After some leaks in the press and an official teaser video, Honda finally revealed the working prototype for the 11th-generation Civic. It walks away from the uber-sporty design of the current Civic and suits up with clean lines, low and wide stance, and a sleek modern front face.
Taking from models of the past, Honda took the great visibility of the 3rd-gen Civic and their classic design of ‘thin and light’ into modern times by pushing back the front pillars a bit, placing the side mirrors on the doors, and creating a lower beltline, resulting in bigger windows all around. Together with the lower hood and front fenders, the overall design gives emphasis on the wheels of the Civic.
The front fascia reminds me of the 5th-gen Accord because of the headlights which perfectly accentuates the longer hood. The upper grille is lower than the headlights and, combined with the mesh on the lower grille and fog light housing, gives off a sporty look without being obnoxious.
Honda made the rear more executive in feel with just the right amount of sportiness, implementing curves and clean lines on it. It’s also cohesive with the front face, thanks to the brake lights following the shape of the DRLs. The cladding below that houses the exhausts was broken nicely by a body-colored panel, only adding to the upmarket allure of this new Civic.
The clean lines and cohesion of the Civic’s exterior is also applied inside the car, with emphasis on simplicity and visibility. The dashboard blends with the top of the door panel for a clearer view of the road ahead and the sides. There’s also no clutter on the dash apart from the floating 9-inch full HD touchscreen. A honeycomb design was also implemented inside the piano black trim to accentuate the dash and hide the air vents.
Apart from these visible changes, Honda is planning to include new active and passive safety systems. This involves new airbag designs, upgraded Honda Sensing suite, and a new version of Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure.
The new Civic will have its official global debut next year in the form of the sedan, followed by the hatchback, a performance-focused Si, and a new Type R iteration. The Philippines usually only gets the sedan and, for the last generation, the Type R. No word yet when the new Civic will reach Philippine shores.
