2011 Detroit Auto Show: Honda Civic Concepts

no snarky comments about how this looks JUST like the current car? "All new"? Seriously? What is the point of this "concept" that provides no specs for the production car? So annoying. Why wont honda just show the damn production car?

"retain a sporty and fun to drive spirit."

I wonder if they mean "recapture" instead of "retain".

I just don't find Civics of recent years have the spirit they had in the 90"s.

What's changed? The grill?

the press release tells you nothing about the car- aside from the fact that its better than the old one. No engine details, no mpg claims, no features listed. I am curious as to how this will stack up mpg wise with the

Looks like the current European Civic & the North American Civic had a baby.

Not feeling the sedan as in that shot its front clip recalls the hideous Crosstour. But the coupe, from its angle in the first photo, is reminiscent of the Acura RSX. That's a good thing.

I'm underwhelmed just like everyone else here. WTF?? How about more of a refresh for a car that has sold more than 1.5 million in a few short years. Does Honda not get it at all??

Snarky, it looks almost the same, snarky.

Actually, I take that back, it looks like a Saturn Ion.

If it ain't broke?...

Also, I'd be amazed if they stuck with the independent rear suspension and didn't cheapen it with a twist-beam like all other manufacturers have.

^exactly.

The only cars with radical redesigns had previous versions that sucked.

Deny it all you want, but the last civic didn't.

Wasn’t Honda deep into designing the next generation when they decided to change direction and re-design it from scratch? I think they were going to make the new one larger, and changed their minds.

In other words, no time for a full redesign. But we’ll see... we’re not going to learn enough from this lame presentation.

Now i'd only buy an SI but Not bad looking at all. I guess honda took the evolutionary not revolutionary route.

The new SI will have a more powerful version of the TSX's 2.4 liter engine according to TOV.

^which it really needs. More cajones that is.

carlisimo, that is correct.

Jeez Inside Line, get better picture please. Autoblog is loaded with pics from every angle.

Woah that sedan does not look good. It looks like they put the front end off a Crosstour off the rear of the child of a Civic-2010 Mazda3 union. The Coupe looks ok - a nice refresh of the current design, which I find to be fairly attractive anyway.

Yup, the radical redesigns came from Hyundai, Kia, Chevy, Ford. All were arguably very adequate and reliable little cars, but widely considered as dull, chintzy, and outdated. Toyota, Honda, and Mazda were and are best in class and don't need to reinvent the wheel at this time, in this economy. Their reputations, deserved or not, will keep them on top when gas prices go up and people will again be paying as much for used Civics as new ones.

PS - Dodge/Chrysler still a joke. Nissan makes some nice cars, when will they ever bring the Sentra up to date?

So when i get another bumper in the front with led i have a2012 model from my 09' civic?
So the Hyundai Elantra is the better deal here,at least you see the difference with the outgoing model.....

Well said eldaino2. No need to go back to the drawing board when what you have works great already. Just an update is all that's need. When a revolution is needed, that means what you had didn't work. Elantra and Cruze will still be second class citizens to Civic and Corolla (sales wise). I buy this (sedan) over the Elantra.

On another note, did anyone notice that the brake calipers are located behind front axles? Is this the first FWD car to have the steering rack in front of the axles? Can any of the editors at the autoshow confirm this?

This car looks gorgeous, and of course all 1487 can say is "no snarky comments about how this looks JUST like the current car?" W/e the styling is still quite appealing, sure it does only look like an evolution of the current generation but that car was soo radically styled and modern looking it wasn't necessary to change the outside much. Thankfully Honda is promising 40 mpg and that will shut up the critics complaining how the Elantra and Cruze got 40 mpg. It was stupid how they complained the Civic only got 36 mpg on a design that was over 5 years old. You can't compare an old design to a totally new model especially when that 06 model came out it had best in class MPG ratings. At least this new Civic looks a lot sleeker and better than the lame duck 2009 Corolla when it debuted.

I hope Honda keeps those Rims for the production Si as they are gorgeous. It is a bit frustrating that there are no specs for the car... I'd love to know what they did to the powertrains but I'm guessing Honda will unveil more in a couple months, they just love to keep us in suspense.

@frank908

I doubt they would switch to a twist beam rear suspension. That cheapness is reserved for the Fit, Insight, and CRZ bc they all share that platform. The Civic has its own unique platform and since this is just an evolution of the current model expect the underpinnings to be the same but tweaked for a better ride perhaps? The only thing the old Civic needed was more sound insulation as there was a bit too much road noise in the old model but otherwise I found its ride to be a perfect balance between comfort and sporty handling. No other car offers that balance for me, the Corolla is too floaty, Mazda 3 rides too stiffly, (old) Elantra was too soft.

I am not fan of the current generation Civic's styling. Never liked the way the windsheild blended into the hood, creating the appearance of very long windshield and a hood that's too short. When sitting in the current civic it feels like the dashboard is 6 feet deep.

Anyway, the new concepts look better than the current model, but I was hoping for a more drastic change. It looks like a reskin of the current generation Civic, instead of a completely new car.

The coupe looks like a baby Accord coupe, with a hint of the Acura RSX... Which I agree is a good thing.

I hope the Si will get more go as well...

Hondalvr: I agree, the civic had a great ride handling balance, and I hope this one has a tad more sound insulation.

Erik25: how is it a better deal? The elantra is cheaper so maybe in that sense?
The previous elantra was a snooze, the current civic is not, hence the lack of differences

Honda:

Take the 1999 Civic Si, add a 2.0L and a little punch to the interior. launch that.

I like the look, it's a crisp evolution of the current Civic... which remains a good small car and doesn't need to be completely reinvented. I like how Honda focused on trimming the dimensions and upping the efficiency, I predict this will continue to be a class leader.

so the 2008 civic is new for 2011? How much more are they charging?

Honda is in trouble, they haven't had an interesting idea since...well the last honda civic. So i guess they are going to see if it works again.

so this car looks just like it did in 2005 and people say "its a Honda, they dont need to change the car". OK, we'll see how that works out. I know Chevy, Hyundai and Ford HAVE to be loving this warmed over 2006 model. Honda and Toyota are still stuck in the past, they just dont understand we are in a new world in terms of competitiveness.

BTW, why are people saying "it doesnt need to be reinvented"? Who said that? No one. People are saying this car looks just like the one thats been on sale for 5 years and apparently has only modest powertrain upgrades. Thats not going to cut it when you have the Elantra and Focus in the game now.

Only 260k+ sales? Yep, Honda and Toyota are definitely in trouble. Funny how the two oldest design are the two top selling compacts. The next closest is the Focus at 170k+. At the end of 2011, we'll see if radical or evolution is better. And you only need modest powertrain upgrades when the competition has barely caught up to your current engine design in terms of efficiency and NVH. Evolutionary engine upgrades also translate to better reliability (see GM small block V8).

Another year without a hatchback. Honda missing out yet again.

Is it 2005 again? LOL

I really like the idea of the SI with the 2.4. Can't wait to see this car in the flesh-- and for an Edmunds road test with those dismal acceleration times.