2022 Honda Civic E:HEV | PH Review
Yes, there is a new Honda Civic that isn't a Type R - very good it is, too
We all know the humble family hatch has fallen out of favour. When even Ford is set to cull the Focus, the writing must be on the wall. VW has the Taigo, T-Roc and Tiguan SUVs, plus the electric ID 3, all at Golf size and money, to tempt buyers into something trendier. And the appetite is undeniably there; customers get the practicality of hatch with a cool lifestyle look and higher driving position (plus more weight and cost), while manufacturers can cash in on shared modular architecture with more profitable bits on top. Combustion engined or otherwise, the fascination ain’t going anywhere.
Which seems somewhat of a pity for cars like the 11th-generation Honda Civic. Spend 10 minutes behind the wheel and it won’t fail to impress; spend a few days driving and you’ll start to wonder why on earth this stopped being desirable. In a reasonably compact (if large for a hatch) footprint, there’s a car that can carry a family and all its stuff, reach 62mph in eight seconds, handle smartly, cruise quietly, return 50mpg without thinking and operate with the kind of metronomic, gratifying precision that makes the Civic feel like it’ll happily do this for decades. Probably will, in fact. And yet you know that any young buyer with a baby and a dog would look at a CR-V - let alone the dozens of other SUVs out there - before thinking Civic. Because people don’t seem to buy five-door hatch now. Which is a shame.
Not helping itself though, is it? If this new look suits a toned-down Type R, it does make for a slightly bland standard hatch. And bland won’t cut it in the world of £30k family cars. It’s Civic tradition to not really resemble the car that came before, but in seeking not to repeat the divisive styling of its predecessor Honda has seemingly created a Civic without a distinct design identity. You know it’s a Civic because it’s big and not a traditional hatchback shape, rather than any proper hallmark features. Or any eye-catching details, really. To these eyes, something like a Peugeot 308 or a new Vauxhall Astra is much more visually appealing, before considering the allure of an SUV. Having done all the styling and then not so much styling, presumably the next Civic will be perfectly done.
Fortunately, the interior is beyond much meaningful fault. The Civic’s touchscreen maybe isn’t the quickest and you’ll once more search for any wow factor - beyond the funky vents - but all the essentials are done faultlessly. It feels really solidly built, the driving position is good, the materials are nice, phone pairing is easy, and it’s all laid out logically. Honda has refined the wheel rather than attempting to reinvent it (if that analogy can extend to interiors) and it really shows. You’re never left screaming at something unresponsive or floundering to find a button that doesn’t exist or wondering if that plastic is good enough, and that’s nice.
Under the Type R, just one powertrain is offered for the Civic, an E:HEV 2.0-litre hybrid with something called an e-CVT. Which sounds like a disaster - fear not. Up to motorway speeds the 143hp engine is used only as a generator to power the 1 kWh battery and 184hp motor, which then turns the front wheels; e-CVT isn’t a continuously variable transmission of the bad old days, instead an imitation that revs through ‘gears’ rather than having the four-cylinder drone at a constant rpm while generating. It sounds very complex in the best Japanese curio fashion, but works very well (and seamlessly) in reality.
There’s great throttle response that makes the Civic feel brisk, a lot of EV running at low throttle loads, 60mpg if you think about it, no huge weight penalty because the battery is so small and no need to plug in. Which, if we assume the Civic customer tends to be a bit more mature and familiar with a petrol pump, is probably a good thing. Even the e-CVT kind of works, mimicking conventional acceleration pretty well. Just don’t expect any fireworks, even with Econ or Normal mode switched for Sport. It’s fast, the Civic, with a few tests having comfortably beaten the claimed 0-62, but it’s not furious. It just quietly goes about getting the job done to a very high standard.
Same goes for how it drives, if the theme isn’t apparent yet. Nothing especially stands out, rather everything operates in a slick, polished fashion. The resistance of the pedals is spot on, even with the brake incorporating adjustable regen, the steering has a satisfying weight to it, traction is strong, and the balance isn’t too nose-heavy. The Civic is really pleasant to drive in every scenario, competent and assured, without one ride or handling USP. Which is probably just how a Civic should be - impressive without being extraordinary. Importantly, there are no glaring flaws, either. And in an automotive world obsessed with style over substance, there’s pleasure to be had from driving something so thoughtfully and thoroughly engineered. Which feels like damning the Civic with faint praise, but we’d take an odd-looking car that’s been set up considerately over a fancy but flawed one every day of the week.
The new model is even refreshingly simple to spec. With that hybrid powertrain buyers can pair one of three specs: entry-level Elegance, Sport and Advance. Nothing more complicated than that, and an Advance like this comes with loads of equipment. Of course. The price is comparable with rivals boasting similar power.
All in all, it’s honestly hard to think what more the average hatchback buyer could want from the newest iteration of Civic. Much like an old Golf - typically the benchmark for such things - it just performs so well across the board, from the way the interior is put together to the way it drives. Nothing about it will ever blow you away, perhaps - but even after a week behind the wheel it also feels like the Civic would be a very difficult car to replace or meaningfully improve upon. Returning customers will be delighted. But let's hope Honda succeeds in tempting some conquest buyers into its showrooms too, because this is more than good enough to merit consideration on any family car shopping list, whether there are SUVs on it or not.
