Third Shoe Drops: Boatload of 2017 Honda Civic Hatchbacks Spied

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

The third addition to the Honda Civic lineup was recently spotted at a UK port, providing a glimpse of a vehicle we’ve only seen in prototype guise.

The Honda Civic hatchback shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March wasn’t a production model, but images posted on the CivicX forum show what American buyers can expect.

Not surprisingly, these Civic hatchbacks — said to be U.S.-bound from the model’s Swindon assembly plant — are plenty toned down compared to what we saw at Geneva. The huge, honeycomb-mesh-filled rear bumper vents remain, though they aren’t as sculpted as those on the prototype. The look carries over in the front bumper.

Subtle twin spoilers that are identical to those on the prototype adorn the sloping rear liftback, but something’s missing out back: A tailpipe. Just try and find one in any of the images. The prototype, which clearly hints at what a performance variant of the hatchback could look like, has its twin pipes neatly exiting the center of the rear bumper, hot hatch-style.

If reports turn out true, expect the 174-horsepower turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder to be the only engine offered when the model goes on sale later this year. The naturally aspirated 158 hp 2.0-liter could follow, though Honda might stick with the growing industry trend of only offering uplevel five-doors.

Honda assures us that Si and Type R variants will arrive in the near future, powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four. In its hottest guise, the engine could make 340 horsepower, according to a report.

We’ll get a better look at the model at its official unveiling at the Paris Auto Show in late September.

[Image: CivicX]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Sid SB Sid SB on Aug 11, 2016

    Already with the stormtrooper edition.

  • Fordson Fordson on Aug 11, 2016

    Why don't the Japanese just cut to the chase like the Koreans did and hire some European-brand stylists to head up their design departments? You look at the current efforts of Nissan, Toyota, Subaru and Honda...and come to the unavoidable conclusion that "merely homely" would be a huge improvement.

  • APaGttH APaGttH on Aug 11, 2016

    That is ugly.

  • Frozenman Frozenman on Aug 12, 2016

    Ok then, will wait for an engine upgrade for the HRV and see how that works out. Maybe there is hope that an Acura version of this adolescent wet dream will be more tolerable?

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