variants also get the heated ORVMs.

All the variants get the acoustic windshield which I think is great on part of Honda as it will minimize the cabin noise. All the variants are also equipped with front & rear parking sensors. If you walk away without locking the car, the car locks itself automatically & this feature is available on all the variants. The Touring trim also gets the assisted trunk opening feature & auto-dimming rearview mirror.

Base LX rides on 16-inch steel wheels with plastic covers and 215/55R16 tires. EX, Sport & Touring editions get 18-inch alloy wheels with 235/40R18 tires. The Touring edition that I test drove was shod with Goodyear Eagle Sport tires. The LX had Hankook Kinergy GT tires. The spare tire is a donut (125/80D16).



Ground clearance is 134mm which would need to be adjusted for the Indian market (I hope that they do because this clearance is clearly inadequate for our road conditions). The fuel tank is 46.9 litres while the cargo volume is 419 litres. The turning radius of the car is 11 metres which seemed good. The claimed fuel economy figures are 16.66kmpl for highway & 12.98kmpl in the city & there is almost negligible difference between the stated fuel economy figures for the two motors. In Indian conditions one can expect 8 to 9 kmpl in the city & 13 to 14kmpl on the highway (again, purely my guess).


Built Quality/Fit & Finish

11th generation CIVIC sets a new benchmark as far as built quality is concerned. Shut lines & panel gaps are tight. Paint quality is top-notch and the materials used reek of quality. The doors close with a thunk (well, that was always the case with CIVIC). Using a combination of adhesives and additional structural componentry, Honda claims to have increased torsional rigidity by 8 percent and bending rigidity by 13 percent.

Last model year was a top safety pick by IIHS and this car is expected to top that. The car comes in at 1,313 to 1,371 kgs for various variants.




Interiors

The new CIVIC has seen substantial improvement in the interior quality and that percolates down even to the lower trim levels. Once you step inside you are greeted by an interior that is both simple and elegant without a bank of confusing knobs on the central console. A much-talked-about metal honeycomb covers up most of the air vents and makes the whole right side of the dashboard seem like a work of art. Most of the trim pieces have been given the anti-fingerprint treatments (my favourite) that are found on the central console between the seats and the doors. Most of the touchpoints feel much superior and there’s a very satisfying “click” to each of the dials that convey the robustness & quality.

*Picture courtesy - Motortrend


The steering wheel is heated with switches for audio controls (voice command, volume adjustment, skipping the tracks/radio stations) on the left and cruise control, lane keep assist, distance setting for the radar-based cruise control (how far behind do you want your car to follow the car ahead) on the right-hand side. The switch for activating the heated steering wheel is located at the base of the middle column.

The stalks on the left-hand side control the headlight (on/off/auto) and side indicator functions while the stalk on the right-hand side controls the wiper (activation/speed) and windscreen washer fluid motor activation.

*Picture courtesy - Motortrend (Instrument cluster - LX)



The central console is dominated by a floating type infotainment screen. Below the screen, there are two stocks for controlling the direction of the airflow within the honeycomb grill with the hazard light activation switch in the middle. Below the honeycomb are three rotary knobs for controlling the climate control functions such as fan speed & temperature along with two push-type switches for seat heating. All the variants get power windows with auto-up/down on driver’s and passenger's side doors. Two USB ports (one for the wired Apple car Play & Android Auto and the second one is dedicated for charging) along with a 12 volt (180 W) charging port are located at the bottom. The Touring edition also gets a wireless charging pad.


Two different views of fully digital instrument cluster - Touring edition

Knobs for changing the Drive Modes (in Sport & Touring variants), switching off the “Engine Auto-Off”, Electronic Parking Brake, and Brake Hold are located behind the shifter. There are two large-sized cup holders to the right side of the shifter. An ample-sized central armrest with a separated storage compartment is located in the middle.