SPECIFICATION | 2022 HONDA CIVIC E:HEV ADVANCE
Engine: 1,993cc, four-cyl, 1.05kwh battery, electric motor
Transmission: e-CVT
Power (hp): 143@6,000rpm, electric motor 184
Torque (lb ft): 137@4,500rpm, electric motor 232
0-62mph: 8.1 seconds
Top speed: 112mph
MPG: 56.5 (WLTP combined)
CO2: 114g/km
Weight: 1,533kg
Price: £32,995 (Advance as standard; price as tested £33,820 comprised of Sonic Grey Pearl paint for £825)
Short answer no. The ICE runs when either the electric drive motor isn't sufficiently powerful (ie at higher speeds), or if battery for the electric drive motor has insufficient charge.
The ICE is directly connected to a second electric motor that acts as a generator to either bump up the battery or directly provide power to the electric drive motor. The ICE is also connected to the vehicle's drive via a clutch, and at higher speeds the ICE will run and the clutch will engage so now the ICE is both providing additional drive power and also powering that second electric motor generator unit.
So the ICE has three modes:
1 - Off, when the electric motor is sufficiently powerful and also has sufficient battery reserves
2 - On, with the drive clutch disconnected, thus only powering the generator unit and disconnected from the drive to the vehicle, so this is when the electric motor is sufficiently powerful but the battery reserves are low
3 - On, with the drive clutch connected - for higher speeds where the electric drive motor's power isn't sufficient, the ICE is both driving the vehicle (in conjunction with the 'main' electric drive motor) and the generator
There's no CVT, it's just how Honda have branded the system.
What you have is:
- An electric drive motor that's always connected to the differential through a single fixed ratio and is therefore always driving the vehicle. This motor is powered by the battery, and also in some circumstances the second electric motor generator unit connected to the petrol engine (see next point) will also provide electricity to power this drive motor.
- A second electric motor that's directly, and constantly, connected to the petrol engine, this motor is only a generator and will supply electrical power to the battery (to replenish it), or to the drive motor. This generator unit does not ever directly provide drive to the vehicle, and it is only turned when the petrol engine is running.
- A petrol engine that is directly, and constantly, connected to the second electrical motor - the generator above. When the petrol engine is running it is therefore always driving that generator unit. This petrol engine is also connected, via a clutch, to the differential, this is through a single fixed ratio. When there's a need, this clutch will engage and petrol engine will, in addition to the first electric drive motor, drive the vehicle. Therefore the petrol engine can be run to turn the generator when needed, and also via the clutch provide additional drive to the vehicle. When the petrol engine is running, the generator will also be running, and the petrol engine may, or may not, be driving the vehicle depending on the clutch position.
There's no gear changing involved - both drive units (the electric motor and the petrol engine) connect to the differential via single fixed gear ratios, these never change. What happens is the electric drive motor is always driving the vehicle through its single fixed gear ratio, and then in certain circumstances the petrol engine will run and the clutch engages meaning the petrol engine is also driving the vehicle through its single fixed gear ratio.
No gear changes occur, just a connection / disconnection to the vehicle drive of the second power source (the petrol engine) as required.
What you have is:
- An electric drive motor that's always connected to the differential through a single fixed ratio and is therefore always driving the vehicle. This motor is powered by the battery, and also in some circumstances the second electric motor generator unit connected to the petrol engine (see next point) will also provide electricity to power this drive motor.
- A second electric motor that's directly, and constantly, connected to the petrol engine, this motor is only a generator and will supply electrical power to the battery (to replenish it), or to the drive motor. This generator unit does not ever directly provide drive to the vehicle, and it is only turned when the petrol engine is running.
- A petrol engine that is directly, and constantly, connected to the second electrical motor - the generator above. When the petrol engine is running it is therefore always driving that generator unit. This petrol engine is also connected, via a clutch, to the differential, this is through a single fixed ratio. When there's a need, this clutch will engage and petrol engine will, in addition to the first electric drive motor, drive the vehicle. Therefore the petrol engine can be run to turn the generator when needed, and also via the clutch provide additional drive to the vehicle. When the petrol engine is running, the generator will also be running, and the petrol engine may, or may not, be driving the vehicle depending on the clutch position.
There's no gear changing involved - both drive units (the electric motor and the petrol engine) connect to the differential via single fixed gear ratios, these never change. What happens is the electric drive motor is always driving the vehicle through its single fixed gear ratio, and then in certain circumstances the petrol engine will run and the clutch engages meaning the petrol engine is also driving the vehicle through its single fixed gear ratio.
No gear changes occur, just a connection / disconnection to the vehicle drive of the second power source (the petrol engine) as required.
It looks big though and it’s no illusion - it’s within 15cm of being the length of a 3 Series (which itself has grown over the years)….
Once hydrogen becomes commercially viable (which it will) the ICE will be the perfect application for this and the EV will be redundant. It will be far cleaner than a EV as power station reliance for charging won't be an issue ie Co from gas and the massive waste disposal problems from nuclear.
Hydrogen powered ICE and battery combined is the future..
The key word here is "imitation", they're imitating gear changes even though none actually occur.
Once hydrogen becomes commercially viable (which it will) the ICE will be the perfect application for this and the EV will be redundant. It will be far cleaner than a EV as power station reliance for charging won't be an issue ie Co from gas and the massive waste disposal problems from nuclear.
Hydrogen powered ICE and battery combined is the future..
ICE engines typically have a small peak efficiency band and electric motors give great instant response - so by combining the two you're almost having the best of both worlds.
But from about 60mph a clutch closes and does connect the engine to the differential, giving it a single high speed gear. This eliminates the 5-10% efficiency losses from the generator, power electronics and drive motor. Clever idea
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