The New Generation 5-Door Civic Offers New Styling and Three Engines

The ninth-generation Honda Civic does not nearly have the avante-garde styling change that the previous model showed over the seventh generation. Although, that would be very difficult because the Civic went from looking like a bar of soap to a space ship. The ninth-generation is much more of an evolution of the previous version. 

While undergoing four years of development, the ninth-generation Civic gets a myriad of changes. 

The new exterior has a Y-shaped front grill surrounded by body-colored fenders. The headlights are trapezoidal with LED running lights mounted on the lower intakes with foglights below them. The fenders, especially the rear, flow into the sides of the body to give the car a more substantial sense of movement. The rear is a notchback with a very flat rear window, and the exhausts are hidden by the rear bumper. 

The 2012 Civic retains a similar interior as the previous version. It still has the two-tiered gaugecluster with a digital speedometer mounted above the analog tachometer. Honda has changed things slightly to make it all more ergonomic. The gearshift, AUX-input, USB port and cup holders have all been moved closer to the driver. 

The ninth-generation Civic has three available engines: one diesel and two petrol engines. The diesel is 2.2 liters that produces 150PS, 350Nm and 110g/km of CO2. The 1.8 liter VTEC engine makes 142PS, 174Nm and 137g/km of CO2. The 1.4 liter VTEC makes 100PS, 127Nm and 129g/km of CO2. 

For right now the Civic is available with a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic available only on the 1.8 liter model. 

The 2012 five-door Civic will be available early in 2012. Honda has not yet revealed prices for the various engines.