The redesigned 2020 Civic Hatch gets fresh styling & upgraded interior, and now the sporty RS grade is back in the line-up, including Honda Sensing Safety Suite.

The full suite of Honda Sensing Active Safety technologies have been added to the Civic RS Sport, including the High Beam Support System, while the RS Sport Sensing grade gets new 18” Alloys, an exclusive colour and refreshed Sports body kit.

There’s new interior materials and updated infotainment system layout enhance the premium feel and usability, with pricing at $32,990.

According to Honda, the new Civic Hatch builds on the momentum created by the arrival of the tenth-generation Civic range, which represented one of the most ambitious and comprehensive new model development programs ever undertaken by Honda.

The advanced active safety consists of:  Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow, Lane Keep Assist System, Road Departure Mitigation, Forward Collision Warning, Collision Mitigation Braking System and High Beam Support System.

The Civic is Honda’s longest running automotive nameplate and its best selling model globally, with more than 26.1 million sales since 1972.

Design

The new Civic Hatch also introduces a number of exterior and interior design refinements across the range.

The Civic RS Sport Sensing hatch leads the way with new 18-inch Alloy Wheels fitted with wider 235/40 ZR18 95Y Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres, while the Civic SX variant also features a new alloy wheel design, and hatch-exclusive Shark Grey colour.

Exterior styling refinements include revised design of the lower bumper fog light area, which now features a body colour crossbar that further accentuates the Civic’s proportions. The Honda signature “wing” grille is also updated. In the rear, the lower bumper openings receive similar changes to the front, with a new body-color crossbar. The RS’s sports kit is also updated with a new rear diffuser, surrounding the centre exit sports exhaust, pulling inspiration from its brother, the Type R.

Other design and equipment changes to individual grades includes:

· Introduction of High Beam Support System as part of Honda Sensing on the RS Sport Sensing

·  Addition of rear privacy glass on Civic SX

·  Phoenix Orange Pearlescent paint colour – exclusive to RS Sport Sensing

Fun to Drive Honda DNA

The Honda Civic RS Sport Sensing is powered by the 1.5L DOHC VTEC Turbo engine providing 127kw at 5,500 rpm and maximum torque of 220 Nm at 1,700-5,500 rpm. Honda says that with direct injection, a low-inertia Mono scroll turbo, electronic wastegate and dual Variable Valve Timing Control (VTC), the turbocharged Civic powerplant develops the horsepower and torque of a much larger engine.

Three technologies contributing to the VTEC Turbo include:

1. Direct Injection System and High Tumble Intake Port

The DOHC VTEC Turbo employs direct injection technology to inject fuel directly into the cylinders, lowering the temperature within the cylinders by the petrol’s vaporisation heat. High tumble intake ports, which strengthen intake airflow, and tumble flow maintaining pistons allow fuel to be quickly and efficiently burned.

2. Dual VTC for Intake and Exhaust

The Variable Valve Timing Control (VTC) changes the timing for intake and exhaust valves to operate, controlling the amount of time both types of valves are simultaneously open, allowing efficient supercharging even at low engine revs.

3. Turbocharger with Electronic Wastegate

Using a turbocharger with electronic wastegate equipped with small diameter turbines that spin efficiently on a small amount of exhaust energy, results in a responsive turbo.

To match this higher level of power the RS Sport features upgraded suspension in addition to Agile Handling Assist (AHA), Honda’s brake vectoring technology which is standard across the Civic range.

Connected and in Control

The design changes continue inside the new Civic Hatch range, with updates to the instrument panel and seat trims, plus improvements to the controls for the audio and ventilation systems.

The Advanced Display Audio touchscreen unit in the new Civic Hatch has been redesigned for a more intuitive user experience, with the addition of hard keys for the most commonly used functions, along with a dedicated volume control knob.

The usability of climate control functions has also been improved on the RS Sport Sensing with the addition of push buttons for one-touch adjustment and control of the fan speed.

Interior updates include:

·  New dashboard trim inserts featuring a geometric embossed finish

· New seat trims featuring a chequered accent centre panel on both the seat base and backrest

·  New red seat trim stitching, exclusive on RS Sport Sensing

·  New volume control knob, incorporating audio on/off functions

·   New hard keys for the core display screen functions

·  New, smooth finish steering wheel mounted rocker switch for remote volume control

·  New push buttons for one-touch adjustment of fan speed on the dual zone climate control system

Pricing

The new Honda Civic Hatch is on sale now, starting from $32,990+ORC for the SX grade. The RS Sport Sensing is priced the same as the outgoing, non-RS, Sport Sensing at $41,990+ORC.

Civic Hatch 20YM pricing

GradeEngineRetail Price
SX1.8L i-VTEC$32,990+ORC
RS Sport Sensing1.5L VTEC Turbo$41,990+ORC
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Fred Alvrez
How on earth to start this? I've been car/bike/truck crazy since I was a teen. Like John, I had the obligatory Countach poster on the wall. I guess I'm more officially into classic and muscle cars than anything else - I currently have a '65 Sunbeam Tiger that left the factory the same day as I left the hospital as a newborn with my mother. How could I not buy that car? In 2016 my wife and I drove across the USA in a brand-new Dodge Challenger, and then shipped it home. You can read more on www.usa2nz.co.nz. We did this again in 2019 in a 1990 Chev Corvette - you can read about that trip on DriveLife. I'm a driving instructor and an Observer for the Institute of Advanced Motorists - trying to do my bit to make our roads safer.

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