When Honda released the revamped tenth-generation Civic earlier this year, it looked like the H Badge had redeemed itself for the lackluster ninth-generation vehicle that came before, blessing the ubiquitous compact nameplate with fresh underpinnings, an updated cabin, and new powerplant options. Now, there’s a five-door hatchback on the way, and thankfully, it offers all that good stuff, plus the option for a true-blue six-speed manual transmission to mate with the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-banger. Best of all, it’s coming to the U.S.

Most performance enthusiasts will want to wait until they can get their hands on the 168-mph Civic Type-R, but if waiting just isn’t an option (or 168 mph seems a bit unnecessary), then the plain-Jane hatch could be a viable alternative. It’s got the same platform as the R, but doesn’t bash the sensibilities like the top-spec boy-racer special.

Thing is, U.S. consumers usually go for crossovers, not hatchbacks. Can the tenth-gen Civic be the exception to the rule?

Update 09-16-2016: Honda has finally announced the details about the all-new Honda Civic Hatchback. Check out our updated review below to learn all about it.

Exterior

When it comes to styling, the new Civic hatchback looks very close to its coupe equivalent, but there are a few minor differences if you look closely.

In front, there’s the new, funky-yet-futuristic fascia, which is chopped up with a mishmash of angles and cuts that lend the nose a unique appearance. Along the flanks, there are two prominent character creases that increase the car’s visual rake, while the roofline falls gently into a tail that’s squared-off with C-shaped taillights. The rear is as equally busy as the front, with tons of little folds and creases throughout. Overall it’s a somewhat divisive look, which I can appreciate – I’d rather have something that’s unique than something that’s bland.

Placing photos of the hatchback next to photos of the sedan, the aesthetic changes between the four- and five-door become more apparent. It looks like there’s a new mesh grille insert down below, plus the broad bumper bar up top is finished in black, rather than polished silver. The hood lines and front fenders look identical, but the roofline is extended (no surprise there). The rear end appears quite aggressive, with larger mesh inserts, a trailing roof spoiler, and a diffuser-like surround for the centrally mounted dual-tip exhaust.

Available features will include heated side mirrors, and available LED headlights (some of these features are standard on higher trim levels).

But, it’s not just the look of the exterior that makes the new Civic Hatchback so awesome. It’s being built in the brand’s Swindon plant that Honda just confirmed was receiving an investment of £200 million or about $2.65 million at current conversion rates. All of that money went into developing new production processes and technologies. These new processes mean Honda is now using what it calls a “high-efficiency joining technique” that changes up the way the car is actually built in the beginning stages. By assembling the inner frame first, with the outer frame and joints coming after, Honda claims the new Civic hatchback has a 52-percent improvement in torsional stiffness and is actually 35 pounds lighter than the previous model.

All told, the new hatchback is bigger than the previous model. It’s 177 inches long, 70.86 inches wide, 55.95 inches tall, and has a wheelbase of 106.29 inches. That means it's somewhere around 5.11 inches longer, 1.18 inches wider, and 0.78 inches lower than before. The wheelbase has been extended by a total of 1.18 inches. That’s right folks; the Civic Hatchback is growing a little bit.

The slight increase in size, as well as the wild exterior looks, can be attributed to a couple of different factors. The Civic has been somewhat neglected in design in the past and was far too conservative for younger buyers to really take a heavy interest. And, part of this can be attributed to the Civic’s competition. If you look at models like the Mazda 3 Hatchback, Volkswagen Golf, Subaru Impreza Hatchback, and most recently the Ford Focus Hatchback, you’ll see that they’ve all come with fresh and appealing designs. In short, the Project Leader for the Civic said it perfect, when speaking of the tenth-generation mode, saying, “Markets have changed since this generation, while rivals have improved their offerings.”