The driver-side door has the window glasses (up/down), window glass lock (for the rest of the passengers), Door (lock/unlock), and ORVM (adjustments) switches. On a small panel below the air vent on the left side of the steering wheel, there are knobs for adjusting the brightness of the instrument panel, parking sensor deactivation & opening the fuel lid. All the controls are intuitive and fall to the hands easily.

All the variants barring the base LX get the One-touch power Moon-roof with tilt feature (not panoramic). This is probably a segment first. All the variants get automatic climate control with an air-filtration system however the LX gets a single zone while the rest of the trims get a two-zone system.

The seats are firm with adequate bolstering & I feel you will easily be able to drive for long hours without feeling tired. LX, EX variants get the fabric seats, Sport variant gets the fabric/faux leather combo seats & Touring gets the faux leather seats. Driver’s seat comes with 6-way manual adjustment & passenger side seat has 4-way manual adjustments. Touring trim gets 8-way power adjustments on the driver’s seat.



The seats at the back are comfortable with good under-thigh support & fairly good legroom. Three people will be able to sit comfortably at the rear. Rear passengers get two USB charging ports. Front seats are heated in all the variants while Touring trim also gets the rear heated seats. Rear passengers get a central armrest with cup holders.

The trunk can be both opened by pressing a button on top of the registration plate or by pressing the switch on the key fob. At 419 ltrs. it seemed adequate. The underside of the parcel tray is uncovered which looks quite ungainly.



Instrumentation, Infotainment & convenience

For the driver instrumentation; base LX, EX & Sport get a 7-inch colour TFT screen along with an analog Speedometer & the Tachometer. For the infotainment, the base LX, EX & Sport get a 7-inch screen with Android Auto/Apple Car Play (wired) and an 8 speaker Honda audio. All the trims get a multi-angle rear-view camera with dynamic guidelines.

The Touring edition which is the top trim gets a 10.2-inch driver display with wireless Android Auto/Apple Car Play. The driver display is fairly customizable. There is a provision to convert the speed and tachometer to a bar-like display on the sides that vacates space in the middle to show various functional safety features. I found this feature to be very useful. For infotainment, the Touring edition gets a 9-inch screen that is crisp and fairly responsive. Touring edition also gets an upgraded 12-speaker Bose audio system (A Honda first) with a subwoofer. The sound quality from the Bose system sounded reasonably good even without any audio adjustments. Both 7 and 9-inch infotainment screens are fairly responsive and (thankfully) have a physical volume adjustment knob.

9-inch infotainment screen on Touring edition

[Vikram Arya]

Engine, Transmission, Steering & Suspension

The base-level LX and mid-level EX & Sport variants are equipped with the familiar 2.0-ltr. naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine (same as the outgoing car). The 2.0-liter (1,996CC) engine’s output is unchanged at 158 bhp and 138 lb-ft of torque, and the 1.5-liter (1,498CC) makes 180 bhp and 177 lb-ft of torque which I think a wee bit more than the last year’s model. Compression ration of the 2 ltr. motor is 10.8:1 and the 1.5 ltr motor makes do with slightly lower 10.3:1 to accommodate turbocharging.


1.5 ltr 4 cylinder Turbo Mill


Note: Honda has specced the cars different for US & Canada. In Canada the base LX, EX & Sport get the 2 ltr motor and the Touring gets the 1.5 ltr Turbo while in the US both Touring & Sport editions get the 1.5 ltr. Motor.


As for the transmission, all the variants get only one kind which is the CVT (I can already hear the groans); Honda has said that they will provide a manual transmission option on the hatchback that will become available later this year in addition to the fabled Si & the type R editions but these variants are unlikely to make it to India. The Sport & Touring version gets the paddle shifter with improved throttle mapping and you feel the transmission mimic a torque converter with the help from CVT’s simulated shift points.


Naturally aspirated 2 ltr 4 cylinder engine

The steering is a Variable Ratio Electric Power-Assisted Rack-and-Pinion Steering (EPS). The car uses Drive by Wire throttle system. The steering is both tilt & telescopic.

