New Honda Civic Spy Photos

By Alborz Fallah | July 26th, 2010

The current Honda Civic feels like it has been around a little longer than most would’ve expected. Nonetheless the next-generation of Honda’s most popular model has recently been caught testing in Europe.

The very first prototype of the new Honda Civic was snapped during its first test on the German roads. Our photographers spotted it conducting numerous road tests.

It appears to be about the same size as the current Honda Civic that made its debut in 2005, albeit slightly slightly wider.

Going by the photos the rear doors do look longer, which may suggest the Civic is growing for accomodate trends in the ‘small’ car segment.

Little else is known about the next-generation Honda Civic except that it will be officially unveiled in the second half of 2011 as a 2012 model.

Jumbo

So is this the car we are likely to see in Australia as our main Civic line. Or will we get a different one just like we do with the sedan.
Nick K

The current civic sedan is horrible to look at. I hope the next gen car improves the styling inside and out and we also get a well priced hatch. It’s a sad day when an i30 is so much nicer than a Civic sedan, Honda needs to sort itself out or the Koreans will make them irrelevant.

Mythfrances

You are kidding…The current Civic is still so much better looking than i30. For me anyway…

andronicus

Agreed, the Civic is still good looking car despite been over half a decade old.

Joel

i30 may seem more stylish in pictures but close up im sure you will notice the difference in quality

Jo

Exactly. The Korean made i30 kicks the Thai made Civic’s back side

Sorry but I’d take a Hyundai over a Honda any day. That wasn’t the case 5 years ago, but guess what it’s 2010.

And this comes from someone who has bought 3 new Honda’s throughout his life..

Jazz – No need to comment (Take a Getz or Alto any day)
Civic – dated/boring/uninspiring engine (Kia Cerato/i30 kills it)
CRV – ditto (Sorento, I35, Tiguan smashes it to pieces)
Accord – nice styling but crappy uninspiring engine (probably the only Honda I would consider – but competition is coming from Hyundai & Suzuki)

See a pattern developing?
Engineer

The Korean cars are good, however Honda engines are the most reliable in the world.

The new Kia and Hyundai cars are new, and it is too soon to tell if they are as reliable. Don\’t forget these are their first generation direct injection engines.

And no, I Don’t see a pattern. Your argument is purely subjective.
Mythfrances

Alto is a ultra compact, its not even in the same class as Jazz.
JJ

i brought a new jazz in 2002, when the CURRENT getz was also available.

jazz KILLED it for economy, fit and finish, clutch feel, interior feel, handling, comfort, stereo quality, and most of all, interior space.

the jazz because of its interior space is STILL the pick of all small cars. fold the back seats down and you can get a FULL SIZE washing machine in the back, and get it out without any troubles.

my jazz had 140 thousand HARD kays on it, ive crashed it, jumped it, 4×4′d it and generally tried to kill it, and its still perfectly reliable and last week, city cycle, returned 5.1L per 100 kms

getz indeed LOL!!!

Shak

How can we tell that its a Civic, let alone a Honda?
Snail

That CarAdvice logo in all the pictures is really annoying…
nickdl

How would one see out the back without a reverse camera?

Joel

that boot thing is fake so you cant tell the real shape of the car.
Ovr40

Quite right. When you take into account the actual clear glass area, there is almost no rear quarter vision at all.

Nick K

I see we have some fans of the Civics styling, I didn’t know we lived in Nth America.

Hayzel

You have a Hyundai we got that ok, now be quiet. You like the looks of an i30 shopping troley, I don’t as I like cars with a little bit more soul and pedigree.

Nick K

I don’t own an i30 or even think it’s that good… it’s just that I think the styling of the Civic sedan inside or out is that bad it makes the i30 look good. The Civic sedan looks like it was styled for North America. I understand that styling is a subjective thing so absolutely respect other people’s choices.
mmmmmm

soul & pedigree cuts out the boring civic.
hondas are overrated and clinging to former glory days when their cars where actually better than the rest.
their boring toyota clones are merely average nowadays.

Hawk

Well, “MMMMMM”, why don’t you go to your Hyundai site and rave about their vehicles, rather than getting on a Honda site and trashing them! Ridiculous

Avinash

The Old Civic Body looks good rather than the new one
Don’t change the design
vti07

New Civic will have to be very very good (and cheaper in price) to compete with the Korean cars. I’ll reserve judgement until it actually comes out.
vti07

Looks to me its a five door Civic hatch with the boot tacked onto the back.

Notice the location of the rear door handle.
Ronnie

LoL Hyundai and Suzukis? Don’t you have any dignity?
Ronnie

LoL Hyundai and Suzuki? Junkkk
K20

Ronnie,

I see that you consider Hyundai and Suzuki to be an inferior manufacturer than Honda. Well for me, dignity has nothing to do with the badge embossed into my steering wheel. Hyundai and Suzuki are two perfectly respectable car manufacturers. I would question my dignity if I drive Great Wall, Ssangyong or any other Chinese cars.

The current generation Civic was more than decent car back in 2005/2006 when it was launched. Now, it’s towards the back of the pack (as with any cars, really, at the end of their product lifecycle). Just like the current gen 3-series, no matter how good a car it still is, lagged behind the current class leader (C-Class) in terms of ‘completeness’. The fact that the Civic is not cheap hurts its sales even more. It’s just simply not competitive enough to be in the most competitive segment of all (Small < 40K).

Hyundai i30 is indeed the better car in terms of features, value, drivetrain options and technology. I would also dare to say that Hyundai is just as reliable as Honda these days. The only things i30 lagged behind the Civic would be resale value and 'perceived quality'. 'Perceived quality' should never be confused with actual quality / reliability.

Read reviews from magazines, owners forums, study the specifications, and more importantly, go and test drive the car, and make your decision based on those considerations. That's how you preserve your dignity, by valuing cars objectively, not blinded by the brand. And for the info, yes, I've driven both i30 and Civic.

PaulS

To compare ix30 with the current civic is not entirely fair. The civic was pretty generous on features when it came out. 5 years on, it’s admittedly playing catch up.

Having said that, Hyundai still has a long way to go, but they are certainly not to be scoffed at. All of their cars look fantastic on photos and ads, but see them in real life, and you’ll notice their design shortcomings. They will catch up if not overtake the japanese manufacturers sooner than we think but they haven’t done so yet.
vti07

I believe Ssangyong is Korean?

vti07

Part of the reason of declining Honda sales may be due to most of Honda Australia’s lineup being sourced from Thailand (and charging Japanese prices). This is due to Australia FTA with Thailand. I believe that all Honda’s in NZ are sourced from Japan.

These days we can’t expect all cars to come from Japan. Eg. New Mazda2 /Fiesta to be built in Thailand, Suzuki Alto and possibly Hyundai i20 from India? (someone correct me on i20 if i’m incorrect).

Doesn’t matter what car you buy, if you like it, go for it.
Ovr40

I recently bought the LE Civic and I’m perfectly happy with it. It’s comfortable and quiet with more than enough power for everyday use. The auto is so smooth and clever that I’m never really sure which gear I’m in, and auto’s nearly always choose the wrong gear. Nope. I don’t get why it’s not selling either. It must be that people would rather save a few thou than enjoy their drive. And maybe I’m just getting old …