And, he’s absolutely right. The civic hasn’t exactly been that appealing. Looking back over the generations, I would have to say that the last decent generation was arguably the seventh-gen Civic, and even that is regarded as the red-headed stepchild by some. The eight-gen was just weird and ugly with the short nose heavily angled A-Pillars. The ninth-gen model was an improvement, but there was still a lot of room to grow. Now that Honda has finally decided to rethink its strategy altogether, the new tenth-gen Civic is finally the Civic we’ve all be waiting for.

Taillight Closeup

Side-by-side comparison

Interior

As expected, the interior of the Civic Hatchback is pretty much identical to that of the sedan. But, that’s not a bad thing by any means. The cabin is simple and sleek and appears to have a pretty good fit and finish. We’re not talking about a Mercedes or a Lexus here, so don’t expect to find tons of leather here, but that’s not always a negative thing. The dash has a rugged, textured appearance to it and, while this normally comes off as cheap, in the civic, it doesn’t really look that way at all. The cabin is somewhat driver focused with three HVAC vents in the driver's forward view. Between these vents sits a gorgeous digital instrument cluster that is broken into three sectors. The center, larger display area supplies a digital tachometer, digital speed reading, and odometer functions. To the left, there is a smaller digital gauge for engine temperature readout and to the right, you have a digital fuel gauge. It’s oddly simplistic yet comforting and functional. Not bad. The front face of the dash features a carbon-looking insert (assumingly, this is optional or available on higher trims while the silver insert we see in the sedan is probably standard on lower trim levels.)

Sitting atop the center stack is a seven-inch touchscreen display that is integrated into the dash beautifully. The center console sits at just the right height, and the shifter is centrally located. The hatchback can be optioned with Garmin satellite navigation (five years map updates included) and can be had with several audio options that include a four-speaker system with 160 Watts of output, and eight-speaker system with 180 Watts, or a premium system (output unknown) with 11 speakers. The latter of which is assumingly the eight-speaker system with two tweeters and a subwoofer.

The seats in the model displayed here are wrapped in a black cloth but feature a cool, white contrast marking in the middle to go with white contrast stitching. We haven’t gotten a look at the rear yet, but I expect the seats to look like that of the sedan with the function to fold flat for additional cargo room when needed. Overall, interior space has improved, with Honda claiming that rear legroom has increased by 3.74 inches over the outgoing model. There’s also more shoulder room in the front and the rear. The rear cargo area remains unchanged at 16.88 cubic feet, but that’s okay because it still beats out the Volkswagen Golf by 4.17 cubic feet.

Drivetrain

In the U.S., there are a few options for the engine if you plan on getting the Civic sedan, including a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder, and a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder. The Civic hatchback, however, will only be offered with the 1.5-liter unit.

This all-aluminum 1.5-liter DOHC direct-injection powerplant is boosted by 16.5 psi of turbo pressure to raise output to 174 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. Redline is 6,500 rpm. Higher trim levels (Sport, Sport Touring) receive a new high-flow exhaust that frees up an extra six ponies for 180 horsepower total. While the new exhaust won’t turn the Civic hatch into a racecar, it should offer a little extra aural entertainment when you put your foot down.

Now for the really exciting stuff. When it comes to transmissions, every trim level gets the option for a CVT. However, if you go with the LX, Sport, or EX trim level, you’ll be able to specify your Civic with a manual six-speed gearbox. Finally!

Alternatively, if you prefer max mileage to three-pedal fun, then grab the CVT. Fuel economy is rated at 31 mpg city, 40 mpg highway, and 34 mpg combined.

Chassis And Handling

With the Civic’s new lightweight body and chassis, the hatchback should be a hoot in the corners, even without the Type-R’s ultra-aggressive suspension tuning. The regular hatchback still gets a fully independent set-up, and “sport-tuned” electronic steering offering variable ratios. There are also liquid-filled bushings, and four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and EBD.