Out front, the car has an independent strut arrangement while in the rear it has an independent multi-link setup. Both front & rear also get a stabilizer bar.


Drive, Ride & Handling

Both 2 ltr. naturally-aspirated & the 1.5 turbo mills are good but get buzzy when you get to their top end and then the natural response is to take your foot off the throttle which is well, not something that was the case with the old 1.8 ltr, 4 pot motor but as the song goes, “Times, they are a-changing”……In all fairness, I found the 1.5 ltr. engine to be less buzzy (only at the top end) than the 2 ltr. motor.

As far as acceleration is concerned; I feel the 1.5 ltr. motor would hit 100 kmph in approx. 8 seconds and the 2 ltr. motor would probably take 9 to 9.5 seconds which is okay. Bottom line; those looking to indulge in red light Grand Prix races/drag strip style take-offs should look elsewhere.

I must also mention that both the 2 ltr. & 1.5 ltr. turbo motors have ample amount of grunt at the low end and in city driving, you will not know that you are driving a CVT and not a torque converter. The only occasion that I felt the “Rubber Band” effect was when I got the chance to be in the front row on a traffic red light and as soon as the lights turned green I floored the throttle and of course there’s only so much tinkering that you can do to a CVT and the basic nature of transmission came to the fore. In gear, acceleration is crisp, more so in the 1.5 ltr. motor than the 2 ltr. The city streets that I was driving on have a speed limit of 80 kmph so I got the chance to drop the speed & accelerate on multiple occasions and never did I feel the engine lacking the grunt to respond to my throttle inputs. I also took the car onto a stretch of an intercity highway known as the “Deerfoot” where the speed limit is 100kmph and both the 1.5 ltr. turbo and the 2 ltr. motors were making brisk progress effortlessly.

This 11th gen CIVIC is a very easy/effortless car to drive; the steering weighs up nicely and is not overtly light at high speeds. The ride quality understandably was very good on the LX that was riding on 215/55R16 tires and surprisingly good even on the Touring that was riding on fairly low profile 235/40R18 tires. The car does not feel undertired at all.

Now let’s talk a bit about handling and this is where I feel substantial progress has been made. Now in the interest of transparency, I have only driven the last-gen CIVIC for probably 25 odd kilometres, and that too 4 years ago so if these changes are only incremental then I’m in no position to confirm the same.

The suspension setup is independent struts up front and multi-link at the rear aided by an stabilizer bar at both ends. The rear suspension setup makes the CIVIC one of the best riding compact sedans and this where something like a VW Jetta loses out to CIVIC owing to its torsion beam setup at the rear. The expansion joints (we have these on our roads to account for road’s contraction in extreme winter & expansion in the summer season) were despatched without batting an eyelid. I did not get a chance to drive on too many badly broken surfaces so cannot really comment on that aspect but the way the car was riding smoothly on some stretches of broken tarmac was commendable.

I can say with confidence that this is the best-handling compact sedan in the segment (not that it had much competition, to begin with). The car also handles much more sharply than let’s say an Accord which has become a barge of late. I did a few quick lane-change maneuvers at 110 kmph on an inter-city highway and the car responded sharply with a crisp steering response.

Safety Suite

On the Safety front; all the variants come equipped with Forward-Collision Warning, Lane-Departure Warning, Collision Mitigation, and Road-Departure Mitigation, Lane Keep Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic High-Beams, and Traffic-Jam Assist. Touring variant also gets Blind-Spot Monitoring with Cross-Traffic Alert and Low-Speed Braking Control. The Touring edition also gets the Automatic Rain Sensing wipers.

I found the Lane Keep assist to be quite intrusive and switched it off as I usually do on my rental cars. I did try the Low-Speed Brake Control on a couple of signals and the car came to a complete stop without me touching the brake pedal (though I must say I was quite nervous & literally had to fight the urge to stomp on the brake pedal). I feel a few of these safety features might not make it to the Indian market both in order to cut costs & lack of potential utility in our chaotic traffic conditions.

