The 2022 Honda Civic sedan promises a grown-up approach

Honda unveiled its sharp prototype 11th-generation Civic last November, and it was looking just about production-ready. Before the full reveal on April 28, Honda is dangling a single image of the final production Civic sedan to keep us on our toes.

Aside from changes to the wheels, there are no obvious updates beyond what the Prototype previewed. Make no mistake—that’s good news. The addition-by-subtraction approach that Honda seemingly prioritized in its redesign is a breath of fresh air compared to the overstyled, bug-like face of the tenth-gen car. For the latest Civic, we can look forward to a base car that’s a little less bland. The grille and headlights in particular are much wider and cleaner-looking, and more angular taillight elements at the rear eliminate the C-shaped bulbous back end from before.

Along with a new chassis, we expect to see some tweaked versions of the incumbent Honda Civic powertrains: a naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder, a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, and a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Concrete details of the interior design are a bit scant, but earlier Honda renderings suggest a new digital gauge cluster and nine-inch full HD touchscreen. Both of these upgrades would significantly improve the Civic’s cabin, which was starting to feel seriously dated toward the end of its lifecycle. Echoing the exterior changes, the revised interior is considerably more mature-looking than before. Though the Honda e city car isn’t sold here in the U.S., that car’s design influence can be felt here.

For those who prefer five doors over four, never fear, the hatchback body style will join the fray roughly two months after the sedan gets its wheels on the ground. Fun fact: for the first time in its history, the hatchback will be manufactured in the U.S., tasked to the plant in Greensburg, Indiana now that Honda closed its Swindon, U.K. plant. The sedan will roll off the line at Honda’s Alliston, Ontario, facility in Canada.

Despite the fact that this latest Civic is taking a more mature tack, the reveal method is firmly targeting younger buyers. Odds are you have not even heard of H.E.R. but the kids have, and they’ll all be virtually Twitching with the music group on April 28th after debt-restructuring their student loans to get into this hip new four-door. Check back here for details following the big reveal.