2022 Honda Civic Sedan Touring Review

Intro

In the last post, I reviewed the 2022 Honda Civic hatchback manual. The hatchback is based on the all-new 11th generation Civic sedan. With the exception of the Civic Si, the only transmission available for the sedan is a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). 

Courtesy of Honda Canada, I had the chance to review the 2022 Honda Civic Sedan Touring for one week. This provides me the perfect opportunity to compare not only the differences between the hatchback and the sedan, but also the differences between the two transmissions. Below is what I discovered.

Exterior

Just like its hatchback sibling, the 2022 Civic Sedan has a cleaner, more grown-up vibe. At the front, the razer style center grille compliments the narrow headlamp housings for a wide opening. The low hood and front fender further accentuate the width of the car. 

From the side, Honda designers moved the bottom of the windshield pillars rearward by 2”, which elongates the hood to create a more premium silhouette. A sharp shoulder character line extends from the hood to the taillight. It is accompanied by a lower character line that carries up from the bottom of the front door to create a sense of motion. 

The new Civic sedan features a slightly wider rear track, and stronger rear shoulders. At the trailing edge of the trunk is an aerodynamically efficient lip spoiler, which bridges the two wide-set LED tailights for a planted stance. 

Personally, I am biased toward the hatchback form factor, but the 2022 Civic Sedan is a handsome looking car in its own right. It doesn’t exactly stand out from the crowd, but has a timeless design that should age gracefully. 

 

Interior

The much improved interior of the new Civic sedan is almost identical to that of the manual hatchback. The biggest differences are found around the center console. Since the sedan with the CVT doesn’t require as much space around the shift lever, the two center cup holders are moved up beside the lever. This allows the center armrest to be extended forward, and covers a larger storage bin underneath. 

The most striking feature is still the metal honeycomb mesh accent that stretches from door to door across the dash. Another notable feature is the decorated center console trim. Unlike your typical piano black finish, the center console trim is specifically designed to hide fingerprints to maintain a high-end appearance. 

Even though the sedan has a slightly longer tail, the rear legroom, as well as the rear headroom are identical between the two. The 950mm legroom is above average for a compact car, but taller passengers might find the 942mm headroom slightly restrictive. 

Infotainment

Standard Civics sedans get a new 7” color touchscreen with USB Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration. Our Touring trim tester comes with a 9” color touchscreen that features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a Qi-compatible wireless charger.

Once again, I must point out how much I appreciate the dedicated physical volume knob and hard buttons for Home and back functions. I know it seems like a small thing to care about, but it is one of those things you don’t realize how much you need them until they go missing. 

The touring trim also feature the first use of the Bose audio system in a Civic. The 12-speaker premium sound system is custom-engineered for the Civic’s new interior. The goal is to deliver an excellent listening experience for all passengers. I can only vouch for the experience as a driver, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. 

The same digital 10.2” full-color LCD display can be found in the instrument cluster. The display can be either a traditional layout of round needle-and-dial gauge displays or a bar-graph style design. The middle of the display is used to indicate the status of various Honda Sensing safety and driver-assist features. 

Safety and Driver Assistance

The 2022 Civic sedan features the identical safety systems as the hatchback. They include:

• Brake Assist
• Auto high beam
• Forward Collision Warning (FCW) system
• Collision Mitigation Braking System™2 (CMBS) 
• Hill Start Assist
• Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system
• Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) system
• Traffic sign recognition
• Vehicle Stability Assist2 (VSA) with Traction Control
• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow
• Blind Spot Information (BSI) system
• Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS)
• Traffic Jam Assist

The Touring trim also includes:

• Low-speed braking control
• Rear Cross Traffic Monitor system
• HondaLink Assist Automatic Emergency Response System

The 2022 Civic sedan earns a Top Safety Pick+ rating from IIHS, the highest from the agency.

Driving

The 11th-generation Civic Sedan comes with two engine choices. The LX and Sport trims get a naturally aspirated 2.0L 4-cylinder engine that produces 158 hp and 138 lb.-ft. of torque. The EX and Touring trims get a turbocharged 1.5L 4-cylinder engine that produces 180 hp and 177 lb.-ft. of torque on regular unleaded gas. 

In any case, the engines transfer their torque to the wheels through a revised CVT that focuses on enhancing fuel efficiency. It uses a beefier electric hydraulic pump to reduce the load on the mechanical pump, and a ball-bearing secondary shaft to reduce friction. The new CVT does feel less like a CVT on the road thanks to the improved Step-Shift programming which simulates physical gear changes under hard acceleration. It is also programmed to provide earlier downshift during braking. Still, I prefer the manual transmission that is only available to the Civic hatchback. 

Regardless, the Civic sedan is still a fun car to drive thanks to its responsive chassis. The new body structure increases torsional rigidity of the car by 8 percent and bending rigidity by 13 percent versus the previous generation. In addition, a longer wheelbase and a wider rear track adds to the stability of the car. The front MacPherson strut, rear multi-link suspension setup is further enhanced by low-friction ball joints, new front damper mount bearings, and new rear bushings to reduce noise and vibration inside the cabin. 

The electronic power steering has also been re-tuned to provide better feedback and improve stability at higher speeds. The steering still on the lighter side, but feels more linear and natural. 

The 2022 Civic sedan touring is rated at 7.6L/100km city, 6.1L/100km highway, and 6.9L/100km combined. It is almost as fuel efficient as the 2.0L naturally aspirated engine, which is rated at 7.7L/100km city, 6.0L/100km highway, and 6.9L/100km combined.

Cargo Space & Storage

Being a sedan, the cargo area is obviously much smaller than the hatchback. There is 408L of cargo volume in the trunk. Under the trunk floor is a full-size spare tire along with a car jack for tire change. 

The center console storage bin is significantly larger than the hatchback, but the glove compartment is still slightly smaller than average. The side door pockets are decently sized, and two additional cup holders can be found in the rear folding armrest. 

Verdict

The all-new 11th generation Honda Civic sedan looks sophisticated, and is almost every bit as fun to drive as the hatchback. The clean interior and the advanced technologies should broaden its appeal and keep the Civic competitive for years to come. 

If you are a shift-stick lover like myself, the Civic Si sedan features three paddles and an upgraded 200hp 1.5L turbocharged engine. More importantly, it costs only $2000 CAD more than the Touring trim. 

Test Vehicle

2022 Honda Civic 5D Sport Touring Manual 

MSRP

$25,370 CAD Base

$31,970 CAD As Tested (Touring)

Color

Sonic Grey Pearl