Conclusion

My belief is that if Honda India can offer a couple of variants of the 2022 CIVIC at a price ranging from Rs. 18 to 21 lacs (Ex-showroom) they can attract at least 300 to 400 customers a month who would rather be driving a great handling, good looking, fairly reliable sedan than a cross over (a car on stilts). CIVIC if introduced in India is unlikely to have any diesel engine option but I believe that is not of much significance in the Indian market at this price point now and for this segment of sedans anyway.

If Honda can localize the CIVIC even to a small percentage they can achieve competitive pricing which I believe will be the sweet spot from a price/quality/brand cachet perspective. CIVIC can also act as a halo car and convert quite a few customers who may come to a dealership to have a look at it.

I will stick my neck out and say that Honda should think of introducing the Si spec model in India as well. A six-speed stick shift and 220/230 bhp engine will make it one quick car. If they can price it around 22/23 lacs (ex-showroom); I have no doubt that the car will find a few takers. Globally the Si edition has historically been priced fairly close to the top trim of the CIVIC.

Once (well, quite a few years ago actually) someone described Honda cars as basically a beautiful drivetrain with some sheet metal wrapped around them; today when we look at Honda India’s portfolio, it paints a sorry picture. Honda, I believe has gone out of the consideration set of a large number of potential customers and THAT is both disappointing and dangerous from a long-term business feasibility standpoint.

CIVIC is one car that can add some buzz around a brand that a few years ago stood for great performance at a reasonable price and rekindle the romance that once surrounded the HONDA brand.

[nakul0888]

Can anyone please tell me how Skoda always seems to find a business case for selling the latest octavia and the superb in India but Honda cant seem to find any for its civic and accord?

[Bhalla]

Nice write up. This thing is going to sell like hot cakes in North American market. I’m sure that this 1 have potential to shake market share of Mazda 3 (which is 1 of the top sellers in Atlantic Canada).
But I still believe Honda missed a trick or 2 by not bringing Hybrid versions of Civic.

[ChiragM]

Thanks for the review Vikram Arya. Love the exterior and interior styling of the new Civic. The Civic brand name holds a huge value in the Indian auto market, Honda can easily capitalise on this.

They messed up with the previous-gen Civic thanks to the poor product planning, and also due to the poor sales of sedans in India. Really hope that this new one comes here and Honda offers the right variants at the right price as well. With a bit of right marketing, this new Civic should do well here. To my eyes, this looks better than the outgoing car as well.

[PrasunBannerjee]

Originally Posted by nakul0888

Can anyone please tell me how Skoda always seems to find a business case for selling the latest octavia and the superb in India but Honda cant seem to find any for its civic and accord?

They know their potential perhaps. Instead of saying the higher ups are under-confident if these products will sell, I have started believing that their higher ups are pretty confident that their products will not sell

[amitverma]

Originally Posted by nakul0888

Can anyone please tell me how Skoda always seems to find a business case for selling the latest octavia and the superb in India but Honda cant seem to find any for its civic and accord?

I cannot agree more. There are some manufacturers who try to bring their latest products in India. And then there is Honda. I can so see myself buying the Civic (again) if it had a better petrol motor. I understand India is going SUV crazy right now but this car deserves to come to India.

[TorqMaster]

For some reason this reminds me of the Subaru Legacy 2016 models and above- the wheels, overall silhouette etc.

Maybe the Japs share the same design ?

[sarathlal]

Originally Posted by nakul0888

Can anyone please tell me how Skoda always seems to find a business case for selling the latest octavia and the superb in India but Honda cant seem to find any for its civic and accord?

Honda India management is a case study for how not to run the show. The downhill path was so evident, but still everything was just done to accelerate the demise.

Now with their higher frame capacity plants shut for good, Honda India now is in a position where it cannot simply materialise anything above the City, even if they want to

[Vikram Arya]

Originally Posted by nakul0888

Can anyone please tell me how Skoda always seems to find a business case for selling the latest octavia and the superb in India but Honda cant seem to find any for its civic and accord?

