The 2022 Honda Civic hatchback is without a doubt the most practical way to spec your new Civic. For the enthusiasts, the Civic even comes with a manual transmission in some trims. But what are those trims? And are they worth your hard-earned money? We’ll be taking a look at each of the hatchback’s trim levels and sorting that out.

Some are certainly more worth it than others, but the costs could place the new compact car in some dangerously competitive territory, especially in the hatchback segment.

Will the 2022 Honda Civic have a manual transmission?

Yep. You’ve read that right. The 2022 Honda Civic will come with a manual transmission. Sadly, if you want the sedan and a stick, you’re out of luck. The six-speed is only for the hatch. This brings us nicely to the Civic hatch’s Sport Touring trim. It’s the top-of-the-line trim and the only one that’ll net you some nicer luxury touches.

Because it’s the top-tier Civic, that also means the Sport Touring will run you the most money. This hatch, at this price point, is coming dangerously close to competitors like the Volkswagen GTI (or at least a used one). For your $29,400 you also get heated leatherette seats, wireless charging, and Carplay/Android Auto, as well as nicer wheels and the 1.5-liter turbo unit, per KBB. However, you can also get the stick with the 2.0-liter should you wish.

Forget the stick, the Civic EX-L might be the way to go.

As for the middling trim level, that’ll be called the “EX-L” trim. Here, you’re stuck with the 1.5-liter motor. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as a 180 hp Civic has long proved to be more than enough. Effectively, this trim is the goldilocks one. You’re missing out on the larger 9″ screen inside, as well as a few other things, but you’re also spending less at $26,600.

The biggest difference here is the lack of leather seats. Those are only for the Sport Touring hatch, unfortunately. As a sort of consolation prize, EX-L owners will get to keep the moonroof and blind-spot monitoring from the Sport Touring. Life is all about give and take, and for your $3,000 or so fewer dollars, Honda does remove the Bose sound system and replace it with their own 8-speaker system. Audiophiles beware.

The new Civic is hatchback genesis, all over again

That leaves us with the base Sport and LX Civic hatchbacks. These are largely the same, with most of the standard equipment you can expect on the regular Civic sedan. However, the Sport trim does get a drive mode selector. At the end of the day, the new Civic is pretty darn good. The best trim for you depends entirely on your budget. That said, our pick is the Sport trim. You can have your stick if you want, and it combines some niceties from upmarket models with a competitive price at $24,100.