Honda is arguably the most American of all the Japanese brands, as the overwhelming majority of their revenue is generated in the US and the bulk of their design work is done in California. Honda's are immensely practical and fits in well with what American's value in cars - especially around efficiency, reliability, and ride/handling.

Honda's compact car known most for being reliable, practical, fuel efficient, and American-made is being redesigned.....and is now a midsized car at 184 inches long.

Car and Driver

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Honda Civic generations tend to alternate between revolution and evolution. The outgoing 10th-generation car took big steps forward in terms of styling and performance, so it stands to reason that its successor features a more conservative redesign. Given the new 11th-generation 2022 Civic’s more mature looks, we think that’s a good thing. The new model boasts cleaner styling, carryover engines, and plenty of new features and upgrades that should result in a useful improvement.

Honda has stretched the Civic sedan’s wheelbase by 1.4 inches and widened the rear track by 0.5 inch. The tortured lines and weird angles from before are gone, replaced by a more flowing design that takes its front- and rear-end designs from the larger Accord sedan. A hatchback model will be coming later, along with Si and Type R high-performance variants that will include zestier turbo engines and manual transmissions. (The Sport model pictured here in red features Honda Performance Development accessories.)

On the more mainstream side of things, the 2022 Civic sedan’s powertrain lineup remains similar. A naturally aspirated 2.0-liter inline-four is standard on LX and Sport models, and a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four is again included on EX and Touring trims. A manual transmission will sadly be relegated only to the eventual Si and Type R, as all non-performance Civics will have a continuously variable automatic transmission for now. The base 2.0-liter has the same 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque but benefits from a new engine start-stop system, while the 1.5-liter engine gets a 6-hp and 15 pound-feet boost for totals of 180 hp and 177 pound-feet. EPA fuel-economy estimates are up by between 1 and 2 mpg depending on configuration.

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We expect pricing to rise slightly along with the 2022 Civic’s more upscale demeanor, so look for the LX to start around $23,000 and the Touring to crest the $30,000 mark. Honda says the new Civic will be arriving at U.S. dealerships this summer.

I've owned a 2013 Honda Accord. It was the most enjoyable car to drive that I've ever personally owned despite not being the most powerful or the most sporty. Honda just knows how to properly tune a car for ride and handling. I also had none of the problems with the Honda CVT as what has been reported with so many Nissan CVT's (built by JATCO). Our Accord was completely reliable.

So this new Civic is a very cool car to me. Looking forward to the SI version with the 6 speed manual.

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The new Civic has grown so much that it has the same wheelbase and interior volume as the 7th generation Honda Accord, which was a wildly popular mid sized car:

Sadly, now that the Civic has grown so much, there may not be a business case to continue manufacturing the Honda Accord in such high volumes. Especially as buyers in the $30,000+ market turn to crossover SUVs like the CR-V and Passport.