I'm pretty confident your statement reflects what most of us feel. It is indeed perplexing that Honda is finding it hard to market a car that has a cult following around the world and is one of the most well-known brands (independent of the OEM). Honda in India has pruned their portfolio so much that I wonder how their dealers are going to sustain their business. Unless you're a die-hard Honda City fan I would find no reason to go to a Honda store.

Civic is that one reason that Honda needs desperately. They can't endlessly depend on just one car to drive what seems like a declining sales trend in light of so many very attractive options for potential car buyers.

I hope better sense prevails and Honda brings this car to India. If I were to relocate, I would buy the new Civic in a heartbeat.

Originally Posted by Bhalla

Nice write up. This thing is going to sell like hot cakes in North American market. I’m sure that this 1 have potential to shake market share of Mazda 3 (which is 1 of the top sellers in Atlantic Canada).
But I still believe Honda missed a trick or 2 by not bringing Hybrid versions of Civic.

The Civic has retained the title of Canada’s favourite car for 23 straight years so your observation is spot on.

As for the Hybrid, it is a matter of time; I'm sure Honda has a couple of aces up their sleeves.

Originally Posted by ChiragM

Thanks for the review Vikram Arya. Love the exterior and interior styling of the new Civic. The Civic brand name holds a huge value in the Indian auto market, Honda can easily capitalise on this.

They messed up with the previous-gen Civic thanks to the poor product planning, and also due to the poor sales of sedans in India. Really hope that this new one comes here and Honda offers the right variants at the right price as well. With a bit of right marketing, this new Civic should do well here. To my eyes, this looks better than the outgoing car as well.

Thanks, Chirag.

Your observations are bang on the money. When you get the chance to drive the new Civic (which I hope happens sooner rather than later) you will love the car. I have no doubt in my mind that Civic will do well if Honda prices the car sensibly and not get carried away (something that a lot of OEMs are suffering from lately).

One of the dealers told me that they had received 8 cars and 6 were sold in one day so it's selling very well out here.

Originally Posted by PrasunBannerjee

They know their potential perhaps. Instead of saying the higher ups are under-confident if these products will sell, I have started believing that their higher ups are pretty confident that their products will not sell

The irony of your comment is palpable Prasun. It is a great car; now only if Honda gathers the courage to get it here.

Originally Posted by amitverma

I cannot agree more. There are some manufacturers who try to bring their latest products in India. And then there is Honda. I can so see myself buying the Civic (again) if it had a better petrol motor. I understand India is going SUV crazy right now but this car deserves to come to India.

Amit, the two engines that the new Civic is being offered with are good engines. In my limited view 158 & 180 bhp is enough for the size of the car that the Civic is. As for the nature of the engines; direct injection & turbocharging is something that we have to live with, in view of ever-tightening emission norms & pressure to improve the fuel economy of the cars that the OEMs are under.

Originally Posted by TorqMaster

For some reason this reminds me of the Subaru Legacy 2016 models and above- the wheels, overall silhouette etc.

Maybe the Japs share the same design ?

Great observation! The design language does borrow cues from a couple of aspiration brands (you know who) but in my view, that's not a bad thing. I liked the silhouette of the car except for maybe the nose which seemed a bit blunt (I'm being overly critical here ).

Originally Posted by sarathlal

Honda India management is a case study for how not to run the show. The downhill path was so evident, but still everything was just done to accelerate the demise.

Now with their higher frame capacity plants shut for good, Honda India now is in a position where it cannot simply materialise anything above the City, even if they want to

I'm totally in agreement with your statement & it breaks my heart for I have been a big Honda fan however over the years the way Honda India's business operations have been run is really disappointing. Any other company in possession of such a great brand name and a global portfolio of products most of which are well suited to India could have done wonders.