Safety And Convenience

Semi-autonomous features are becoming the norm with each new generation of vehicles, and the new Civic is no different. The H Badge will be offering its Honda Sensing tech suite on most trim levels (standard on the Sport Touring), throwing in features like Collision Mitigation, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Keeping Assist, and Adaptive Cruise Control.

As you might imagine, the Civic is also quite safe, earning a five-star NCAP rating. When equipped with the Honda Sensing suite, the Civic is also a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS.

Convenience features include remote engine start and Hill Start Assist.

Prices

The tenth-generation Civic hatchback will be hitting U.S. dealers this fall, and will include five trim levels – the LX, Sport, EX, EX-L, and Sport Touring.

Opt for the Sport Touring trim level, and you’ll get the Honda Sensing tech suite, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, LED headlights, and heated rear seats, all as standard features.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but considering the current Civic hatchback goes for 14,470 pounds in the U.K. ($18,634 at current exchange rates, 08/15/2016), we suspect the starting MSRP on these shores won’t exceed $20,000 to $22,000 when the car is finally launched.

Of course, I also have to mention that, if you have the patience, the Type-R is expected sometime in 2017. Just sayin’.

Competition

Volkswagen Golf

The Volkswagen Golf has been around since 1974 and has seen a total of seven generations since its debut. Currently, the Golf is available in two-door and four-door body styles, with a total of six trims overall. Regardless of form, the Golf is equipped with a 1.8-liter engine that produces 170 horsepower and achieves 37 mpg on the highway. The two-door model starts out at $18,495, and the four-door model starts out at $20,175. Given the current interior styling of the Golf and its current price point, the Golf will pose some stiff competition for the new Civic Hatchback.

Read our full review on the Volkswagen Golf here.

Opel Astra

The Opel Astra was just revamped for the 2016 model year, and with that revamp came sportier looks and a more desirable car – one that is sure to give the Civic hatchback some strong competition. The Astra is available with a range of different engines, including a 1.6-liter diesel engine that delivers 95 horsepower, and a 1.0-liter gasoline unit that pumps out 105 horsepower. There's also a 1.4-liter that delivers 145 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. These figures may be a little underpowered compared to the new Civic hatchback, but the Astra should still hold its own thanks to its sporty looks. In its current form, the Astra starts out at €19,995, or $22,362 at current exchange rates (08/15/2016).

Read our full review on the Opel Astra here.

Conclusion

Like I said earlier, the Civic’s styling is pretty divisive, even around here at the TopSpeed office. Some of us like the hard angles and creases, while others think it’s lazy, like the Honda styling department just decided to cut away the rear glass on the sedan and throw on some hinges. Some have even said it looks like a Prius.

Either way, I for one am quite happy to see the Civic hatchback return stateside. Sweetening the deal is the availability of a six-speed manual transmission.

At one time (a.k.a. the ‘90s), an H Badge hatch was considered a relatively sporty proposition, offering lots of fun for a low entry price. Now, with a 1.5-liter engine that’s turbocharged from the factory and three pedals, it’s possible that sort of mindset will return.

Update History

Update 09/08/2016: Honda Released a closeup of the taillight on the new Civic Hatchback prior to its debut at the Paris Motor Show. Check it out in the Exterior section below.

Updated 08/11/2016: The guys over CivicX.com caught the upcoming Civic Hatchback completely undisguised while being loaded on the Southampton docks in the U.K. As pretty much no surprise to anyone, the production version will remain faithful to the concept was we’ve seen at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. Expect the 2017 Civic Hatchback to be unveiled in early October at the 2016 Paris Motor Show.

Updated 06/07/2016: Our spy photographers caught the upcoming Honda Civic Hatchback out for a new testing session, somewhere in the snowy Alps. The model is expected to be unveiled in October at the 2016 Paris Auto Show.

Spy Shots

June 7, 2016 - Honda Civic Hatchback testing in the Alps

February 26, 2016 - First testing session

Update History

Updated 08/15/2016: Honda just released specs and the first official photos of the upcoming Civic hatchback!