The 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback Sticks It out With a Manual Transmission
Just when we thought that the 2022 Civic will no longer be offered with a manual transmission, Honda proved us wrong. The Japanese automaker always has a small trick up its sleeve and the forthcoming debut of the Civic Hatchback is no exception. The newly restyled and reworked Civic sedan was recently unveiled, however, only a teaser image of the Civic Hatchback has been released. But here is what we know so far.
The Honda Civic Hatchback will be shifty
While the 2022 Honda Civic shows off some new sheet metal and tech, not much has changed under the hood. The base Civic Sedan model will be equipped with a 2.0-liter, naturally aspirated engine that churns out 158 hp and 138 lb-ft of torque, while the upper trims get a turbocharged 1.5-liter engine.
That engine isn’t exactly a carry-over as Honda reworked it for the new model year. It will now put out 180 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque, which is an increase of 6 hp and 15 lb-ft of torque over last year’s engine specs. Car and Driver expects that the Civic Hatchback will come with this same 180-hp engine, just as it did in the past. However, the most surprising (and welcome) news is that the 2022 Civic Hatchback will be available with a six-speed manual transmission, as well as a CVT.
The Civic Si and Type R are still around as well
With Honda’s discontinuation of the Civic Coupe and manual-transmission Accords last year, many enthusiasts wondered if the Civic Si and Type R variants would get the ax as well. Fortunately, they didn’t. Honda recently announced that the Honda Civic Si and Type R are returning for the 2022 model year and will each receive a six-speed manual transmission as well. However, we shouldn’t expect the option for an automatic transmission (thankfully).
The specs for the Civic Si and Type R are yet to be released, but we expect that both models will remain largely the same under the hood. To recap, the Honda Civic Si is powered by a turbocharged 1.5-liter engine that produces 205 hp while the Civic Type R is propelled by a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that pumps out 306 hp. We can’t wait to see what they look like for this new model year.
The Civic Hatchback will officially debut soon
Honda made mention of the 2022 Civic Hatchback’s transmission in conjunction with the announcement of its Civic Tour “Remix” virtual concert on Wednesday, June 23. In addition to the virtual music event, the rest of the official details on the new five-door Civic will be revealed as well.
While we can imagine that it will look a lot like its sedan counterpart, the Civic Hatchback could have a few more surprises up its sleeve when it finally makes its appearance. After all, there’s probably a good reason why Honda decided to release the hatchback separately, and later, than the Civic sedan.