One only needs to look at the Korean twins; I have nothing but admiration for these guys in spite of some idiosyncratic designs and questionable safety standards that some of their platforms are afflicted with.

[kiku007]

Good report. Thanks for sharing.

At first glance how many can differentiate the Accord from the Civic?









I think Honda designers went too conservative after the outlandish looking 10th-generation Civic. The Type-R hatchback may offer some visual appeal.

I understand from reviews that the Civic continues to be a strong contender in the compact-sedan segment internationally.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwWh_8-my4k

The future looks bright for hot/warm-hatch customers internationally. There's the upcoming Civic Type-R, Corolla GR and the already on sale Mazda 3 2.5L Turbo AWD (which Mazda refuses to call the MazdaSpeed.).







With respect to the Indian market it doesn't make sense to compare the Octavia-Superb scenario to Civic-Accord since from the outset Skoda positioned the Octavia as a premium Euro-build car that customers loved. The plain-vanilla Civic can't replicate the Octavia's success in the current market place. This is especially true when Honda India's quality and desirability quotient is going to the drains.

[TrackDay]

The car indeed has taken a different approach from the design language of the previous Civic. It has a more sober look compared to the ultra sporty look of it's predecessor. The car, no doubt is a proper sedan with the right proportions and looks. It will definitely sell well in the North American markets, but not sure how it will fare on our shores.

Coming to the interior the car looks neat and relaxed, though some beige would not have been bad. The A/C vent panel looks different and has a nice touch with the pattern. Like BHP-ian kiku007 said, with the latest iteration the accord and civic looks kind of similar.

[ssenhyd]

Here is some more detailed description of the 11th generation Civic
https://hondanews.com/en-US/honda-au...edan-press-kit

[Vikram Arya]

Originally Posted by kiku007

Good report. Thanks for sharing.

The future looks bright for hot/warm-hatch customers internationally. There's the upcoming Civic Type-R, Corolla GR and the already on sale Mazda 3 2.5L Turbo AWD (which Mazda refuses to call the MazdaSpeed.).

With respect to the Indian market it doesn't make sense to compare the Octavia-Superb scenario to Civic-Accord since from the outset Skoda positioned the Octavia as a premium Euro-build car that customers loved. The plain-vanilla Civic can't replicate the Octavia's success in the current market place. This is especially true when Honda India's quality and desirability quotient is going to the drains.

Thank you for your detailed comment.

The 2022 Type R is rumored to use the same 4 cylinder 2 ltr turbo engine but in a higher state of tune and is expected to make between 310 & 315 bhp. It's just that with the expected pricing North of US$ 40,000 it starts encroaching into 3 Series territory although even at that price it will be a blockbuster. Now only if Honda could get rid of some of over the top styling cues, it will still be loved and remain the halo car that it is.

As for potential sales of the new Civic in the Indian market (if it ever gets launched), the car can sell if reasonably priced. Quite a few customers will prefer a reliable, no-nonsense car that is no pushover compared to the so-called (& claimed) European built quality that comes coupled with questionable reliability.

There is enough room in the marketplace for these brands to coexist. The mid-sized sedan segment in India is plagued with a paucity of good options and I'm sure 11th gen Civic will make room for itself if Honda India can get its act together.

Originally Posted by TrackDay

The car indeed has taken a different approach from the design language of the previous Civic. It has a more sober look compared to the ultra sporty look of it's predecessor. The car, no doubt is a proper sedan with the right proportions and looks. It will definitely sell well in the North American markets, but not sure how it will fare on our shores.

Coming to the interior the car looks neat and relaxed, though some beige would not have been bad. The A/C vent panel looks different and has a nice touch with the pattern. Like BHP-ian kiku007 said, with the latest iteration the accord and civic looks kind of similar.

You're right, the similarity to the Accord's styling is hard to miss. It's just that the execution is far better in this case. The interiors of the car are a really high point of the car more so than the exteriors. I would even say that the layout of the interiors is one of the best that I have seen in years.

Let's just hope it gets to the Indian market.