2022 Honda Civic Hatchback Review _ It just keeps getting BETTER!.

Only one compact sedan is well-built, fun to drive, and has been around every single year since 1973. Honda Civic. Now, a lot of small cars have come and gone since then in the U.S. market. The Toyota Corolla has been around longer, the Nissan Sentra since the early 80s, but the Civic is consistently good, and for 2022, it's all new. We've already reviewed the new sedan, the new Si, and now, this new hatchback. So let's get this thing straight, all right? Right now, you've got to save money on gas. This is the way to do it. High 30s on the highway, you're getting all the latest technology and safety. And if you really like driving, this is the car. 31K, fully loaded. I'd like to think our YouTube channel is just as loaded with features and great content every single week. So why don't you subscribe to the CarGurus YouTube channel? When I say the Civic is consistently good, I mean it stays true to its mission. It rarely disappoints. I've driven all kinds of Civics for more than a decade. Coupe, sedan, hatch, hybrid, Si, Type R, compressed natural gas. This is the third Civic I've driven in this new 11th generation, and it reminds me of another car. Tesla Model 3? I think the Honda Civic looks a bit better from back here, especially this thin strip connecting these outer taillights, the LEDs, the whole bumper shape, this rear wiper. That's a nice throwback feature, but it's really functional, especially on this nice, wide, arching piece of tailgate glass. It has a really nice coupe profile, and remember, the Civic is not available as a two-door coupe anymore. So this is as close as it's going to get. Compared to the sedan, the hatchback is five inches shorter. All of the other dimensions, identical. That means you still get the same great profile, only it has a coupe shape. It's really all what you want. Up here, the same quad LED headlights, only the grille is shared with the Si. So you get that neat honeycomb structure here. Other than that, what else are we looking at? Well, it's the same great Civic. It's low, it's wide, it has a good stance. Cargo space, 24 cubic feet of it behind these seats, compared to 15 in the trunk of the sedan. The Honda doesn't quote what they are when it's folded, but I bet it's over 40. It's a lot of space. The interior goes for broke. It puts entry-level luxury cars on notice, and I'm not exaggerating. Get into a Mercedes CLA or a BMW 2 Series Grand Coupe, poke around, touch things, feel it. For 50 grand, you're going to be disappointed. The Civic delivers similar quality for half that price. The signature feature is this wide strip that looks like a mesh piece of metal. It hides all the air vents, and there's toggle vents to adjust the airflow. There's knurled climate controls, these high-res screens. There's tight panel gaps, good padding, and every piece has a crafted feel that feels like it's only meant for this car, instead of these old-looking plastic cutouts and bargain pieces that automakers will use from one car to another. It's a simple and elegant interior, even in the base LX trim. I really like it. Every Civic hatchback has a 7-inch touchscreen, except the Sport Touring, which is the 9-inch that you see right here. On every Civic hatchback is a full suite of driver assist, Honda Sensing – that's been standard for a long time now – adaptive cruise, lane departure warning and assist. It's actually a really good semi-automated system that works on marked highways. Really excellent system overall. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You get SiriusXM, factory navigation, and wireless charging – that's always nice – plus a 12-speaker Bose stereo. On this top trim, you also get a full-width 10-inch digital instrument panel that lets you see all sorts of info. On the left-hand side, you see all the audio and phone, and on the right, well, you can see if the door is open, for example. You can see your trip, navigation, see all the active safety, the driver attention monitor, all the seatbelt monitors. Now, it's not as customizable as you'll find in some luxury cars – you don't get the full-width maps – but it's pretty sharp here. And I hope there's another feature in the next software update that lets you do even more. Two problems in here. They're not really my problems, because I'm in the driver's seat. There's no rear air vents, just this blank piece of plastic. Sorry, people back there. And for the person up here, there's no height adjustment. But you won't care about either of those things when you're driving. Driving is a big reason why you should buy a Civic, especially with this 1.5-liter turbo that's in the Sport Touring and the EX-L, 180 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. This is a detuned engine from the Si. Watch that video. I reviewed it. Love that car. So it just makes a little less output, but it's the same gem. And it responds in a very linear fashion, almost as if there isn't a turbo. But believe me, you'll notice the turbo. I have not driven the standard engine on this car, which is the 2-liter naturally aspirated 4, 158 horsepower. Eh, it's OK. It's OK. But I think the upcharge is worth it, because not only do you get more amenities inside the car, the engine is just so much nicer. Honda just does such a good job, not to knock them for their regular 2-liter, but after spending so much time with this engine and so many different Civics in this generation and the one before, I think this is the one to get. Honda has a CVT, that's the continuously variable transmission, no gears. But this transmission is pretty good. Like in Nissan models, they figured out how to make this act like a regular automatic transmission. And with paddle shifters in Sport mode, you'd be hard-pressed to tell that this wasn't a regular automatic. But if you want to shift gears, and believe me, you can, on the Sport and the Sport Touring trims, you can get the 6-speed manual. And you can't get the manual on the sedan unless you buy the Si. So the hatchback is where it's at, and it's a no-cost option. And if you watch the Si video, and I suggest you do, you can learn about how many improvements Honda made to all the linkages and all the inner systems of that transmission. Honda makes one of the best boxes you can get, truly. Porsche is right up there, and it's Honda. Don't believe me? Try one of these cars, row it yourself. Teach someone to drive manual, because with this car, you're not laboring through the process. It's fun in traffic, it's fun on the highway, it's fun on the back roads. Things are generally pretty quiet. And this is a compact car, it's a non-luxury car, but the suspension is decently supple, it's never rough. And if you're driving for a long cruise like this, well, I can put on the Honda Sensing, and I've got lane centering on here. Lane centering on a car that costs under $30,000 to start, but is still optional on Range Rovers, BMWs, and all those cars. So you tell me, where's the value? The benefit of being really low is that you can push this car pretty well. A lot more than you would think, because these are all-season tires, but the balance is here. Front-wheel drive cars, well, they're generally okay, but Honda just tunes it down to the last inch. The Civic has just been consistently good, generation to generation. Not to say that Honda doesn't screw up from time to time, but it's a rare moment when they do. And there's more competition now. The Mazda 3, better than ever. Hyundai and Kia are making some great compacts as well. But if you just want everything all together, between the style and this handling and the steering, and all the little things that the more premium automakers are focusing on, the little things that you just feel and not see, Honda does that. And you don't need to buy the Si or any high-performance version of the Civic to feel it. It's here. I love the way the steering feels. It's light, but yet there's a lot of tactile feel going on. The suspension's perfectly composed. It doesn't roll, but yet it doesn't punish you. It really does everything right. So, you do pay a little bit more money for the Civic Hatchback versus some other cars in the class, especially the Toyota Corolla, but I think it's money well spent. The 2022 Civic Hatchback starts at $22,900 for the LX and $29,400 for the Sport Touring. The manual transmission is a no-cost option. With extra charge paint and destination, my car was $31,260. That's right in line with the Mazda 3 Hatchback and Subaru Impreza 5-door. But those cars can come with all-wheel drive. The Civic Hatchback is about $5,000 more than a loaded Toyota Corolla Hatchback, the Nissan Sentra, Hyundai Elantra and Kia Forte. It's also about $1,000 more than the Civic Sedan. So, it's pricier than a lot of cars. I think the Civic Hatchback is worth the money. The style, the quality, the way it drives. These are traits I look for in any new car, regardless of its price. And this one starts in the mid-to-low 20s. That's pretty impressive. I can't say that about a lot of cars. So, what do you guys think? Would you choose this Civic or any other number of compact cars? Tell us, subscribe to the channel, and we will see you next time.