Quick Take: 2022 Honda Civic Sport
Honda’s redesigned Civic has been hotly anticipated by a large number of compact sedan shoppers. The Cartrast team managed to get behind the wheel last week of a Civic sedan in the Sport trim level, expected to be the top seller of the Civic range, during the Western Automotive Journalists event in Half Moon Bay. We were very interested in gaining some first impressions of the Civic on both the street and highway as it tends to be the most popular vehicle with first-time new car buyers.
The Sport trim level of the Civic we drove came with features such as 18-inch black alloy wheels, 3 driving modes (Normal, Sport, and ECO), Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, matte black exterior trim, LED headlights, an 8-speaker 180-watt audio system, and keyless smart entry with automatic locking when walking away. In addition, our test car came installed with the HPD (Honda Performance Development) package, which added a decklid spoiler and an HPD emblem as well as front, rear, and side underbody spoilers all painted in black.
We really enjoyed the handling of the Civic Sport on the pavement of Half Moon Bay. The steering (which also comes with paddle shifters) was direct with the feel excellent with the 158-horsepower 4-cylinder engine did an excellent job of accelerating out of corners. Despite the 18-inch wheels, ride quality on Highway 1 was very good and road noise was never pervasive in the cabin. The infotainment system was easy to use while the dashboard controls were intuitive. The dashboard garnered a lot of positive feedback, with an upscale look due to the integrated air vents and the metal-look trim.
Ultimately, compact sedan shoppers will find plenty to like about the Civic Sport, which has all the necessary features they’re looking for, along with a healthy dollop of style. After our time with the Civic Sport, we feel that no other compact sedan has as great a combination of a dynamic ride interspersed with a high level of fuel efficiency and ride comfort.
