2017 Honda Civic hatch revealed

The first official images of the 10th generation Honda Civic hatch have been released ahead of its Australian launch early next year.

The official pictures – which arrive hot on the heels of a pair of unofficial snaps that leaked last week – confirm the 2017 Honda Civic hatch has stayed true to the ‘prototype’ revealed at the Geneva Motor Show, even if the more adventurous design elements, like its centred twin exhaust pipes and moulded-plastic bumper inserts, will likely only feature on the warm-hatch RS model.

Engine options are expected to mirror those of its sedan sibling, with a choice of two petrol engines available at launch: a 104kW, 174Nm 1.8-litre or a 127kW, 220Nm turbocharged 1.5-litre. A Type-R Hatch, powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre, will follow in the back-end of 2017, with the yet-to-be-revealed hotter Honda already confirmed for Australia.

“Like the Civic sedan, the Honda Civic Hatch, will be a very important car in the Honda line-up in Australia,” said Honda Australia Director, Stephen Collins.

“In the small car segment in Australia, hatches reign, so we expect the Honda Civic Hatch to be a relevant option for Honda customers looking for the versatility of a hatch but with the proven quality, style and performance of a Honda.”

From the front, both the Honda Civic hatch and sedan look similar; the interior packaging and features too will be the same.

Honda Australia is promising an engaging drive, too, with independent suspension at the front and rear and sport-tuned steering with variable gear ratios standard across the range. Interior niceties including Apple Car Play and Android Auto, heated seats and push-button start will also be available.

Local specification is yet to be confirmed, but Honda Australia points to the already-released Civic sedan as a preview of what to expect, both on styling and packaging. It’s unlikely to stray too far from the existing sedan line-up on price, too, which kicks off from $22,390 for the VTi and stretches to $33,590 for the top-spec VTi-LX.

“From the front, both the Honda Civic hatch and sedan look similar; the interior packaging and features too will be the same,” Mr Collins said.

The 2017 Civic hatch will be also be offered with the Honda Sensing suite of safety technology that includes collision warning with AEB, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and Road Departure Mitigation, which alerts the driver if it detects the vehicle drifting off the road.

While the Honda Civic hatch will be built at the UK’s Swindon plant for the US market, Australian cars will be built alongside their sedan siblings in Thailand.

Do you like the style of the new-look Civic hatchback? Tell us what you think in the comments below.